The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-21
TWEED HUNTING In PENNSYLVANIA.

We have ~republlSbed III announcer COL
umn, for the passing amusement OF our
readers, q reportOrial communication
on the exciting subject of Tweed-hunt-
ing, taken from the New York World OF
December 16. The once celebrated
Boss of New York, dividing the hon
ors with Mr.. Morrisscy or any other
"hero of the period" in virtue of his
nerve, his tenacious grip Of his money
bags, which even his lawyers and actual
Imprisonment itself. @buld never loosen.
and his somewhat mysterious mode Of
escaping from the trammels Of justice,
has many hearty and open sympathiz-
ers In Gotham and in all parts of the
country.
II has been thought rather hard that
tho brave old man should alone have
been reached by the law of all those who
c~onfederatcd with him. and equally
profited from the City's treasury. His
ingenious and successful accomplish
msnts in the work Of official spoliation
were exceptionally shared by a on
siderate liberality to the poor, and an
honest and heterogeneous division Of
the spells with all those who shared his
labors or leant upon his bounty. Apart
from the fact Of being one Of the grand
est public forgers and pcculators, Tweed
was undoubtedly a person of real abil-
ity and possessed Of the warmcst hui
mainly. Many pathetic stories are tear
fully told concerning his unstinted
charity to the needy,
The man certainly had a soft place in
his heart, and felt for tho cold and
hunger of his fellow-mortals. Besides,
it has so happened that the American
world has become satiated with Credit
Mobiliers, whisky frauds, and defalca-
tions Of every variety, involving the
highest regulations, and for this reason
many good people have rather blunt
consciences, and are not sorry that
what is likely to remain hereafter of old
Tweed, is a romantic adventure, here
and there, i'm search Of u lost Estates
man" (as he designated HIMSELF by
tho detective police and the newspa-
per reporters.
From our own kind feelings once en-
tcrtained for "Billy Tweed we cannot
say that we are sorry he is fast becon-
ing q mysterious and most interesting
hero Of romance! It must be borne in
mind that he was naturally a plain and
modest Democrat, and thus for q score
Of years a perfectly honest citizen. But
human nature could not resist and over-
come the licentious spirit Of the latter
times in which he actively lived, and
his extraordinary political talents
brought him, unfortunately, into a con-
spicuous position, and enabled him to
dominate a party cabal. He then fell
under Radical observation and teach.
ings, and became the victim of the
Radical philosophy. He was a being
very susceptible to its seductive per.
suasions in the way Of the acquisition
Of the property Of the many for the
benefit Of the few, and he felt its fatal
influences around in tho very mir in
which he breathod and moved.
He was stimulated by the preccpt and
example Of the great Republican party,
which made its will and power the test
Of right, and thus he was first taught tc
be lawless, and vas afterwards assisted
by Radical laws and combinations at
Albany. A simple Democrat could
never have conceived such a result as
he undertook and ingeniously cxecut-
ed. Let him, then, escape all the re-
p~ortcrs and detective police agents seek
ing to get upon his tack, and speedily
he will only be remembered for his good
qualities in private, and as one Of the
singular creations Of this radical age.