The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-11-21
AN INTERVIEW WITH TWEED.

AN INTERVIEW WITH TWEED.
"Reminiscences Of His Associates 49, Hi
Opinion ofSweeney, Hall, Jim Fiske an
Jay Gould---Whnt He would do If Ont Q
Prison.
A reporter for the New York Heral.
recently interviewed Tweed in Ludlo1
street Jail with the following interesting
result:
Rer orter-Are you the only membe
of the Ring now held in duress?
Mr.. Tweed-The only one. Ingersol
and Woodward are both out. SweeDe,
lives up town. Connolly is in Switzer
land. Hall is in London, or there
abouts.
"Are you on good terms with any o
these persons ?"
"No, not at present"
"Why did Hall run away-on th'
score of your confession ?"
"Hall, I think, has been crazy, O,
going crazy, for years. He was a dread
fully tiresome fellow, with his weak little
puns."
"But he was useful, was he not, il
the way of drawing up advantageous o.
cunning bills?
"He was fair at that; not accom-
plished; not real expert. Hall was
pretty good on his legs, to preside at
dinner, or make ready speech"
"But you never quarreled much with
your associates ?"
| "No. They didn't quarrel with me,
because I was the only man who would
20 to the front. They couldn't rely on
each other if anything desperate was on
hand. I remember once there was q
meeting to be held where Elijah Purdy
wanted mo to preside. Said I, Now,
boys, T tell you frankly, I'm afraid to
90 to that meeting. You may 60, but I
don't want to- Pooh, poohp said
Purdy, I'VE didn't expect that of you,
Tweed III go myself. So went that
night, and, behold no Purdy came.
sCome on, said I, I'll preside! So I
took the chair, and wasn'tvery comforta-
BILE in it, either. Aman from California,
by the name of Doyle, was running for
recorder against Barnard. (This recol-
lection is OF random.) saw, as the roll
call proceeded, that Doyle had the ma
jority OF. delegates. Said I to secre-
tary: Have amotion made to dispense
with calling the rolll" It was done.
AL in favor of Mr.. Barnard as the NOM
inee of this body say aye. Carried
The meeting is adjourned 7 Well, thore
was o riot and I was driven into one
corner. Isaiah Rynders had pistol as
long as my arm drawn and cooked.
Said he: I'll pay you for this!s I wa
scared but I didn't say so. I'm not
afraid of whole ward of you fighting
villains, said ], and We all got out"
"Then you never quareled with
Sweeny?"
=" Oh, Sweeny is ahard, overbearing,
revengeful man. He wants his way and
treasures up wrath. He has considera-
BILE ability of it's kind. We were 80 op-
posite and unlike that we got along very
WE'LL"
GLOW did you ever take into your
confidence Dick ConnoDy?"
Connolly was before my time; / had
to take the world as it was and not make
it anew. BE was powerful man in his
ward and district. If you would walk
through there and talk against Connolly
it would he at your peril. We could
not get along without Connolly, and an
nexed him for the vote he controlled.
(Which of those men was the ADLER,
Gould or Fisk 2" ..
"Oh, Gould; he has not his equal in
America as q fnancier. Jim Fisk was q
pleasant fellow, full of anecdote. Moth
ing discounted him. He was never
ashamed. He always had fresh story.
I liked his company. I remember when
he was before the committee OF Congress
and used that expression: Gone where
the woodbine twineth.' He explained
that to me. He said that when he used
to peddle around the country he noticed
that the country outhouses always had
q sprig of vine climbing over them. BE
simply meant by that illustration that
the investment had gone up the spout
gone to nothing"
"May I ask what would you do If you
we're out of this prison and free to begin
life again ?"
"I should go to New Orleans or to
The West. Idleness is my aversion. l
10 more work in this jail than anybody
IN it. Look on that window-sil at those
piles of books-the Daily Transcript
ind other documents-pertaining to my
I spend hours ransacking
hem every day. During the height OF
ny prosperity in this city I made every
body around me work, and it used to be
! saying: There comes Mr.. Tweed
low we will have to sweat. My son-in-
aw is in business in New Orleans. and I
Gould make myself useful to him as
travelling agent or in some other way
enough to give me employment and
living. If I did not 90 there, 1 would
tart life far out West"
"Perhaps you mistrust yourself.
Would not the thirst for politics in New
York resume its place? ?" /
"No, I am too old and Indifferent,
md would not even vote in this country
gain"