Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-12-23
Our New York Letter.

10 the Edtt0f OF OBSERVER.
"To err is human," especial
Ily as to the amount Of a very
rich mans property. Hardly
two weeks ago public opinion
as to Mr.. Astor's wealth crys-
talized at $100,000,000. His
will, recently admitted TO pro-
bate, reduces that figure just a.
bout one-half, but still leaves a
sum that the average man would
be tolerabIy we'll satisfied to
ipossess. OF this, as was gen.
orally understood to be the case,
John Jacob ID gets the lion's
share, or some 49,, 100000. -
The remainder was bestowed
in miscellaneous requests to re-
naming members of the family,
charities, ETC., the latter, how
ever, being but feebly repre-
scented.
| One Of his sons who commit
ted the objectionable sin of
marrying "below his station"
was cut off with $4,000; but
happily in this instance the ends
of poetic justice were served by
his having been already made a
millionaire through his grand
fathers will.
The Hon. VIM. n. Tweed has
been suddenly called from the
city on urgent business, and his
present Whereabouts are not
known with any great precision.
The papers say that "nothing
has been heard about him." but
1T seems to me that VIC have
hardly heard anything about
any one else since his departure.
But seriously, it looks as though
this were the end Of it, and as
though with the Boss's escape
the curtain had fallen on the
long and tedious farce called
!'New York Justice. Previous
to his incarceration on Black
wells Island, Tweed maintained
a bland smile and what-are-you-
going-to-do-about-it-air, with
which his caricatures have IA
miIiarized the public; but once
within the striped suit, he real
lied that the game had been
more earnest than he had sup
posed. Then he commenced
the fight for liberty, which end
ed as we have seen. Taught
by the history Of his previous
life to regard money as the one
only force that is universal in
application and irresistible in
operation; this was, very natu-
rally, the agent which be selec-
ted to aid him. Nor were his
calculations at fault; for the re-
salt has proved that moaey is
stronger than the intense and
righteous Indignation Of a whole
people. The steps in his prog
ress toward freedom are known
to all. First, when the law had
deliberately and finally pro-
.nounced him a convict, and had
sent him to live with his kind,
money brought the cralticst le-
gal locksmith to pick his prison
locks and set him free. Rear
rested on other charges and a.
gain imprisoned, the same pow
erlul ally once more came to his
rescue, and once more it was
shown to be inyincible. For a
while it only procured him extra
luxuries Of living, but it was
not long before bolts and bars
began to be worn away by its
corrOsioa. Gradually as the
case progressed the mass Of tes-
timony and decisions were piled
higher and higher against him,
but apparently just in proper
ton as the mesheS of the law
drew closer about him, were his
liberties and privileges incrcas-
ed, until at last, all the plans
for his flight having been leis-
urely perfected, and the eyes Of
keepers and detectives being
tightly bandaged with green
backs, our bulky hero quietly
vanished, leaving New York
staring vacantly in all direc-
tons in helpless Indignation at
this humiliating and disgraceful
exhibition of official corruption.
OF course something has to be
done to allay popular feeling,
and so a tremendous hue and
cry is raised by the police, and
a great deal Of talk is made by
the higher powers, who blame
and threaten to remove their
subordinates, but all that looks
rather thin as day after day
goes by, and the prospects of
Tweed's recapture grow bcauti>
fullv lose