The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-12-09
The Escape of Tweed.
From the Pioneer-Press.

From the Pioneer-Press.
The escape of Tweed is a dis
grace to the whole country. twill
serve to confirm the growing popu.
lar belief that in this country the
rich criminalfmay safely defy, and
IN the end will always elude, JUS
tlce, that the ill-gotten wealth
which is accumulated by long ca
reer OF fraud and public robbery,
is reslstless power which can gen
orally be employed with success to
defeat the ends of justice, either by
corrupting courts and legislatures
and even the popular suffrage itself,
or when these resources fail by
brlbing jailors, unlocking the doors
OF the most cautiously guarded
prisons, and purchasing the means
and accomplices of concealment
and flight. Tweed had successfully
tried all these expedients in their
turn. For years he held his course
OF public plumber with insolent i'm
punity. The legislature of New
! ork3 State, the city govern
ment and the judiciary were
filled with his venal tools: legi>la-
ton was controlled by systematic
bribery, the courts were prostituted
to the service OF this gigantic thief;
the elections We're controlled bv
fraud and entrenched behind the
rampant OF money. bags which were
filled with the vast boards of his
audacIous robberies, he might safely
insult the indignation OF the plum
dered people with the mocking def
ance, ''Wha are yon going to do
about it %
The taxpayers Of New York
having at last emancipated them
selves by united and desperate
effort from the yoke of this. abomin-
able tyrant and roDber, undertook
to show him what they would do
about it. Such OF his accomplices as
did not seek refuge in flight supplied
the needed evidence OF his prouig-
lous frauds and villainies, and In
the striped jacket Of felon within
the cells OF a prison, he has had |
leisure to reflect on the unexpected |
failure of the eXpedients on which |
he had confidently relied for defeat
ing the ends of justice, and with
the aid of the best Legal talent
W whlch his stolen wealth could pur-
chase, to contrlve new devices for
escaping the tolls Of the law. He
succeeded III having the cumulative
sentence against him set aside, in
battling by d multitude OF ingenious
devices the civil suit against him
for the restitution of his millions of
stolen money, and pending a new
trial on the criminal issue, and in
being transferred to the pleasanter
abode and larger liberty OF a prison
IN New 4ork where he could arrange
at his leisure for his final triumph |
over all the powers of the law and |
of public justice by the simple ex-
pedlent OF bribing his jailers.
That his flight was accomplished |
with their aid and connlvance there
can be no shadow of doubt. He |
was taken by the deputy sheriff in
broad day to his own house and he
has never been seen since by any
body but bis accomplices in his es-
cape. 1t is safe to say that he is |
ere this far beyond the reach of the
officers Of the law who are hunting,
or pretending to hunt for him In some
foreign country he will revel in the
fruits of his, long career OF public
robbery land mock the justice he
has so long defed and finally BAT
fled, with his old jeer of insolent
defiance: What are you going to |,
do about it?
In, n