The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-04-23
Secret History Of the Tammany Council.
In Possession Of Sam. ]. TIlden,
Carefully Filed Away to Terribly the Ring
Sters and for Political Purposes.
Tweed Examined by the WOudln lnycs
tluatlng Committee.

tue arrangement lOF INeeuS FeleQSe was
concluded, which included references
partly from memory and partly from
documents Immediately under the control
OF Tweed, in Ludlow street, to u sufficient
extent TO substantlatc the allegations gen.
orally, but not TO furnish specific proof
OF particular transactions. The supple.
mental confession relative TO the Court OF
Appeals Judges is OF the same nature,
and the original data for both will be
delivered only when the terms and date
OF Tweed's release are finally agreed
upon. The abstracts are not very
bulky, and were made out at the sugges.
tion OF Charles O'Connor as basis upon
which the Attorney General could form
his opinions upon the advisability Of re.
commencing the pardon Of Tweed.
The Tribune says: The fact that Tweed
Is indisposed to testify at this time is all
the more to be regretted because OF the
evident disposition on the part Of sOme
persons in authority, or having great in.
iluence over those in office, to suppress
the statement as whole, and to use such
fractions as are necessary to expose
those whom it is desired to crush, and
to suppress other portions affecting per.
sons who may be protitabiy used for
political or other purposes. A large
part OF the material collected by II. F..
FaintOr in examining the bank accounts
ot the ringmen years ago, has never seen
Tight, but, carefully arranged, lies safely
deposited in the drawers OF Samuel ]
TiIden's library in Gramercy Square,
where it is probable Tweed's statement
and evidence will go ii not speedily pub.
lished.
Tilden kept this material that he might
draw on 1t from time to time for polti.
cal purposes, and to similar use
Tweed'S hundreds OF checks may yet go,
ii, as reported, nlden has already begun
n canvass for the nomination Of President
in 1850. Among those shown by Tain.
tors Investigations to have proited by
the ring transactions was Joseph T.
Young, Clerk OF the Board Of Supervis-
ors for years, but Young'S name never
came out. Comptroller Green one day
refused TO sign warrant for foung's
pay. Young in retaliation, declined to
certify, as required by law, the warrant
for Green's pay as Deputy Comptroller.
This threw Green into great rage, and
he applied to Tilden for advice. Tilden
went quietly to his library, aud from Il
large number of yellow packages took
ope marked "Joseph 3. Young" In it
there was found a record Of Houng's
transactions with the Ring. The next
morning this appeared in the newspapers,
and that was the last ever heard OF Mr..
Young. He found that he was to be in.
dicted.
wooDIN INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.
When the committee met Mr.. Tweed,
which was almost Immediately after their
arrival at Ludlow street Jail, there was
little delay. Mr.. Townsend, counsel for
Tweed, introduced his client, who was
sworn, holding up his right hand. lie
said he was 81 years old, and on being
asked where he resided, replied that his
family lived in Connecticut, and he was
Il New York Senator for four years; the
material question he declined 10 answer
at the outset, and read the following
statement, duly signed:
~ did not give, nor did authorize any
one to give, TO the World the statement
which appeared in its columns on the 9Th
inst, and | disavow all responsibility for
it, ldesire to show my respect Tor, and
treat your honorable committee with all
courtesy and consideration, but in Justice
to myself | must decline to respond
to any questions which refer to
that article, its assertions, or any part OF
them, or any newspaper article not fur.
nished by me, and 10 which my name has
not been attached, by me; and beg leave
while respectfully declining to answer,
to hand you letter written and for.
warded on the 10Th inst. by my counsel,
John D. Townsend, Esq, to a member Of
your committee, in reply to atelcgram to
Mr.. Townsend Of prior date, and which
covers more fully in detail the reasons
for my so declining to answer the ques-
tlons in reference to the matters referred
for examination to your honorable com.
mittee by the honorable the Senate.
"WM. NJ. TWEED.
"APlL 81, 1877"
The letter Of Mr.. Townsend, referred
to in Mr.. Tweed's statement, and address.
ed TO the chairman OF the committee, il
as follows:
"NEw YORK, April 10, 1877.
"Mr DEAR SlR-In reply to your tele.
gram asking me whether my client, Mr..
Tweed, will submit voluntarily to be ex.
amined by the committee OF which you
are n member, appointed to take testi.
mony in the matter OF the alleged bri.
berry OF Senator Woodin, and thus avoid
the necessity OF a compulsory process,
have to say that l have consulted with
my client on the subject, and by my ad.
vice he will decline to give any testimony
before your committee relating TO the
subject to which you refer, except TO me
| believe Tweed has not conhded the
statement which, under certain circum.
stances, he Is willing should become q
matter OF public action. 1hRve deemed
it advisable for his interests to put the
same in form and submit it to the Attor.
ney General OF this State for his consider.
alton, aud believe he is now engaged in
determining upon the course in regard to
which will best subserve the interests OF
the people. This statement was only
submitted to him upon his assurance that
1t would be returned to me, and its con-
tents remain undivulged, should he de.
cline to accede to my clients release from
imprisonment. can conceive OF no pos
sible advantage that this prosecution
could he to the public beyond
the moral effect OF the full publi-
cation OF it, unless it could effect
punishment Of the offenders, and the re-
covery OF the money. Believing that the
examination OF Tweed before the Attor-
ney General was prepared to move in the
matter might seriously affect public in
terest by giving the offenders an oppor.
tunity 10 escape or make away with their
property, l felt compelled to advise
Tweed 10 decline to be a witness at this
time. But beyond this, and as the mat.
ter especially affected him personally,
ihaye advised Tweed to decline eramina'