Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-01
THE STORY OF WIN. NJ TWEED.
a PHI in Narration oi HIS Life and the

q
The 3 IA ~ a 'nOu need agains' VIM. NJ. Tweed
IN tie cou OfOy er and Tim mr., by Judge
NClh Davis, on Saturday aiJeTIo n. At one
&C. K On Sunday morning the prisoner was ia
te- 20 the TOmbs, AMI in that Egyptian pill of
n.usc than Egy ptian misery he Is nov confined.
= he last act Of the drama j. PLAYED. Tue man
who, a little while ago, wa, a senator. super
VISOR, cOmmi>sOner-the chief power in the
chief city of the cOutinent-is now a condemned
convict IL any m a-ure OF success attends the
efforts OF his counsel to secure a mitigation OF
sentence. a stay OF pTOce edings or a new trial
q will not alter the essential fact that Tweed
Place heBcefoTth Is with the outlaws OF society
IL i time 20 consider the mans hfe and char
a,teT with the sam calm, iii passionate vi. w
that We Shon d take Of the deaf; for Tweed is
dead beyond the hope of resurrection.
William NJ. Tweed born in the city of
NeW \ OTk ti y years ago last April. HIS pa
rents were poor people. aud the boy was early
thrown upon his own resources He learn, A
the trade Of a cha'rmaker aud worked at il for a
lew years lie soon became ambitious OF M
tticaL stinctlon, and 10 increase his quatih-
GATOR and improve his chances he entered the
niy' rsity Law School, from which he gradu-
aied a. member OF the bar. HIS power be gan
n the OLD yo'Inteer hrc department. OF the me-
uOLOlss III became for man OF Big ii Gan
engine company famous in the loser part of T. e
city. His immense vital energy and his Srptni-
zing ability were here developed and exhibited
IN That day popular fireman 4 positive
make himself felt
In 1871 he was elected alderman from tn, SOW
erin Ward. serving IA the common COUNSEL
through the year 1-j1-5j. In thu ia OF 1862 ne
was eiectei 20 Congress from the ii ia district,
which then EMBRACED the seventh and thirteenth
wards o. Nv York and thu VILLAGE of w liiams-
HuTgh. Long Island. lie took Ms seat in tne
Horse u hsSenib-r, iSI', while his term as al
German was about CNEisiay. lie was tn ytv
wears old at that time. WJrh the promise OF =
taTr future before him. Wuii- IN Congress he
vas exc tied school commissioner OF the seventh
NTd- Tie wear after hts ron aS X sprcssnta-
i've eNpis.d h" was chosen TO the board of
supervisors, and continued t. hold place there
until the day of his o erthrOw.
u IN ha
IamnlaUy ticket. The Office il one of euOr-
nous emoiui ent. ard Tweed struck for 1T with
ui- usual en- rgy. He Teckonci himself worth
~N-9uo 81 u.t tine, and be had made the
money honestly. H. expended every dollar of
t in the canvass, led on by the hope and be-
het that be would triumph. He was beaten
and curing the winter which followed he found
great difficulty in meeting the house rent and
Iayihg ms butchers and grOcer's bills. 1t is
probable thst bis career a. public plunderer
dates from tie day OF his defeat as sheriff.
He was not fine gr tlnei man nor troubled
with many conscientious scruples. He saw
himself A. the victim OF what he looked upon
ls a conspiracy. He had distributed his money
among yariy Us ward organizations in return for
their promised assistance. They divided his
fortune and withheld their support He re-
solved to get even with the public who had
preferred another TO him, and he set ABOUT the
job with the GOODNESS of a great general aud the
WtckednesS OF a great rObDer. In 1862 he be-
came deputy street commissioner, and while
holding that office he got lis hand freely into
-he public purse for the first time. At about the
sane period he made himself the leading spirit
IN the 1ammany organization.
lie showed soon that his power as an organ
lzeT wa very great. He drew men around him
usually by appeals to their selfish natures. To
one ne gave money, To another some place OF
honor and trust. He proceeded on the theory
that every man baf his price. If rival arose
70 dispute his authority he crushed that rival ii
ne could, aud il be couldn't he crushed the ri
FalTy by supporting the man for some Office
and thus making him his ally. In this way he
spiked the guns OF Fernando Wood and called
truce Niih his most popular enemy, the "Big
loo Nfis1fa aIf FfHTv.
In lsG1 Richard b. Connolly, timid man,
plausible IN manners but exceedingly corrupt
AZ heart, became comptroller of New York.
With HIM Tweed form u an alliance. Con
molly was greedy and clo-e-hsted. He never
could secure popular following. He held
Otice st the Pleasure OF Tweed. who A., how
ever, compelled TO share equally with him IN
The division Of the money plum tered from the
city. That same year, lS's, Tweed was elected
20 the state Senate from the fourth district by
large majority. In tie iSenate he found
majority o. posed to him politically. How he
used that majority 20 effect his purposes Is one
OF the chronicles OF Albany wlrch Is vet to he
written We may undertake the task hereaf-
ter.
In 1ss1 Tweed found counsellor far wiser
and much more honest thau himself in tn per
of Peter Il. Sweeney. He also found flip
. rant but brilliant ad gOcate in A. OAkey II All,
man free from corrupt motives, but one will
ing to blind his eyes to the crimes committed
around him as reward for temporal power
and pleasant notOriety. When these four men
Tweed, Connolly, Sweeny aud Hall-jOined
their various forces and talents, the Tammany
conspiracy was complete. In 1870 the first re-
Solt against this concentrated power began. 1t
was badly planned and disTeputably Oficered.
Norton, Genet, Dreamer, Peter Mitchell,
Michael Murphy and others who led the move
IneDt in the legislature were not tue men
through whom reform could come.
1t looked fer a time, however, a. If the move
rent would succeed. Tweed was beaten in the
preliminary skiTmish in the senate. He pre-
tended to surrender, and voted for the charter
OF the yOurg democracy. But be had secretly
formed an alliance with the republican party
L. an.aNu "A.
time. Meantime his rivals had lost their he ads.
In the flush OF temporary success they divided
on paPer-an the offices in the city among
themselves. Tho charter, under which this
grand distribution was to take place, was taken
10 the assembly, where it was understood that
IL would pass by general consent. Bat to the
amazement of many, and TO the dismay OF the
young democracy, it was defeated.
Tweed's rivals surrendered at discretion.
CTeameT, Norton, Mitchell-au but Genet-sued
for terms of ipeace. The next week Tweed's
charter was introduced, and, receiving the sup
port Of all the republican Senators excepting
ThayeT, OF Rensselaer,, II passed. This was fol-
lowed by other measures which made the power
OF the ring well-nigh absolute. 1t was then
that the system of plumber began TO work out
its amazing results. Bills against the city
deliberately raised from $50 900 to $500 900, and
the enormous excess divided between Connolly
OneT IL sGIsd SS tes
on and held his peace. Seeny put forth
effort TO stop the stealing, but was overbOrne.
The accounts of the cOmptr)ller's office were
secreted, and the general public. as well as the
democratic party, were hoodwinked and
misled.
Among those who sought TO profit in the gem
sral carnival Of fraud was james o. Brien, who.
as sheriff OF New y Ork, had received upward of
500 900 for three years service. After retiring
from Office he cooked up bogus claim aggre-
eating 500, 600, and demanded ITS payment.
The board OF audit refused TO consider 1t, al
though Tweed espOused O'Brien's bad cause.
To strengthen biz chances OF getting the money,
O'Brien placed a confidential clerk in the COMP
tTOller's office, and secured Transcripts Of the
fraudulent vouchers therein contained. Armed
with these evidences of the guilt of his former
comrades, he again demanded his plumber.
was again refused. The ring had grown so bold
and they felt that their lease of power a. SO
long and strong that they euld brave any eX-
FOSure.
ThereupOn O'Brien turned his evidence over
20 the New FORK Times, and that paper printed
it. The effect was startling. With one voice
the people demanded the punishment of these
men who had betrayed 70 great a trust. They
were thrust out OF the democratic party, whose
temple they had defled. Said Judge Davis an
sentencing Tweed 'sO'COnOr. who has been