Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-05-16
BILL TWEED.
Rev. Talmadge Answers s'Why Do
the Wicked Liyep'' r.

Rev. Talmadge Answers tsWhy Dc
| the Wicked Livep''
Rev. Talmadge preached a strona
sermon Sunday in which he answers IL
a forcible way, the oft-repeated question
why do the wicked liver" He said:
Poor Job! with tusks, with stinss, with
hoofs' all the misfortunes of life come on
him at once. Bankruptcy, ,bereavements,
standardization, eruptive disease 30 irri-
tating that he had to reinforce his ten
finger nails with a piece of earthenware
to scratch himself withal His wife took
the diagnosis Of his complaint and pre-
scrlbed for him profanity. She thought
ne would feel better if between the
paroxysms Of pain and grief he would
swear little. For each boil plaster
Of objurgation. Probably 10 man was
ever more tempted to take this bad ad-
vice than was Job when at last his three
exasperating friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and
zophar came to comfort him, saying in
substance: "You old sinner, this serves
you right. All this il because you are
hypocrite. What a sight you are. God
has chastised you for your wickedness."
The disfgured invalid lifts his swollen
cyelids and puts down the piece Of
broken saucer with which he had been
rubbing his arms, and tells his garrul-
GUS group of friends that it is often the
wicked who have tho best health and
the most prosperity, and in this connect
ion hurls the question which every nan
and woman that ever existed has at
some conjunction of events asked, "Why
do the wicked liye?"
About fifteen years ago we had an il.
lustrious instance of how God lets man
20 on only to make his undoinp the
more impressive rs moral lesson.
First an honest chairmaker, then alder
man, then member Of congress, then
supervisor of the city, then school
commissioner, then state senator, then
commissioner of the department of pub
lie works. On and up, stealing thou
sands of dollars here and thousands OF
dollars there, swindling on the largest
scale of malfeasance ever witnessed in
this country, so that the new. city count
house of New York is Il monument of
municipal crime having cost more than
the capitol at Washington or the par
liament houses of London, and running
the city debt from 100000 to $780,
100000. Now he stands high up in the
millionairedom. Country seats, ter
raced and arbored and parterred to the
wnter's brink. Horses enough to stock
kings equerry. Grooms and postil-
lions in full rig. Wine cellars enough
to make whole legislatures drunk.
New York politics and finance in his
vest pocket He winked and officials
went down. Ho lifted his little finger
and Ignoramuses took high place. He
whispered and at Albany and Washing.
ton people said it thundered. Higher
up and higher up until pandemonium
seemed about to adjourn to this world,
and there was some prospects that in
tho satanic realm there should be a
change of administration and that Apol-
lyon after holding dominion 80 long
would have an earthly competitor. 10
bring all to climax wedding came
in the house of that man. Diamonds as
large rs hickory nuts, n pin of sixty
diamonds representing sheaves of wheat.
Musicians in n semi.circle, half hidden
by great harp Of flowers. Ships of
flowers. Forty silver sets, one of them
with 24S pieces. One wedding dress
that cost 5000. A famous libertine
who owned several Long Island steam
boats, and not long before he was shot
for his crimes, sent lis a wedding present
to that house frosted silver iceberg
with representations of Arctic bears
on icicle handles and ascending
the spoons. Never such a convocation
Of bronzes, of pictures, Of shawls. The
highest wave Of New York splendor
rolled in upon the scene and recoiled,
never again to rise 80 high.
But at the moment when all observa-
ton Of earth and hell was concentrated
upon the scene, eternal justice imper-
in that wonder of the American
bar, Charles OConnor, got on the track
Of the offender. First arrest, then in
dlctment, then sentence of twelve years
imprisonment on twelve indictments,
then penitentiary on Blackwell's Island;
then suit against him for 100000;
then Ludlow street Jail; then escape and
Hight in foreign country; then return
under the tight grip of the constabulary
and death from broken heart in a
prison cell, allowed to go on until all the
world learned as never before that the
way of the transgressor is hard, that
dishonesty does not pay a permanent
dividend, that man had better be an
Industrious chairmaker on days wages
han fraudulent commissioner of pub
ic works with all his pockets crammed
With plunder.
The Best IN North Dakota.
Towner County Tribune.