The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-04-18
Particulars of the Indian
Surrender.
Important Arrests Of Coun-
q terfeiters.
Investigation of the South
ern Hotel Disaster.
Boss Tweed Makes a Con-
fession,
And Proposes to Make
Startling Revelations.
No Action on the Nichols
Proposal.
Proposition from Boss Tweed.

Proposition from Boss Tweed.
New YORK, April 17.-Willism M
Tweed, from his quarters in Ludlow
street Jail, sends the attorney general q
proposition reciting that in return for
the favor Of liberty and rest, he will YIELD
up all bis property and be faithful wit
ness on behalf of the public. He has suf-
fered much and suffered long in silence
and has born the burden of what others
should have shared. Afflicted with dis
ease, from age and confinement and Ill a.
ease in mind. he seeks for the rest
and relief he SO much and so sOrely
needs. He adds that the only basis
upon which he has the right to apply
for lenlency and pardon is that he will
make complete surrender of his prop.
erty and full disclosure OF his criminal
companions TIE proposition ls ioL 6
and exhaustive document, and assumes
the nature OF confession, which goes
back as far as 1867, when the ring first
began to assume form. 1t gives IN the
details the story OF varlou; conferences
between the writer, Peter b. Sweeney.
Richard Connolly, Henry Genet, A,
Oakley Hall and others, by which Tweed
WAS elected to the State Senate,
Connolly Comptroller in 1867, and Hall
Mayor. On January l, 1869, Tweed, &C
cording to the story, transferred to State
Senator Winsiow in person S2OO,OCO to
secure for the charter of 1870, which
gave to the Ring the control OF the city,
the support of several influential Repub-
lican members of the Legislature. 1t
was Tweed's understanding with Wins
low at the time tina. the money WAS to
be divided between Samuel ii. Frost,
Augu .tus Z. Elwood, William ii. Brand,
Norris Winslow, James Wood, Isaiah
Blood, and George Morgan, ali OF the
Senate and also with Van Pelt, Williams,
Crowley, MerIimsn and Beaman tor
their influence in the Legisls-
ture, The confession gives the
circumstances of the division Of spoIls
between him, Sweeney, Hall, Connolly
and Woodward. 1t duplicates Garvey,
Ingersoll, Davidson, Watson and ma
iorIty of the Board of Supervisors.
Mayor Halls proportion, WAS ten per
cent. He shared throughout in ali the
profits, was IN full collusion with the va
rious details OF the fraud, and was fully
aware OF tho fraudulent nature Of the
contracts presented for his signature.
The document purporting to be the re
cord of the proceedings Of the Board OF
Audits of May 5, 1870, by which Hall on
his trial secured acdulttsl on the ground
that he acted only in q ministerial charsc'
ter, Tweed says, was manufactured
after the exposure, Hugh Hastings Of
the Commercial AdTrtissr, is men
toned Is having received check for
$4,000 and checks for smaller amounts
at various times. Mr.. Hastings is also
credited with the diplomatic achievement
of having brought Jay Gould and Tweed
together, by which alliance the Tsmmsny
and Erie rings were operated TO their
mutual advantage. The confession also,
according to the World, says that all the
printing and book cases in Recorder
Lscket's house were paid for by the city.
He gives the names of i've persons, who
he promises, If immunity is gwen them,
will swear ~ the truth Of sll OF his
tatements. He had preserved sll the
checks, and kept memorandum OF all
the transactions, all of which will be
placed al the disposal OF the State and OF
the five persons named. They are r.
d. Barber, ex x-Senstor Jas. Pierce, Alex.
Frerar and VIM. King, Tweed's, former
Deputy Commissioner of Public
Works. Shortly after the pnblicstlon
Of the secret accounts IN July, 1871,
Tweed SAYS that Francis y. Blxby and
ex Sheriff, (then State SENATOR Jas.
O'Brien, came to him and offered 10 Sc
cure him against any further in
vesligation of his bank accounts, his re
la,ions with the city. or indeed from any
further trouble, if he would pay Sl50,O0O
towards o. Brien's claim against the city
for S299, 900 for unpaid fees. The two rep
resented TO him tina: they had such iuful-
ence over Mr.. Tiden, Judge Barrett and
William G. Barrett as TO Immediately
oussh any further steps in the pending
investigation. Tweed says be paid them
$4,000 in cash and mortgages, which
ttey afterwards collected, and he under
stands that they afterwards secured the
same amount from Connolly on the same
representations. He says be does not
consider that y Briefs claim has any
real merits. Hugh Smith, Sweeneys
particular friend, attended 10 all the
transactions with Judge Cardoza by
which judicial action was taken in behalf
of the ring. Tweed says the claim Of
81 10000 against the city for wster-
meters is fraud. He mentions Thurow
Weed by name, but does not connect him
with any squivocal transaction. He men
tions Judge Folger. Of the Court OF Ap-
peal., and Geo. II. Purser, OF New York,
rs persons TO whom be paid money. The
confession concludes with u promlse that
the writer will be witness for the city
IN any suit brought BY the city for the
recovery of moneys from any OF the per-
sons named. he does not ask that the
sui. against him be Qu,sbsd, but
that he be released IRON confneu ent,
with bail Tweed's counsel says that
since his troubles, most OF those whom he
had locked upon as friends IN his pslmy
days, hal held themselves aloot from
him, while many of them had been loud
est IN their denuucistions OF him. BE
asks nothing further IRON them, and
does not propose to recognize any fur
ther claim on him for silence. Tweed
further says that If the Attorney Gen.
eral accepts him (Tweed) n witness