The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-26
TWEED.
stories of the Great Tammany Thief.

Stories of the Great Tammany Thief
Tweed was vain and fond of fattery
although he despised toadies and toady
ism. He paid $500 for a steel engrav.
ing and $3.50 for biographical sketch,
to be published in forthcoming vol.
ume. When the proofs were sent him
he objected to the caption, sour Self
Made Men," and forfeited the entire
sum rather than be included in the list.
He made considerable pretensions to
extended reading, and could recite with
considerable rhetorical effect many pas
sages from his favorite British poets
He had in his Office a Bible, prayer
book, and compilation OF political ex-
tracts, side by side with manuals and
red books.
His affiliations pecuniarily with men
high in social and moral grades were
extended and numerous. On one occa-
sion party applied to Tweed for an un-
secured loan of $4,000. He listened
patiently. Then he drew his check for
50, OOU, after which he wrote a note to
this effect, and addressed it to one of
the Police Commissioners-not Henry
Smith:
" FRIEND -: wants so, 900.
(Who does notO L have given him
$1,000. You must get MIN the balance.
say given. He says loaned, but yeu
and l know all about that ourselves.
Fix him, and oblige, thine truly,
"WM. NJ. TWEED"
The party took the check and carried
Mr.. Tweed's note to the Commissioner.
The board was in session, but time was
precious, and he sent in the note with
his card. Almost Immediately the Com
missioner came out.
when do you want this ?"
" Before 3 o'clock to-day"
1 can't do it, possibly. Stay, I'll
do the best L can.
He gave his check for 81, 500, and
wrote note to one of the chief officials
OF the city-and very decidedly not one
OF the ring-asking that he would draw
his check, without question, for 50, 800
and hand it to the bearer, who was en-
titled TO it.
The astonished recipient fastened to
the official named, and before 3 o'clock
deposited his $4,000, only So, 600 of
which came from Tweed directly, but
all of which was the result of Tweed's
appeal.
Tweed's subscription at the head of a
paper was good for twenty others. His
name for $4,000 meant 100000 from
the others, and without question.
With all his getting of money, Tweed |
cared little for money itself. He made |
enormous sacrifices at times. On one |
occasion he was bitten by mania for |
owning an interest in newspapers. He |
said he had loaned or advanced to the
Democrat nearly $4,000. He owned ,
largely in the Transcript and Leader, I
and held either stocks or bonds Of half
dozen weeklies. He professed to hold
the press in derisien, but was foremost
in endeavoring to eonciliate newspapers
that opposed him or his schemes. It at
one time became the custom-not yet
extnct--for certain journals TO claim
credit for having broken the Tweed ring,
apd Tweed used to say that those who
shouted reform the loudest had bled him
most when he was in power.
At one time it was freely circulated in
outside circles that both the Squire and
the Boss-Sweeny and Tweed-had
Senatorial ambitions. When Mr..
Sweeny was spoken to, he said he had
thought it would "be pleasant to spend
a winter in Washington, but rs yet he
had not engaged rooms there" Tweed,
on the other hand, said, 9" If 1 wsnted to
go to the Senate, I'd go; but what for?
can't talk, and / know il. MS to
spending my time in hearing n lot of
snoozers discuss the tariff and the par
ticulars of contract to carry the mails
from Paducah TO Schoharie, 1 don't |
think I'm doing that inst now"
LIN speaking of his downfall he reiter-
abed wlTat he had said aforetime about
the press: If these ipicture papers
would only leave me 'dlone, wouldn't
care for an the rest"
But these pictttre papers are such
caricatures that no one would ever know
you by them, said his friend.
THAT mal1esro difference. The peo-
pie get an idea that Tweed is thief.
They get used to seeing Tweed in
striped suit, and pretty soon they'll be
mad if he isn't IN one."
For the comments of journals outside
of New York city he cared literally moth
ing. On one occasion some one sent
him copy of peculiarly pretentious
journal published in neighboring city,
Ia which was an article claiming the
authorship of Tweed's downfall. He
looked at it, laughed, and said "Oh,
yes; have seen this paper before. 1t
was sent to me with a marked TRADE
against Slippery Dick, the Big Judge.
Really the man who runs the paper,
as he calls it, is too amusing to quarrel
with"
Ig..s. A.