The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-19

Last Hours of the Greatest Convicted The
of Modern Times-His Dying Words

[From the New York Tinies.l
Tweed knew he was going to die, but
did not seem discomposed, except by the
terrible pain he was enduring. Ere
quently he pressed his hands to his
heart, saying, "Oh, it is terrible, terri
BILE I" and 81 am very bad. My heart
is paining me terribly" DIR. Carnochan
saw no aid could be given, and no more
remedies were administered. At IL 80
o'clock it was evident the end was draw
ing near. Tweed beckoned DR.. Carno-
chan to his side, and said, in an unusually
weak voice. 81 have tried to do some
good. If have not had good luck, / am
not afraid to die. believe the guardian
angels will protect me-" DIR. Carnochan
was 80 much impressed by the words
that he Immediately wrote them and
read them to the other persons in the
room. Immediately after saying these
words, Tweed fell into sort of stupor,
laying his head back upon his pillow.
In few moments, however, he partially
aroused himself, and said to Mr.. Edel-
stein some incoherent words about the
confinement affecting his health, and,
mentioning some names In an almost in
audible voice, said: "They will be
satisfied now" After that he again
lapsed into a stupor, which was not o
comatose condition, but merely dead
ening of the senses. At minute or two
before II o'clock he moved his hand
upon the Counterpart, as if searching
for some ones hand for a farewell. A
moment later, as the jail-bells were
ringing the noon signal, William M.
Tweed fell back upon his pillow, dead.
The room in which Tweed died, and
in which he spent the last years of his
life, was handsomely but quietly fur
nished. In his last hours he lay upon q
plain but comfortable bed, on which his
body remained after death, clad in q
plain white night-dress. There WAS
scarcely a change in the face, except in
the color of the hair and whiskers,
which had whitened very much.
The great size of his body had rather
increased than diminished. Word was
at once sent to the Sherif7s Office that
Tweed was dead; also to the Coroner's
Office, the law requiring that an inquest
be held over the bodies of all persons
who die while undergoing imprisonment.
The corridor of the Jail was soon filed
with the friends of Tweed and the rep
resentatives of the press, and the front
door was besieged by persons who could
not gain admittance to the building. No
one was admitted to the room in which
the body lay except officers of the Jail,
relatives and friends, and the Coroner
and his men.
Tweed said, few minutes before his
a,,1 III
they've killed me at last. 1 have tried
to do the best could latterly, but they
wouldn't let me. They will probably
be satisfied when i am carried out Of
here tomorrow.
Tweed's last appearance outside the
walls of Ludlow Street Jail was on
March &c, when he was summoned to
testify in the suit of Waterbury against
the city, before Judge Potter, in the
Supreme Court. He took the witness
stand when his name was called, and
read paper, saying the city had not
kept its promise of restoring him to
liberty, after the giving of his previous
testimony, and that, by advice of his
counsel, he declined to testify further
till the promise was fulfilled. No effort
he was taken back to Jail.
Coroner Mailman arrived at the Jail
about / o'clock, and at once began the
inquest. It was determined that an au-
topsy was not necessary. DIR. Carnochan
testified that death, in his opinion, was
caused by pericarditis, with effusion and
heart clot, complicated with bronchitis,
pneumonia and chronic congestion of
the kidneys. The verdict was to that
effect, and the body was put into the
hands of an undertaken, and at o'clock
taken to the residence of Tweed's son-in-
law, J. w. Douglass. Tweed's wife and
two sons are in Europe.
Foster T. Dewey said to Times re-
porter that the words published as the
last words spoken by Tweed were by no
means correct. There were present at
Tweed's bedside when he died, DR.. Car
nochan, Tweed's son.in-law, Douglass,
Mr.. Edelstein, law partner of William
M. Tweed, Jr., and Mr.. Dewey. Mn.
Tweed's last words" said Mr.. Dewey,
Gas nearly as can recall them, were
these: Il have tried to right some
great wrongs. 1 have been forbearing
with those who did not deserve it. I
forgive all those who have ever done
wrong to me, and I want all those who
have ever been harmed by me to forgive
me- He said nothing about guardian
angels. Nobody who knew him would
ever suppose he could talk that way.
What I have told you he said
was said by him in answer to
my question, whether he didn't
want to say something, for I knew he
was going. He died as calmly and re-
signedly as John Wesley did, and with
as much absence of fear or bitterness.
He had long wished to die, and has said
to me 500 times, if once, since his re-
turn from Spain, that he would be glad
to 90. Mr.. Tweed made no will He
had nothing to leave to anybody. He
didn't even have any personal property
worth making will for. People say
he has not accounted for all his prop
erty. He has accounted for ali the
property he had left, but people don't
know how much money he has disposed
of in the last five years. If he had to
account for what he paid out there would
be q good many people who would
feel badly to have the public
know what they have got out of the old
man. He was the greatest wreck the
/ xvorld OMAR aow pol,tioolly ooc;a1lr