The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-11-27

committed in different forms from
those which may be imposed by our
statutes. Public officers who rob the
people by appropriating pubic mon.
eys and allow others to do so through
their instrumentality or c0natvance,
are unfortunately 10 the state OF our
law not TO be adjudged felons or pun
ished by imprisonment in the state
prison, but escape under forms Of in
dictment for misdemeanOr, subject
for each to pay penalty OF $50, or .
single year In the penitentiary. u
there was a general verdict rendered
the court could only pass through the
farcicaI performance OF rendering 3
Judgment of $3.50 fiue and one years
Imprisonment for the andaclou5 rob-
berry from the city and county ofmort
than one million dollars. Under the
verdict the court has larger powers
which it will 6kercise, and ] bope,
with prudence shd dae regard to the
Interests of the public and the exam.
pie to be made.b
Tweed was then ordered tostand up
which be did slowly, aud ON beinl
asked IL he had anything to say why
sentence should not be pronounced
replied almost inaudfbly, Nothine,' ,
/ his counsel adding, "He has spoken
through his eounsel.p
Judge Davis then resumed. "WiI
liam M. Tweed, you stand convicted
by a verdict of jury Of twelve bon
est men, ofa large number Of crln1ei
charged against you, united In ont
Indictment and that verdict, in the
opinion OF the court, could not bayI
been otherwise without the violation
of the oaths which the jury had taken
an utter disregard of the obligation
under which they rested, to speak th.
truth and the whole truth. With al
the opportunity you had, had yeul
faithfully performed your duties tc
honor OF the whole community, you
saw ft to pervert the opportunity you
possessed and the powers with which
you were clothed, In q manner more
wicked, more infamous and more out
rsgeous than any instance Of like
character which the whole history ot
the civilized world contains. Instead
Of prstecting the public, you plumber
ed lt, instead Of standing guard where
the law placed you, over the tre&sury
of your country, you threw that treas
Jury open not merely 70 your OWL
rapaclty, but also to the aYariee oi
your associates, under circumstances
which make it transparent that you
were engaged In 8 concerted cOnspi.
facy ID piunder the treasury of thii
country in which yourself and youl
associates in crime were principally
TO be benefited. The evidence on thi;
subject can leave no manner OF doubt
Ia the minds Of any. The COM
mencement of it all was the entering
BY you on those duties as President OF
the Board Of Audit, on the 9Th OF May,
TIE very next day after that, yoar
career of plunder began, and from
| that day forward consecutiveiy till the
whole one hundred and ninety sc.
counts before that board had been
audited and certified, and warrants
issued and money paid, the evidence
is conclusive that the whole proceed
ing was instituted to carry out q con,
certed plan to enrich yourself and
those associated with you II there
was no,other testimony, that, In my
1 Judgment, would be conclusively es.
tabiished by the fact that on each oi
these several claims, as, they were
passed on and ultimately Allowed
your share Of the plunder was clearly
fixed and prescribed attwenty-
per cent. while the share of your as
sociates had been fixed by some
what similar standard Of rplunder
It Is impossible to believe, In the dis.
| tribution OF one hundred and ninety
cases in which the moneys were re-
eelYed on these warrants, that just
twenty-four per cent. of each sun
should always be allotted to you with.
out an understanding in advance, by
a concerted arrangement, that this ex-
act sutn should be ybur fixed tpropor-
1 ton q moIeys OF which the country
should be pluBdeDeds It is vain e
suggest that your trial and convfc.
ton have been the result of any par
tizan feeling; that this was after ali
as one Of the jurors summoned an 9
camel expressed IL, s struggle between
the ms aud the Outs No. The
whole struggle has been q struggle be.
tween honesty and fraud, between
virtue and crime"
The Judge here, in yfndication ol
the noh-partizan natgre of the prose
tuition, alluded 10 l6e zse1es as firsi
giving the figures to the light, and 60
the great assistance rendered by
Charles O'Conor and Samuel ].
Tilden in the preparation of the legal
proceeding. and cOutinuedl: 4 !
s'It would be wrong and unjust to
entertain for moment the idea that
your conviction has been the result OF
/ persecution st the hands Of any per-
son or party. Ithas been the result
of evidence so clear and plain that
never had seen q case where the evil
dence was 50 utterly overwhelming,
and where il was so impossible for q
jury to fail to come to a Just and con-
! lclusiVe verdict. Through the whole
Of the trial you remained, up 10 the
very moment OF your conviction, as
calm and serene as though you relied
upon your innocence, when it was
overwhelmingly apparent to ali that
your serenity was only that audacitv,
that confidence in the omnipresenee
OF corruption, rather than the reliance
upon your innocence. t1he Judge
emp phaslzed this sentence by by bring
ing his clenched hand down upon his
desk. The duty of the court now is
TO pronounce upon you the sentence,
q sentence that may DO adeqtiate 70
your crime"
The several counts In which Tweed
wps found guilty were grouped, and
flfty-0nesentences imposed, making
his term twelve years Imprisonment
In the county jail and, imp0siHg fine
OF So, $50. Counsel then gave notice
that they would move for q bill Of ex-
ceptions, and Judge Davis said the
session. Of the eouTt Nonld be pfolone-
ed to give counsel time for dae prepara-
tion. The judge then ordered such
counsel for defence as subscribed to
the paper presented to him at the
opening Of the trial to appear. in court,
Monday morning next for the pur-
pose of ifiquiring into their action.
Tweed, who received his sentence
calmly, was then removed by Sheriff
Brennan, attended byIa streng force
OF deputy sheriffs. Tweed Is now
sixty-six years Of age. Curiously
enough the name Of VIM. II. Tweed
is already inscribed on q marble slab
iu the nain gateway of the jsii, where
Il was placed years ago when the
Board o. Supervisors, ofwhich be was
then a member, erected the building.
When Tweed reached the sheriff7s
once ne looked terribly crestfallen
and sank down In a chair. Every
effort was made throughout the even
Ing and until midnight by his coun-
sci TO obtain q stay of proceedings.
bat W16lloutavail. Justices Pratt and
Ing rRham refused to interfere. The
sheriff then made arrangements to re.
IieVe himself OF the responsibility for
the safe custody of his prisoner,
and at ten minutes pastOne, Sunday
morning Tweed was taken to the
Iombs and the gates were closed be-
hind him.
Tweed passea the dsy in cell No. 4