The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-15
. Natural Love and Affection and tho
Thirteenth Part OF . Dollar"

Thirteenth Part or Dollar"
The details Of the real estate transactions Of
William NJ. Tweed and his associates, the
publication of which is commenced in the
HERALD to-day, will form new and interest
ing chapter in the history Of the late Ring.
The passage Of laws by the present Legislature
to facilitate the recovery Of money stolen from
the public treasury, by making it possible to
reach the property purchased Herewith, has
given a new impetus to the civil suits brought
against the members of the Ring, and affords
the hope that we may at last be enabled to
compel restitution of at least portion OF the
plumber. The infoT nation now laid before
the public Will aid materially in accomplish
ing that desirable result. The eagerness, the
desperation may say, with which Mr.
Tweed threw his enormous property out OF his
hands the moment the shadow of the coming
retribution fell distinctly across his path can
have but one Interpretation. 1t was the in
stinct of the robber to hide what he has
stolen. 1t is conclusive proof that the
real estate Tweed had accumulated
was actually purchased with the money alb
stracted from the city treasury by means of
fraudulent bills and forged warrants. We
know from this evidence that the three mill
ion dollars paid by him tor the houses and
lands described in our list belonged rghtfuly
to the citizens of New York, just MS positively
as we should know it if we had seen the stolen
greenbacks traced by Governor Tllden into
Tweeds hands actually paid out by the latter
to the parties from whom the purchases were
made. AS We shall show, the same self-con-
viction is supplied by other members of the
notorious Ring, in the character of the trans
fers OF property made by them as they stood
panic-stricken at the discovery and exposure of
their guilt. Taken in connection with the fact
that no defence has been offered to the charge
Of public robbery brought against the Ring
plundercrs, but that they have relied wholly
on legal technicalties to avoid restitution and
defeat justice, the disclosures we now make
assure verdict of the courts in favor OF the
people in the suits to be tried under the new
laws
Within the period during which the prin-
cipal raids were made upon the city treasury
that is to say, from 1864 onward-Mr. Tweed
appears to have purchased real estate to the
amount of three million dollars. In some
purchases Tor instance, those male Of
Charles G. Cornell and Terence Farley-only
nominal amounts were paid, the "considera-
ton" appearing to have been other than that
Of money. The property thus acquired by
Tweed, and nearly all held by HIM in 1871,
must, therefore, represent considerably more
than the above sum. He appears to have
received in all, for sales purporting to have
been made by him, one million nine hundred
thousand dollars OF this amount, however,
seven hundred aud fifty thousand dollars Is
alleged 10 have been received from Richard
M Tweed for purchases made by him from
his father in the latter part of 1871. The
property thus bought by the son includes the
Circle property, at Fitty-eighth and Fifty
ninth streets and Eighth avenue, for two
hundred thousand dollars; the eleven
acres on Kingsbridge road, for two hum
dred and fifty thousand dollars, ard
the Fifth avenue aud Forty-third street prop
erty. for two hundred and seventy five thou
sand dollars. At the very time these large
purchases we're made BY Richard NJ. Tweed,
s.natural lore and affection and the thirteenth
part of a dollar induced his father 10 make
over to him in addition some twenty other
lots of real estate, aggregating IN value, at the
original purchase price, over one million four
hundred thousand dollars. In other words,
William NJ. Tweed put out of his own name
into the name OF his son Richard real estate
to the amount Of nearly one million and half
dollars, alleging that the transfers were
genuine transactions and that the considera-
ton in each case was natural love and af-
lection and the thirteenth part of dollar. "
II scarcely requires the statement that Mr..
Tweed has other children, TO whom this
preference Of favored heir would have been
gross injustice, TO show the true character and
interest OF these transactions TIE man
who had robbed the city sought to
secure lis plumber by making over to his
son the property purchased with the
stolen money. The courts will restore this
property to the people to whom it belongs,
despite these counterfeit sales and transfers,
JUS as certainly as they would restore stolen
pocketbook TO its owner, although it had been
transferred by the thief to third party. Nor
would any buOScdueht l"l1nascls hon
Richard M. Tweed be protected, for it was
their place to satisfy themselves that the
sellers tile was good and in 50 doing they
must have discovered the true character of
the Transactions between the Ring plunderer
and his son.
Among tho curious disclosures made by the
exhibit we now publish is that of the part
nership speculation made by Messrs. Thomas
Murphy, Peter b. Sweeny Hugh Smith,
Richard b. Connolly and William NJ Tweed
These parties jointly purchaseda whole block
between sixty-ninth and SEVENTEEN streets
and Madison and Fourth avenues, for two
hundred and sxty-seyen thousand five hun