St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-11
DICK TWEED DIES A BEGGAR.
The Boss Favorite Son Perishes Mis-
erably In a Madhouse.
Some Facts in the History of the Dashing
Young Man Who Wasted Several
Fortunes in the Days of
Ring Rule.


Ring Rule.
The papers published last week a brief ca
bic dispatch announcing the death in Paris
of Richard Tweed. The wire said he died in
madhouse. And penniless, too, without
sou'to his name. And that was all. The
busy world went its way, making no COM
ment, urging no inquiry, taking no interest.
Yet only twelve years ago that same young
mans every movement was chronicled in
New York, and he was surrounded by a
Sinking, crawling crowd of sycophants
eager to appear well in his eyes This pa
tent of the Paris madhouse was Dick Tweed.
the second son and favorite of William NJ
Tweed, the Boss of New York. He was only
81 when he died; but he had lived his last
decade under tae fatal shadow of the Rings
disgrace that mystic potency that scared
and blighted all who have come under its
influence.
The Tweed boys were not briliant-indeed
quite the reverse. The fawning crowd that
surrounded boosted them up to pedestals
whereon they posed uneasy and awkward
The eldest son dubbed the General by the
boot licking crowd, was a very mild speci-
men, indeed. He seemed to exist in state
OF bewilderment at what was going on about
him. Statesmen bowed TO him, politicians
crawled to his footstool on their bellies, and
he could not find words TO express his amaze
ment. Therefore, probably he looked it so
earnestly. Surely he never talked, ana had
no ideas to give out This being the state of
affairs, there were others besides the idolized
son OF his father who were amazed. Sensi-
BILE people who had not the approaches to
the Ring magnate's throne, or who had no
axe to grind, where those who shared in the
Generals wondeIment, only they were not
so quiet about it.
Young Dick Tweed, the second son, was
not the kind to stay where he was placed by
the axe-griDding fawners and worshipers of
his father. He kicked over the pedestal and
refused to be statue. His tastes led him
among the free and easy FOUNDERS of the east
side. He preferred game of seven-up in
the card-room of humble corner hosiery to
public reception and the presentation of
addresses by crawling dignitaries. He was
not that sort of prince. He was the other
sort. The sort his father was in his youth,
with all the good-fellowship, the rough,
tough, fre-boy quality.
Dick was, in fact, from these very quail
ties the most amiable one of the family and
the best comra lie. He worked many a good
thing for the toughs of his acquaintance BY
''sneaking to Pop" and never conferred
such fayors among the crawling crowd tina
worshipped his brother, and would have wor-
shipped him if he had let them. There was
less of the upstart in him than there was in
the rest of the family. He put on fewer airs
on account of his fathers money, and made
fewer attempts to set up as person of tone
and refinement. He was loud with dia-
monds, it was true. But it was the loudness
of the fireboy's bunk room. His $4,000
SOLITAIRE often adorned a flannel shirt for in
stance. He liked fun, but it was horse play
and rude practical joking. Dick was jolly
good fel,ow-there was no mistaking that
Politics he would not touch They were not
in his line-he had no taste in that way and
he would not pretend, like his brother that
ne had.
He became, by his natural tastes, a
"sport," and reveled in that congenial field
throughout the reign of the Ring. leaving to
others the field where his cunning old father
was experimenting the crops for which the
public toiled. Dick was always well loaded
with money. and knew where to get plenty
more when his gave out. The sports and
gamb with whom he was intimate knew
this well, and acted accordingly He passed
thousands of dollars over the green table in
the days of his fathers glory, and the keepers
of the biggest games in the city esteemed him
their brightest and best angel.
When he went up to the American Club
house at Greenwich and remained over from
a Saturday night to a Monday morning, it
was always to strike 'iPop'' for money, and
he never failed to get it. While other MEM
bers of the notwithstanding ones who
sfterward were so indecently hasty in dis
laiming all friendship for the Boss-were do
ing the dudesque of that period in the grand
drawingroom, or playing sailor in their pri-
vate yachts, young Dick would seek other
amusements to pass this dreary lapse of
time" until Monday morning A small
frame building, distant from the club house
about 800 feet, and masked in grove Of old
trees was his constant haunt. This building
was devoted to poker games, aud big stakes
were played for, enormous sums passing
from hand TO hand in a night, and the play
continuing day and night with scarcely an
intermission for weeks.
Here Dick would meet Eugene Durnin,
Andv Garvey aud others Of that Tx and they
would play till Monday morning, returned to
town by the steamer Americas. relieved.