New-York tribune., 1873-12-20
GFEET.S COyVICTION

Several mouths ago IHE TRIBUNE ndu OCcd-
sion to crticise the conduct of the second
trial of William NJ. Tweed. 1t said the pros
ecution was unprepared for the contest. The
counsel retained for the people were less
familiar than they should have been with
local laws and local characters. A District
Attorney new to criminal practice, and TWO
able Lawyers in Peckham and Tre-
main, who were lately come to our
local bar, contended for the people
in that unequal struggle with six of the most
experienced criminal lawyers of the city. We
urged that on the conviction or acquittal OF
Tweed depended the fate of dozen or score
of other Ring thieves, and that with such a
stake at issue no blunders on the part of the
prosecution were pardonable. The result then
justified the fears we expressed, for the jury
on that trial stood eleven for acquittal to one
incorruptible man for conviction.
Our criticisms were pronounced in unequlv-
ocal terms it WAS no time to mInce words; 4;
and we used expressions which we hoped no
person would misunderstood. Greatly to our
surprise, some well-meaning fools interpreted
all this as giving aid and comfort to Tweed
TO point out the errors of the prosecution and
failure to convict Tweed was to protect rob-
bers as great as himself was actually thought
by these slow -witted zealOts to be antag-
onistic TO the cause of Reform. We could
afford to wait for our justification, and we have
waited until now that we choose to claim It,
The weakness we charged was demon
strated, and fortunately it was corrected. The
same counsel retained for the third trial was
strengthened by the addition of local counsel
who knew the antecedents and relations to
the Ring of every juryman called. The first
trials had demonstrated that the defense
relied upon the points OF law to be
raised and the influence of money and past
political power upon the jurors. A system OF
espionage was perfected by the Attorney
General and committed to the direction OF
Henry l.. Clinton, by which, within twenty
four hours aftet panel of jurors was drawn,
the history of every man named thereon
WAS written in the mysterious book
which figured so prominently in the
trial. Assistant District Attorney Allen gave
TO the details of the work such watchful and
intelligent supervision as no criminal trial
i'm New-York has had for a generation.
Other able counsel consulted on the points
of law as fast as they were raised by
the defense; and in this way jury was OBJ
tanned which proved to be an honest one. We
think it was incorruptible. but if it were
not there was no opportunity to corrupt
it, for the same detectives who furnished the
information as to the panel as drawn guarded
the Jury during the long session of the Court
from improper approaches of Ring spies. We
believe that in this way only could the con-
victiOn of Tweed have been secured, and We
can well bear the misrepresentation of the
past in view of what our criticisms have been
partly instrumental in etfectng.
And the result is not merely in the convic
ton of Tweed Other results which we then
pointed out certain to follow his sentence
have rapidly ensued. The Ring was wholly
demOralized by that defeat. Within less than
a month Ingersoll and Harrington have been
sent to State Prison for long terms and now
we have to announce the conviction of Henry
C.. Genet for procuring money under false pre-
lenses, with moro serious charges for forgery
and larceny to be tried when he has served
out the term of Imprisonment to which
he will be sentenced on Monday. That
the sentence will be severe one there is
little reason to doubt; that the convicted man
deserves all he will get, there is no question.
1t is part of tho just rotributiOn that the fall
of Tweed, by whom all these men thrived,
leaves them without strength, and largely
without sympathy even of their past asso =
ciates. With the indicted of the Ring at this
time there is but one policy. that of individual
safety, and hence their weakness and easy
conviction. Timely flight has saved few
may save a few more; but the success of
the prosecutions. both criminal and civil, as
against all who are known to have shared in
the thefts, is now assured.
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