, 1884-11-01
BILL TWEED AND SONS.
"Reminiscences OF the Bold Empe O.
Who Once Ruled New York.
Ira.s 'Hs Gave norss A~sz ans
SsAaed -NsrSHpsPer- m@r
s2OO, OOO-Dfek Tweed
SIS. Fnther,. MeI.e.- -Lnw

doe Howard ia Philadelphia Pre-s.l
Tweed was a very large man. The pict
ures ia Harper's Weekly looked no more like
him than they boxed liks the thimpznzeA-
They were capital caricatnrs-, but Ia no
sense portraits. Mr.. Tweed might sit iu q
thousand rooms, one after another IN suc,c--
sion, and not be recognized by d single lsriy
who depsnded upon his Likeness r any ut
the picturps drawn by Mast and printed IA
Harpers Weekly He had c mid bln-deye.
full Of life and pleaSa ntry. His large face
was almost always illumined by a pleasant
smile. His great body was coarse. unwieldly,
heavy and loggy, and he bad a singular
habit of pushing forward with r~eSistis~a
energy. as though, once started, he could not
stop His rnannertsms were very peeuiilr
and numerous He trusted everybody, not
with his secrets nor his confidences hut his
money. One newspaper man in this city
owes the estate of Tweed GOO, 900 to-day.
His hand was always open TO ths poor and
needy. He give bis stolen wealth freely, and
his Investments in wildcat enterprises Of
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars were fully
paraleled. II not exceeded, by his contrlbu-
lions 20 charity of various names and 20 pub
lie institutions Of whatever sect or creed or
nature. nN.l
1t so CHANGED that rly business rslHtions
with him were very Close for a period of two
years, and. although subsequent develop
mentS show that these two years were the
~ickedest Of his life. in which he plundered
the city Of millions and led the metropolis rs
near the verge Of bankruptcy as audacity
and earnest determination could, / never i'm
ferred from look or word or act or suggestion
that he was anything other than a public Off
cer OF excessive zeal and great desire for the
advancement Of the city Of his birth.
Leaving out his weakness and his wicked
ness, let me look at him u moment as a hus
band and father. His wife told me
that she never heard him speak a cross
word. never knew him 70 scold a child
or u servant, and although under the press Of
severe mental struggle and OF mortified pride.
and on the verge OF disaster he did on sev
eral occasions speak quickly. sharply and
with unnatural acridity, he a~pologized, aud
evidently suffered a thousandfold more than
she 10 whom the words were spoksn.l In
his home he was generosity ITSELF He an
t~oipated every desire and gratihed every
wHim II his wife and children, who, not
having been born 10 wealth or station, were
quite ready to accept the new position ia
which they found themselves, and share the
one vnlgarism Of their husband and fath-r,
the DESIRE for nstentation and prodignl dis
play M
Oae afternoon. in his little Office over ths
Broadway hank. corner Of Park place and
Broadway, Mr.. Twred. having finished the
business Of the day. sat waiting for a coupe
which was TO carry him to a meeting OF the
Erie directors. Desiring 10 nave a bin passed
by the commission Of which he was a mem
her, / called upon him and found him 81 ting
there alone offered him a cigar. He told
me he never smoked. asked him II he had
time - go over 10 the next corner to take a
drink. He told me he never touched liquor.
l subsequently ascertained those statements
to h. precisely as he made them. Something
brought up the names Of his two boys
young Bill named after himself, AMI
-young Dick, named after his brother Rich
ard. then n member of the department Of
taxes In this city. With a fathers IN.
terest in his son be had cndeayored to make
something Of William. After n short period
Of trading in some lawyers office, Tweed had
IFS son made an assistant district att6rney
with n salary of 81 1900 Il year. He might
just rs well have made him chaplain to the
Grand Army Of the Potomic and expected
him 70 successfully lead the rough and ready
veterans OF that corps to the throne OF grace
as to expect him 10 make any kind of a fgura
before Judge or jury IN a properly organlzed
court The hoy had no head for anything
serious. sober or solid. He was Bill Tvesd's
sou aud he knew IT, He had Bill Tweed's
money ana ne spent II. lie Nds known IN
every haunt Of debauchery. foremost among
the gang. Nobody cared for him. except the
toadies and fiunkeys who hung about hi
fathers door and bowed before the very dust
Il his elephatine feet.
Mr.. Tweed saw that as quick as anybody,
and with great difficulty restained himself
from giving utterance, time and again, t.
his natural feelings Of Indignation and
parental disappointment. Turning from Bill
he sought comfort and refuge and help in his
younger son, Dick. On this occasior-he told
me Tint Dick was the pride Of his heart; that
he had brains in his head, and was bound t.
make a great success in mercantile life: that
lie knew more In a moment than be, his
father, knew at his age in a twelve-month
that upon him should fall the mantle OF his
father, and that to him he would leave the
bulk OF his estate. IL was really a delight
and n pleasure 10 hear the man whom we
call Old Tweed but who wa
not 50 years old when be
died. speak Of his boy a. lie called
him, In tones OF tender, affection and paterDal
pride, A few moments after young Dick
came In. lie had been drinking He had u
cigar in mouth and his hat was cooked OH
one side. Traces Of dissipation were pln n
enough 10 me, but the fond father didn't see
them, and il he did he very successfully con
ceaIed his knowledge OF his sons condition.
Bustling about for n glass VI water. bis hat
and cane, the old gentleman bads me good
by. The two went down the marrow stairs.
End. entering the coupe together. drove OIL
uptown. Dark days soon came William.
the oldest son, one Of Governor Hoffman,
stat and an assistant district attorney. bent
his bead before the storm. us a reed might
bend In the presence Of a whirlwind. Dick
stood by bis father, In season and ont OF
season. He calisd upon him in jail, be stood
by him IN the cOurt-room- Wherever the
one went The other could be seen. e.