CHAPTER II.

SHERIFF, MAYOR AND GOVERNOR.

ELECTED SHERIFF OF ERIE COUNTY-HOW HE CONDUCTED HIS OFFICE-HE RESUMES HIS PRACTICE OF THE LAWELECTED MAYOR OF REPUBLICAN BUFFALO BY 5000 MAJORITY-HIS MODEL ADMINISTRATION-AN ENEMY OF ALL WASTEFUL AND CORRUPT MEASURES-HIS FEARLESS VETOES AND STRICT ATTENTION TO HIS DUTIES--HIS VIEWS ON CITIZENSHIP--ELECTED GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK BY THE UNPRECEDENTED MAJORITY OF 192,854 VOTES HIS ADMINISTRATION-UNASSUMING, INDUSTRIOUS, CIVIL, JUST, CAREFUL, KIND, POLITE, ABOVE SUSPICION-THE ADMIRABLE CHARACTER OF HIS SELECTIONS FOR OFFICE.

IN the fall of 1870 found Grover Cleveland again a candidate for a local office, that of High Sheriff of Erie County, New York State, and he was elected after a vigorous canvass; in which capacity he served faithfully for a term of three years, filling the office with conspicuous credit and dignity. A special correspondent of the New York World writes in regard to this period of Mr. Cleveland's career in the following well-chosen words:

Just now, when everything hangs by a thread at Chicago, Buffalo is talking of many things which befell its model Mayor, the State's model Governor and whom many thousands of warm personal

friends here hope to vote for as the nation's reform President-Grover Cleveland. It was as Sheriff of Erie County that the Governor became known. in a political or official way, and many interesting anecdotes are told by those who remember those days. During his term of office as Sheriff the Governor swung two men into eternity. The first one was the notorious Jack Gaffney, a reckless young fellow who kept a saloon at the corner of Washington and Carrol streets, almost opposite the Courier office. Gaffney was seated in a low dive on Canal street-"Ted" Sweeney's-playing cards with a kindred spirit named Fahey. The two quarrelled over the stakes and Gaffney shot and killed Fahey in cool blood. He was sentenced by the General Term in December to hang February 7, following. During these two months there was the greatest efforts made on the part of the reporters to find out how the condemned man spent his time, but the sheriff turned a deaf ear to them, and not a few times gave them to understand that they wanted to know too much. He kept them out of the jail entirely after a while and they were in sore straits. The interest in the case was intensified at the last from the fact that Gov. Hoffman respited the condemned for a week, and that the most strenuous efforts were made to get a commutation of sentence for the doomed man. Meanwhile the solid old sheriff was more rigid in his discipline than ever, and he even went so far as to

station a man outside with strict orders to keep reporters off the premises. This outside guard was used to relieve the guard inside Gaffney's cell, so that he was well posted on what was going on inside. One of the reporters, who now, by the way, is editor of the city papers, conceived the idea of "working" the grim sentinel outside. He did not try to do it all at once, but by a skilful working of his points he became acquainted with him as the young man who attended the spiritual adviser. By degrees he became aware that the grim sentinel had a weakness for beer. It was easy work after that, for he contrived to meet him every night after he was relieved, and together the two talked over the events of the day in the jail over their beverage. The guard was full of information in just the proportion that he was full of beer, and the facts that filled many a breezy column of his paper were costing the enterprising news-gatherer many glasses of beer. Sheriff Cleveland was wild. He questioned every one about the jail, but could get no satisfaction. At last his eye fell upon the sentinel and he was spotted. It was the night before the execution the two were seen together. That settled it, for in the morning the sentinel was gone and in his place was another. Gaffney swung on the morning of the 14th of February, 1872. Many citizens of the city remember the execution.

The second execution performed by the Gov

ernor while Sheriff was five months later. The murderer named Morrissey was one of the most despicable wretches that ever deserved a shameful death. He lived with his poor old mother in the vicinity of the old "Packet" dock, in the rear of what was known as the Alhambra theatre. He was a thoroughly heartless man and was given to frequent and continued debauches, during which he submitted his dependent mother to the most shameful cruelty. While on one of these sprees he sought out his mother's hovel and demanded from her the few pence she had earned by her own exertions to buy bread. She refused him, when he struck her to the floor. At the time she was cutting a loaf of bread for his supper. As she struggled to her feet she said to him, "You had better kill your mother and be done with it." As she uttered the words he grasped the knife from her hands and with the words, "I will kill you then," buried it in her breast. The horror of the matricide made people of the city shudder, and the jury by which he was tried lost no time in bringing in a verdict of murder in the first degree. Morrissey was sentenced to hang on the 6th day of September. Prominent among the witnesses on that famous trial was Albert Haight, now a Supreme Court Judge. The execution took place on the day named in the warrant, and the present Governor was the executioner.

On retiring from the place he resumed his prac

tice, forming a partnership with his old political adversary, Lyman K. Bass, the firm-name being Bass, Cleveland & Bissell. When some years later Mr. Bass removed to Colorado a new firm was of necessity formed, its name being Cleveland, Bissell & Sicard-a firm that soon acquired a place among the very first law-firms in Erie County.

It was while thus associated that Grover Cleveland achieved his distinction as a lawyer second to few in the western part of the State for legal acumen and intellectual honesty. His jury and bench trials were distinguished by clear views, direct, simple logic and a thorough mastery of all the intricacies of the cases, and his invariable avoidance of extrinsic issues and purely technical devices secured for him the respect of his own profession and the admiration of the public. These qualities, combined with the fidelity and independence of his official action while in office, brought him prominently before the public of Buffalo when that city, unable to extricate itself from a municipal octopus, was casting about for a staunch reform leader.

MAYOR OF BUFFALO.

It was the year 1881 that brought Mr. Cleveland into his first public prominence of special importance. Buffalo had been badly ruled by a ring of Republican politicians, and the conscience of the party had revolted against it, when the Democrats, conscious of the fine reputation Mr. Cleveland en