New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-22
ROyS HOW DID / LOOK y

When Jaehnc, scarlet and smar ting from
Judge Barrett's scourge, was led back to the
Tombs. a party of his political friends trooped
into the prison behind him. There was lamcn-
tation over the terrific" scene in court but
presently the convict reused himself to face
the sympathetic circle and said. Boys, how
did | look n "Fmst rate" was the prompt
reply: @You bore up fine" And the admirng
speaker added with questionable tact that
"most men would have gone all to pieces after
such a talking to- We are informed that
Jaehne smiled with qualification at this test
mony to his civic virtue. lie never showed
any moral sense of the crime in which he has
been detected, nor any shame at the position in
which it placed him. To bear up fine" Under
the denunciatlOns and contempt OF all honest
men, and defy the courts to punish him for
felonies which be hardly took the trouble to
DENY. was the only idea of a defence which
suggested itself to this thicfs brain and when
it failed he went to his cell smiling at the
reflection that the boys saw him in the crisis
of infamy looking first rate" If they see him
to-day in Sing Sing, after change of clothes,
they will perhaps make different report
Jaehne is type of a class of adventures who
rise easily in great cities governed by univer-
sal suffrage and more concerned about business
ENTERPRISE than the orderly conduct Of life.
They are not restricted to politics. Finance
breeds swarms of them-OperatOrs who do not
mind the reputation of dishonesty so long IA
the bows in Wall Street are willing to drink
with them and to swear that they look first
rate. They are in all the professions; Cardozo
was specimen of one who bore MP fine"
los Il yrhi brol- p w of
comrades all to pieces. Tweed and all his
gang derived a certain support in their down
fall from the admiration of the boys, and would
not believe until the belief was too late to
save them, that any serious harm could come
to the favorites of the ward meetings and the
City Hall. All the scandals, the jobs. the quar-
rels over places and fees, tho deals in the
departments, which distract our municipal
administration, can be traced to the direct
action or indirect influence OF n class of munich
pal politicians who have learned to believe
that the admiration Of the boys Is the only
backing worth trying for. There are now
number of indicted Aldermen strutting about
the public Offices, and begging the boys to re-
mark that they bear mp fine" This appears
to be as good reputation as they desire; and
there is reason TO believe that the boys ask no
more.
But for all these adventurcrs there comes
sooner or later terrific" day, such as came
for Jaehnc Tweed died in jail Genet and
Woodwork served long terms IN stripes
more than one prince of the Ring persisted IN an
exile worse than prison, or still hides III some
foreign land IA man without a country lilgl-
tious Judges have been hurled from the bench;
there is IA crash in the stock market, and some
frccbooting Spectator disappears for ever
The boys do not rule Ncw-Y Ork. Too easy
good nature gives them license for a while,
until the riot grows serious; then the city
rouses itself somebody goes all to pieces
and the men who have rushed into the Alder
manic business ba2in to realize how vain is
the Vulgar applause of their old associates.
" How do look ~ is question which is agitat-
ing good many notorious persons just now
visions of Jachne in parti-colorcd jacket are
haunting their dreadful dreams, and suggest
ing the answer which is on the tip OF the gen
eral tongue; the boys cannot wipe ont that
picture the terrific echoes of Judge Barrett's
address will not die. The day of Judgment
hurries on and none of the accused are going
to look first rate after it who are not borne up
by the verdict of an honest jury and jealous
uubEc