The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-07-23
Origin OF the 'Society OF
Tamnany."

In 1853 was organized the " Society
Of Iammany or Columbian Order, ami
the men vino stood sponsor for 1t we're
Aaron Barr AMI the othcrsrdent he
pabIlc0ns Of whom jefferson was the
head, and who opposed the plots Of the
Fcdcrals to pcrycrt the uew republic III
t. a limited monarchy. These latter
had already founded the aristocraic 81
clety Of tie "Ciucinuati," and to this
the new Tammany Society was an offset.
1t was named Iammany after the
Weil-kuown and talented chief who had
Tolerated the thirteen Indian tribes OF
the Safe Of New York under one gov
ernmcnt; and On this basis Iammanys
organization was made 10 consist of Il
council Of thirteen sachcms, the number
Of original States rs welI as OF the New
York tribes.
Tammauy is and always has been Il
.ecret society rs much as the Masons.
having its grips, signs, passwords, and
ether mysterious tokens. 1t is Il benev-
client society for mutual assistance, and
wa, organized under the charity society
act Of the State Of New York.
The organization Of the Tammany So.
c;cry Is made up Glover ! 100 members,
representing twenty-tour assembly dis.
r1ct,, and has one member for every
100 Democratic votes east in the sew.
crai districts, The Society thus stand,
fairly for the Democratic vote Of the
city. lt' executive business Is transact
ed 10y committee Of organization
which consists Of sixteen members from
each district. Each district, moreover.
ha, leader, selfconstitutcd, or rccog.
nizcd by tacit consent, and these leader,
are the real managers Of Tammanv, and
responsible to it for affairs in their re.
spccivc districts
John Kelly is not, as Is generally sup
posed, the nominal chief OF 'rammauy
he is merely tine actual chief and i,
numbered among thc thirteen >ubordi
nate -achcms. He is looked upon BY
his followers with a respect and admira
ton akin to reverence and ! doubt i
such feeling could be inspired in ;,
many men by anything short Of sterlin!
qualities.
Ia APPEARANCE John Kelly is not IN
ike Gen. Grant. Like Grant he has
square face, II square chin, Il square
broad mead, square shoulders, and IN
crops close his hair and beard lik
Grant, and turns gray like Grant, am
he speaks III SLOW voice like Grant.
hear that Grant and Kelly have bee
mistaken for one another upon tn
street.
The present. grand sachcm is Charlie
II. lla,wcII, now in his SD year
. famous civil engineer, who, fiy year
ago, was chief engineer of the Unite
N.alc, navy under JACKSON. He is sti
very vigorous, prc>idcs with dignity
and looks maryelpusly ike an old II
dian -traycd from hi, native wigwam.
q The most difficult office in Tamman
Is that Of Wiskiu>ic sometimes ire,
crcnlIy caIlcdj Whiskyskin.") John
, Newman holds the office and has held
FORA quarter Of century, to the tcrro
Of financial deinqucnls and dcadbcal,
lis duties include the collection Of y,
iitlcaI assessments, as well as the rcceiI
Of dues and other regular tribute; an
when he shoulders his tomahawk IN
strike, the trail Of member who Is i
arrcar, there is sure to be fun, cxccI
for the fugitive
, o! tie Big Four" who constitute
/, the old iammany riug-Twccd, Swccr
! cy, Connolly, and John Watson-onl
one Is now living Watson was klllc
by being thrown out Of a sleigh in lIar
f lem Ian" in ISL ; Tweed died in Lut
low Street Jail, in the luxurious ce
where Ward now pines Connolly die
two years ago in Switzerland, a fugitiv
from justice; Peter b. Sweeney alon
: survives. When Tweed died ind.
10 mnt for $4,000 600 was hanging owe
p his head Sweeney has now outIvc
% the tImc prescribed in the statute ,
- limitations, aud is, it is said, comm
home to New York to spend the r,
+ ur.u1pr nf his I,y, Tr, u,,,, -.