New-York tribune., 1875-12-06
rwrED,s CHIEF COUNSELLOR.

THE DISAPPEARANCE or HIS CLIENT-"A GREAT
MIsTAKE"-MR. FIELD DECLARES THAT HE HAD
40 SUSPICION or TwEEDs PLAN-CRITICIsM on
THE PROSECUTION,
A reporter of THE TRIBUNE called upon
David Dudley Field at the Hotel Brunswick yesterday
afternoon to learn II the counsel OF Tweed oonsdeed
that relations to his suits were altered by MS
escape Mr. Field requested the reporter to wait until
evening for his answer. ard at 1870 p m precisely the
reporter found several representatives of the Press walt
ing for Joint interview for which Mr. Field had made
arrangements, evidently desiring to get what he had 10
say before the public in clear and straightforward
form. He was very careful in stating any question
which he consented and in giving his answers
to these formal questions ho weighed his words very
deliberately.
In regard To what would he done in the courts now
that the defendant would not appear Mr. Field said
81 do not approve Of trying eases in the newspapers
What have say concerning proceedings in the courts
viii be said there and nowhere else IL there Is anything
outside of this limit which you wish to ask and VIII Oe
proper for TO answer will tell you"
The question, "What do you think about Mr. Tweed's
escapei" was agreed upon and Mr. Field replied; =
think his escape great mistake He had good deienses
to the suits In which ho was held 10 bail' ana
would believe have succeeded In defeating them II
he had stood his ground. The bail demanded
OF him WAS undoubtedly excessive Fifty years hence
the demanding OF 81 900 900 bail will, have doubt
be looked upon OF the abuses OF postage ushs
We look upon the abuses of so years But he would
have had endure 1t only for short period The GER
tain processes OF the law would finally have relieved him
from the oppression. have said that the two suits in
which ho WAS held 10 bail would have been
defeated il they had been resolutey defended
Why they brought | do not wen
understand The members Of the Ring as 1t was
called are said have robbed the county OF millions OF
dollars If the remedy in suits brought by
the county. Such suits brought Their sufiiciency
was sanctioned by the decisions OF the General and spe
cia Terms OF Supreme Court and by the opinions OF
George Tcknor Curtis and eX-Judge John Porter III
they had been there could have been ques
tion in the except one Whether the money had
been taken AS was, by doggedy persistng in SUITS
in the name the state various other questions have
been introduced which entangled and bid fair to defeat
the prosecution Indeed think the whole prosecu-
ton has been a series Of great mistakes lEe
persons who said have defrauded the city num-
bered six eight, Including Connolly, Tweed keyser
Ingerso Garvey, and Watson The prosecution seem to
have gone upon the theory TO let all these except Tweed
go with all their property, not including small portion
of Watsons property And they have brought against
Tweed six civil and 81 criminal suits. or the ciV slts
they let sleep the il favor OF the county winch
the only which promised success, ana u couid
have been tried at any time within the last
three years, and they have devoted their en-
ergies to the suits in tho name OF the state
two OF which only are by this time ready
for trial or the criminal suits one has been trie anu
that was so that the greater part OF the
Judgment would not hold. Another was q lshed by
Recorder Hackett. There 30 criminal suits still
pending, very few Of which / think the prosecution
would venture bring to trial SO you perceive that If
the county has lost several millions by the misconduct of
these gdoers has TO thank those who have charge
OF the prosecution the failure great part
OF it., inasmuch they seem TO nave NOiuh-
tarlly let all but Tweed escape, and mstoOk
their remedy against him until there appears small
TNeed.S
of whom there been ten twelve, have done their
duty the defcnse Of his legal rights They have IN
sisted that shall be tried and Judged according TO tho
law land aud other law. They have not as has
boon unruly stated sought TO n;erpose unnecessary de-
laws II q computation was made, believe thai nine
tonhs of all the delay in the eases would beound to have
been caused by the prosecution. Not only have tho
vexed with these cases but also the Legsa
turc has been beset with applications FOR new laws TO
these old eases, contrary as believe TO the hst
principles legal system 1t has been said that rs
many statutes have been passed by the Legs
lature since 1872 designed TO affect what have been
called the " Ring cases"
so SUSPICION OF TwEED's HIDING PLACE.
The reporter who asked the next question: said: "Mr
Field, don't Of course mean to ask If you knew in
advance Of Mr. Tweeds escape, but have you any idea
where Tweed 81"
"Ihaven't the least idea" replied Mr. Field OF how
he got away or where ne has gone His escape more
OF "a surprise to than to tie people OF New-1olG, to
Judge from the statements in the papers They TO
have expected H."
"Wu You allow 10 ask when you last saw Tweedl'
al have not the least objection in answering YOU
say him SATURDAY morning about II o'clock having by
appointment met him at prison with Mr. Elelstcn to
confer with linn about the motion 10 be made on Monday
for a STRUCK juy and about the trial noticed FOR the same
dav We then took affidavit respecting his relations
With the County Clerk and left him about quarter to
l2 Hayo you any questions, gentlcInenT
None"
"Then allow ire to soy, Good night
The reporter OF TIE TRIBUNE desired Mr.. Field TO say
something about Mr. Tweeds at the time of the
lawyers visit suggesting that inasmuch as the idea OF
escaping must have in the mind OF Tweed, be may
have shown some excitement Nj Field said tnat Tweed
as usual and be had nothing TO about what
occurred IIo had had assurances that Tweod would
not leave the city II said by the friends of Tweed
that lie intended fight the the COURTS and de-
sired only and hoped only to his acquttal and live
and die in New-York CITY,
THE LEGAL STEPS AGAINST TWEED
REVIEW or THE sUTTs-THE FIRST FUTILE ACTION
PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE CIVIL REMEDIES
ACTS n-FFFoRT FOR STRUCK JURY-THE IN
DICTMENTs-wHAT THE PROSECUTING COUNSEL
WILL Do
Soon after the exposure of the great frauds
OF 1878 Mr. O'Conor began a suit against Tweed and
Others in OF the people OF the State OF New
York for the whole taken under the forms Of the
Board OF Audit OF 1870, which, after striking out few
iteDs-which conceded TO be hOnest-amounted TO
S6I9s957 s5 Ffty-dye OF these items also made
tho basis Of the Indictment against Tweed on which he
was convicted while others of them have been made the
basis Of independent indictments against him which have
never been tried In this civil suit Tweed held to
bail in 81 100000 appeal from this order Of arrest