Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-04-18

and some Of the subordinate thieves
fled beyond toe sea. Hall escaped JUS
tice on the plea that be was their inno'
cent dupe, and Tweed alone remained
to bear the bTunt of the crimes of the
Ring. He either had too much pluck
to confess judgment by flight, or else
be placed false valuation upon his
ability to defend himself and his gains
against the retributive processes of the
law. Whatever was his conviction
he stayed behind, held up his head
and asked the despOiled people what
they expected to do about it.
THeed's confidence was soon proven
to be unwarranted Early in 1872 he
was indicted for forgery and grand
larceny, but the trial, which continued
nearly year, ended in disagreement
of the Jury. A second trial Was be-
gun on November 5th, 1873, and result
ed in verdict of guilty on each Of the
fifty-One counts of the indictment.
He was sentenced to twelve years i'm
prisonment in the penitentiary and to
pay fine of over Sl2, 600, but in June,
1885, he was released by decision of
the Court of Appeals that the cumula-
tive sentence was void. He was i'm
mediatly rearrested On an old criminal
indictment, and also in a civil suit for
the recovery OF money from him. In
the latter suit S3,000,000 bail was de-
manded, and as he could not furnish il
he was sent to Jail. In December he
was permitted to visit his house, and
from thence made his escape. Weary
of fighting the law and subjected to
pillage by his eminent counsel, he
sought to follow in the wake of Connol-
ly and Sweeney. The story of his
flight is familiar to all-hOw he Was
concealed for months in New jersey in
sight of New GsTn; hDN he reached
Cuba and then rcht tp 5p in; how he
was captured 10y Spanish officials at
Vigo and sent back 10 New York,
where he has since been behind bolts
and bars. The six millions suit was
decided against him two years ago,
but he, of course, could not pay.
The history of Tweed is the history
of the Tammany Ring. He grew up
surrounded by vicious Influence, and
turned his attention naturally to
achieving success and fortune through
political scoundrelism and peculatiou
in Office. The epoch in which he figur-
ed most prominently was one of public
corruption and private extravaganza.
1t was the era of shoddyism and infia-
tion-in short, of Jim Fisk and Boss
Tweed. a false business prosperity
was built upon the rotten foundations
OF deprecated paper money, and while
all seemed fair weather men
minded little that Govern
ment officials were wholesale
plunderers while there, was apparently
plenty of oney and employment for
everybody. Only in such periods
could men of the Tweed stamp flourish
in rank luXuriance. Their vulgar
lavishness of display, their Tree handed
dispensatiOn of filched wealth, their
encouragement of riot and waste were
example: fraught with evil. Their
-Ostentatious entertainments, gorgeous
residences aud indecent feies poisoned
the minds of men and instigated Wild
ness and waste. Their example infect
ed the whole land, and they instruct
ed individuals entrusted with govern
ment elsewhere to steal and to fi4unt
their stealings in theface of the people.
The Tammany Ring spawned dozens
of other associations for public plunder
1t even aspired to usurp the National
Government and place one of its crea-
lures in the Presidential chair. But at
the very atme of its power the edifice
of fraud and robbery which it had
erected was sapped and fell The
lesson of a career like that of Tweed Is
that triumphant YillaiRy must even
tually end in disaster. However hedg.
ed about with. the defenees OF ia
genpity, wealth ami power, it is not
impreg No stronger moral could
be drawn than the presentation side by
side of two pictures. One is that OF
Tweed as the aut0crat of New York,
surrounded by his henchmen, trump
hant in his great fortune, almost ab5o:
lutte in his authority and administering
the government of city with y word.
The. other is that of Tweed dying in q
prison cell, with no trace of his form n
greatness about him aud no hope OF
escape except through the straight aud
narrow gale OF death.-B4ltim0re