Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-11-29
SENTENCE OF TWEED,

Il is 50 unusual that great roSues are
punished nowadays, that We take es-
pecial pleasure in noting an exception
to the rule. Boss Tweed was sentenced
BY Judge Davis, on the 22d instant, to
twelve years imprisonment and the pay
ment of heavy fine, as the penalty for
his infamous crimes. The penalty, al
though it may seem severe, is really
light compared with the enormity of
his numerous offences. May we not
hail his conviction as an indication Of
returning reason on the part OF the peo-
pie? Has gold lost its debasing pow
er, that jury can be found who refuse
to sanction crimes that have become
fashionable from their frequent occur
renee and immunity from adequate
punishment? Let us hope that we are
entering upon new and better era.
In passing sentence Judge Davis said {:
William NJ. Tweed--You stand con-
vic,ed, by the verdict Of jury If twelve
honest men, of large number of crimes
charged against you. united in one indict-
ment. and that verdict. in the opinion of
the Court. could not have been otherwise
without a violation Of the oath which the
jury have taken and an utter disregard by
the witnesses of tho obligations under
which they rested to speak the truth and
the whole truth. With all the opportu-
nifty You had to faithfully perform your
duties to the public and to win honor and
the respect of the whole community, you
saw tit to pervert the opportunity you pos
sessed ana the powers with which you
were clothed in manner more wicked,
more infamous and moro outrageous than
in any instance of like character which
the whole history of the civilized world
contains. Instead of protecting the pub
lie, you plundered it; instead of standing
guard where law placed you over the
Treasury of your county, you threw that
Treasury open, and You did so, not merely
to yonr own disgraceful rapacity. bnt also
to some of your associates under c,rcum-
stances that make it transparent that YOU
were engaged in concerted conspiracy to
plumber the Treasury of this county. in
which yourself and your associates in
crime were principally to benefit. Tho
evidence on this subject can leave no man
ner of donbt in the minds OF any. The
commencement of it was the entering by
you On the duties of President of tie
Board Of Audit on the 9th of May. The
very next day after that your cnreel of
plUndor began and from that day forward
ronsecutivelv until the whole one hundred
and ninety accounts before that beard lad
been audited, and certified warrants issued
and money paid. The evidence is ccnclu-
eivc that the whole proceeding was insti-
tuted fol- carrying on concerted plan to
enrich yourself and those associated with
you. II there were no other testimony, in
my Judgment it would be couclusiyely es-
tablished that on each of those several
claims as they were passed and ultimately
paid, your share of plumber was clearly
fixed and prescribed at "a per cent, while
the share Of your associates had been fixed
by somewhat similar standard. It is i'm.
possible to believe that in the distribution
Of the 100 cases in which moneys were re-
ceived on these warrants, just "a per cent.
Of each sum should be always allotted to
you without an understanding in advance,
by concerted arrangement. that this ex-
act sum should he your fixed proportion of
moneys Of which the county should be
plundered. 1t is in vain to suggest that
y
result of any partisan fceling-that this,
after ALL as one of the jurors expressed it.
is but a struggle between the ms and
outs The whole struggle has been Il
/ struggle between honesty and fraud, be-
tween virtue and crime. 1t would be
wrong and unjns to entertain for q mo-
: ment the idea that your conviction has
been the result of persecution at the hands
of any person or party. 1t has been the
result of evidence SO plain, SO clear, that
! have never seen case where evidence was
so entirely overwhelming and where it was
so impossible for the jury to fail to come
to just verdict. Through the whole OF
this trial You remained, up to the very mo-
mcnt Of your conviction, calm and serene,
as though You relied on your innocence,
when it was overwhelmingly apparent to
all that your serenity was only that of all
dacity, that your confidence was based on
the Omnipotence Of corruption, rather
! than in reliance on vour innocence. The
Judge emphasized this sentence by bring
ing his clenched hand down on his desk.
The duty of the Court is now to pronounce
sentence on you-a sentence that may be
adequate to your crime. 81
! The several counts on which Tweed was
found guilty were then grouped together
; and tifty-one distinct sentences imposed,
making twelve years Imprisonment in the
County Jail and fine of So. 700.
Tweed was afterward consigned to the
Tomhs by the Sheriff.
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THE RINK. Skating is now the fash
ionable dissipation in this place, the
rink having been reOpened under the