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Show FAMED LEADER OF TflMAOT 1ES 1 EE Richard Croker Amassed Great Fortune in Manner Never Explained. DUPLIN. April 29. (By The As-BOClated As-BOClated Press.) Richard Croker. formerly for-merly leader of Tammany Hall. New York, died at ;p 30 o'clock this afternoon after-noon at Glencatrn Castle, Sandyford. a few- miles from Dublin. The former pdlltlcal leader spent the better part of tho last ten or twelve vears In Ireland. where he owned extensive estates, making occasional oc-casional visits to the United States The last of these visits was in th spring of 1921 when he went to New York in connection with the legal proceedings pro-ceedings Instigated by his sons to prove him Incapable of managing his own affairs Shortly after he returned to his home at Olencalin .as h he became Seriously 111. and his condition was de-BCribed de-BCribed ll; ,,ad 'hat It would be impossible im-possible for him ever to leave his bed. But he soon showed signs of Improvement Improve-ment and early this year he was reported re-ported to have regained his health. t. ndor the leadership of Richard i roker, Tammany Hall became one t of the moat efficient and successful political po-litical machines that ever existed In the United States. It was under his leadership also that public condemnation condemna-tion was visited upon the organization In unstinted measure for the alleged unscrupulous manner In which It wis conducted For nine years Croker 'a masterlv hand absolutely dominated New York City's democratic organization organiza-tion and during that time Tammany was Invariably victorious at the polls From a poor Irish Immigrant boy. norto t.-o well educated he forced himself him-self by courage and self aggression and hy: political tactics that subjected 111 ni to extreme public criticism into the leadership first of one of New York's gangs, then into numerous city offices and eventually Into. the leadership leader-ship of Tammany Hall where he came in contact and dealings with many pf the leading financiers and business men of tho city. OBTAINED GREAT WEAITH He was rewarded by the accumula-tio.i accumula-tio.i of great wealth the source of Which was never exactly known by the public. ' Where did he get it?" was once the question of the hour In New York, hut Croker never answered It. Ho spent his wealth lavishly In maintaining a magnlftdontlv furnished furnish-ed hdme In Now York, a stock farm in New v ork state, and In purchasing a half interest in the famous Relle le.ul sto k farm near Nashville, Tenn. lie Invested hundreds of thousands of dollars In race horses and In maintaining main-taining a racing stable in England While seeking and winning honors on the British turf he first Occupied a fun (Continued from Page Two.) RICHARD CROKER AND INDIAN WIFE I : p V--.-- . : 'v'-'i3-'" (Contlnqed from rape one) home ;it Wantage, England, and afterward after-ward purchased his present home at Glencairn. near Iniblin, Ireland He ill.--, maintain-'! an establishment ut Palm Beach. 11a. Croker was born at Dlack Rock, near Cork. Ireland, November 24. 1S41. His father came to America whvn Richard wus ;i child. For a few yearn the family lived in Cincinnati hut soon I return"'! to New York. As it youth he was employed an a, machinist in locomotive building;, sonu-; nf the physical strength developed ln; this work he employed in a number of prise fights In which It was re-; ported that he was principally victor. 11,. a:n- a inernli ind soon leudei o' n band of unemployed youths or. political heelers known as the Fourth Avenue Tunnel gimp. 7 his leadership' gave him his first political recogni-l tion and he quickly developed into a ward politician, soon becoming Tammany Tam-many lead'ex of one of the assembly districts of New York City. CHARGE OF Ml UDKK A charge of murder preferred acalni-t t'ruker in his early venture Int.. politics almost terminated his political po-litical career. Croker went to the polls In his district and protested against the stuffing of the ballot boxes , by another political leader While h- vs.i arguing James McKenna one of the henehmen of the other leader, was shot and killed. Croker was Indicted) and tried, the jury dlr.greed and the rase was subsequently thrown out oi court. Croker denied that he did the I shooting and the man who did it at'-erward at'-erward confessed It was character-1 I Istlc of Croker that although he knew the name of the man who did the : hoo'.lng. he would not reveal It. For nearly 20 years Croker was on I the payroll "of New Yopk City either i as alderman, coroner, fire commissioner commis-sioner or city chamberlain. He was ! coroner when accused of the shooting of M Kenna While running for election elec-tion as alderman he clashed with th- famous Boss Tweed and won the election elec-tion dlsplte the boss but Tweed had I him legislated out of office. 111. Bl Vis TWEED One of the odd phases of Croker's career, in view of his subsequent record rec-ord as Tammany chieftain was his assertion that he went into polltn s j to put a stop to the robbery of the city by Boss Tweed and his band ot plunderers. "It was a shocking state of things," Croksr dsi tared ' I con-suited con-suited honest John Kelly and went on the warpath against Tweed and wu downed him. We reformers and independent in-dependent democrats took over Tammany Tam-many and made the old sink of cor-ruptlOD cor-ruptlOD the headquarters of reform" When Honest John Kelly died in 18o the reins of Tammany Hall were put into Croker's hands by agreement of the district leaders His leadership was described as matchless, from a political standpoint He ruled with an iron hand and brooked no interference. If his leadership was questioned ho called the leaders together and demanded de-manded to know which of them was dissatisfied. None dared to brave his Wrath. Tlun he ordered them out to win another victory for Tammany. CONTROMiEI) 100,000 VOTES As Tammany's chief he virtually controlled about 100,000 votes and Influenced In-fluenced a much greater number. He exercised tremendous power. With other oth-er Tammany loader.- he dictated nominations nom-inations for every political office In New York from the mayor down to the lowest clerk. His orders went to city and district conventions and were rarely disobeyed When a Judge failed fail-ed to give obedience he was disciplined disciplin-ed by Croker's refusal to renominate him. Under Croker's rule, it was estimated estimat-ed that Tammany collected from city office holders, saloon keepers ,and others more than a million dollars rt year as a campaign fund. Croker said no accounting of this fund was ever given. The finance committee kept no books. Large business houses seeking seek-ing city contracts found It necessary to consult'Crokcr. Within a few years after assuming the leadership of Tammany Hall, Croker showed evidence of possessing great wealth. His conduct and its relation re-lation to city affairs was the subject of occasional Investigation by legislative legisla-tive committees but resulted In no charge against him of violation of the law. CROKER RESIGNS As the result of one of these investigations investi-gations Tammany was confronted lr ltf5 with Inevitable defeat Desplu criticism that he was abandoning the organization to defeat, Crokef resigned. re-signed. A few years later he returned and resumed the leadership but soor relinquished It. Meantime ho had established a splendid home in New York City. Ht began to spend his accurniulaUsd wealth In establishing himself as a horse breeder and turfman. Having purchased many fant American horses he went to England and established himself at Wantages where he lived like a middle-class gentleman and! sought honors on the British turf It was estimated that he spent more than; half a million dollars In this effort, but he declared that his returns equall-ad equall-ad his expenses. Subsequently he, purchased a homo at Glencairn, Ire-1 land, where h continued to breed and' race horses. Although his famous I horse Orby won both tho English and i the Irish derby and his Rhodora won the thousand guineas stake at Now- market, Croker did not obtain the; oclul recognition which usually accompanied ac-companied such successes. The Kim: failed to Invite him to the Derby dinner din-ner and ho was refused the privilege of training his horses on Newmarket h.-at li TWICE MARRIED Croker was twice married. His first wife was Miss Elizabeth Frazcr. of New York. They had nine child-, n n of whom three died when young Richard Croker, Jr., his oldest son, Is n Now York business man. Another son, Frank Croker, was killed In an automobile accident at Ormonde Beach, Florida. One of his daughters was married to Count Louis San Martini, Mar-tini, of Naples Tho first Mrs. Croker was sensitive sensi-tive to the publicity and criticism under which Croker 'lived and. w hen he went to England for his turf campaign) cam-paign) she made her homo in southern Prance, her death occurred In Austria Aus-tria In 1914. Within a jear Croker, who was then 7 3 years old. married, in 1914. Miss Bcula Benton Edmond-son, Edmond-son, known as the Princess Sequoyah, daughter of a Cherokee and member of the Cherokee trlbe: but an educated woman devoted to philanthropic work. At thut time Croker maintained a home in New York but spent his time either at Glencairn or at his home at Palm Boach, Florida. Herbert Crokor, a third son, was found dead on board a railroad train on May 13,1905 when travelling in the west. REMAINS (.)(! FIGHTER That Mr. Croker remained a fighter even when he reached an advanced age was Indicated by his litigation with three of his children by his first wife over his property, estimated to bo worth more than $2,000,000. Those suits followed his marriage of Miss Edrnoudson They grew out of the settlement of the estate "f the flr-t Mrs Croker and out of the expenditures expendi-tures Incurred by Richard Crokor, Jr., his eldest son, in managing his father's fath-er's affairs In this country during the eldf r Croker's periodical visits to Ireland. Ire-land. Bitter accusations were made by both sides to the controversy, Mr. Croker's second wife- taking sides with hint and defending him against th" charges made by his children Tho litigation finally culminated In a suit In Florida in which the children Hou -ard, Richard. Jr , and Ethel, now Mrs John Breen. alleged that their father had become "enfeebled by age" was "incompetent" to handle his affairs af-fairs and that the second Mrs Croker had obtained control "f his property by undue Influence For 26 days the white-halrod, onetime one-time Tammany stalwart was In court undergoing a minute examination as to hi- mental state and competency KOKEK WINS Ol T As a result the court dissolved an injunction which had restrained Mrs Croker. Sr., irom disposing of any of h r husband's property and forbidding the batiks to honor her checks. The court asserted that the manner and demeanor of Mr. Croker, .Sr. on the witness stand "clearly suggested a man In full control of his faculties" It held further that Mr Croker was not, as alleged, harboring delusions andi hallucinations" against his children ind also decided that charges against Mrs. Croker had not been sustained. The former Tammany leader, accepted ac-cepted this as complete vindication of both himself end wife but the children child-ren announced that they would appeal ap-peal the ,:,siv and early In the summer sum-mer of 1921. Mr Croker and his wife came again from Ireland to defend themselves against further proceedings. proceed-ings. He was quoted as saying In an interview They say I am crazy because I won't give them all mv I money. My sun, Richard had to ad'-1 ad'-1 mlt on the witness stand that I gavo h m $160,000 to put him In business rLaiSve ecn of the oth(-r children I M.OOO a year for life Prettv mean ' wusn t It? I am going to trv to forgive them. |