St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-06-27
Our New York Letter.

OUR OBELISk-SOME REFLECTIONS AND
SUGGESTIONS ON THE KHEDIvE'S
PRESENT - MEMORIES OF TWEED
HOW HE ESCAPED AND LOST HIS
INSURANCE-A COSTLY LITTLE FIRE.
NEW YORK, June 20, 1879.
10 the Editor of the CaledOnian:
Mr.. Tweed's memory is kept green
among us by frequent written and spok-
Ell "reminiscences, and by the reports of
proceedings by which various business
matters are being closed up in which
the boss was actively interested while
living. Our attention has been special
ly called to him this week in several
ways. One of the Sunday papers pub
fishes graphic chapter from the pre-
viously unwritten history of his escape
FROM this city and voyage to Cuba, OBJ
tanned from the captain of the schooner
in which his flight was accomplished
From this account it appears that the
vainly sought refugee stayed right in
the heart OF the city for several months
after his escape, and claims to have
frequently sat at a window and seen in
the street below detectives whom he
knew to be in hot pursuit of himself.
Finally the owners of the schooner
mentioned having been induced to aid
him, that vessel was beached one dark
Winters night upon the sands of Coney
Island, where the disgraced autOcrat of
the metropolis was stealthily put on
board, and started safely for the West
Indies, whence he pursued his course
to Spain.
Appropriately enough, day or two
after the publication of this narrative,
the decision of the Court of Appeals is
rendered in favor of life insurance
company, and adverse to Tweed's
daughters, who sued that corporation
to recover the amount of an $4,000 pol
icy on their fathers life.I A clause in
the policy provided for its forfeiture in
case the insured should take sea vOy-
age without the company's consent
and as big Six" certainly didn't ask
his iHsurOrS' E--, Il = a. a. f. E,
yti s.iaas F9 ss the blue water, the Court
money. Thus in another waH waO th bnt
famous European trip an ex1ensive as
well as useless and uncomfortabIeo one a.
IN sui third connection has .sthe
le"ei OF the Rlng' been made present
10 our minds. On Wednesday mornino
the denlzens of Broadway were called
10 their windows for a moment by the
not entirely unfamiliar tones of the fire.
engine bells, a regular procession of
winch went skurrying by The next
thing was rapidly spread rumor that
the Metropolitan Hotel was BURNING
uown. ln half an hour the fire was ont
anu the magnificent hotel safe, with the
exception of one room, which in those
lew minutes had been damaged TO tbe
extent OF some $4,000. This sumptu-
Gus loom was the grand dining hall fit
Ieu up by Tweed himself during his
lesseeshlp OF the hotel, which has ever
t,ct oeen one of the latter's prime at
oiactl0ns. He made it the type of his
oMn luxury and splendor. Among
otner extravagances of furnishing. he
put INTO 1t nine mirrors of French 6late
'ass. Inc two at each end were DO
.Ie' nigh by ii feet wide, and those on
5 liz sues I were as wide, but not quite so
nsn' Inc tops of the side mirrors
we're seml-circular. This one item of
e0pP In fitting up the room was saa
~ IN ADDITION he introduced three
eolored glass done-shaped skvligbts
ltom each OF which hung a chandelier
., pendant prisms. Besides these there
were two other large Chandeliers and
SIX sac lights, also ornamepted with
grass pendants. The CEILING was fraS