Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-06-13

van rsenhovsn was Of the True rammauy
stripe.

MANFsATTAN'S FIRST bOoS.
van Tlenhoven was Of the True rammany
stripe.
Before the frst Manhattan settle
ment was ten years old II had hatched
boss of the TBmmany stripe. Though
Cornelius Van Tienhoven never wore
prison garb like some Of the modern
leaders," during twenty-three years
he climbed on stepping stones Of scan
dalous deeds from high TO higher hon
ors, and thwarted the efforts of the
burRhers TO shake him of. In educa-
tion and intellect he was qualified for
leadership In the best sense, but In
subtlety, craft and venal purposes he
was an exemplar as boss, and there
by controlled the. policy Of the Dutch
governors Speaking the language Of
the Indians, he was all the more an
adept in cheating them. Like the early
members of the Tammany society, he
even masqueraded in Indian dress and
manners A remonstrance addressed
to their "High Mightinesses" in Hol-
land said of him; "IIe has run about
like an Indian with little covering and
n patch before him"
In his Indian revels, as In his private
life. he was shameless. Sketch por-
traits OF this Manhattan worthy are
preserved in the afiidavits given at The
Hague In 1859 by two Dutch women
who were aiding injured innocence, as
we shall see later on. In one OF the
depositions he appears as "a corpulent
and thiclS-set person, Of red and bloated
visage, and light hair" and in the
other as "a likely person Of ruddy face,
corpulent body, and having little wen
on the side of the cheek" But IL Is his
moral wen that entitled him to a place
In the Tammany gallery.
When he first appears in the annals
Of early Manhattan, Van Tienhoven
was twenty years younger than the
oloated Lothario of the portraits of
1889. II is supposed that he was in the
employ of the Dutch West India Com
pany during a part of Minuit's admin
istration; but II is certain that when
this governor locked horns with the
PATRONS over the question of trading
privileges, and Patroon Van Rensse-
laer's relative, Wouter Van Twiller,
was appointed in his stead, the latter
made Tienhoven ''bookkeeper of wages
TO the council. This was in 1893, and
the office, in the Dutch called "Koop-
man." was analogous to a Tammany
commissionership of public works, In
asmuch as whatever sums dribbled TO
the hangers-on of the company were
filtered through his itching palms He
was also receiver of dues One way or
another, everybody came in contact
with his suavity; and it is said that
those who failed to water the pigeons
"a Dutch euphemism for gratuities
and godfatherly gifts-were put of
with promises that never matured.
As Wouter Van Twiller carried Ia
the extreme the Tammany doctrine
tina. a public trust should be admin
istered for the benefit of the trustee,
he got into trouble with Dinclxlagen,
the honest fiscal, or sheriff-attorney,
of the council-no, the expostulating
officer got into trouble with the gov.
ernor, in much the same way that eX-
Fire Commissioner Gray was forced to
withdraw from his Tammany col.
leagues for presuming to notice that
the public money was being wasted.
Van Twiller investigated himself, and
found himself spotless. Also in true
modern fashion he adjudged the ac
cuser TO be the real malefactor, and
sent him back to Holland without
arrears of salary. Dincklagen laid his
grievances before the home authorities
and despite a powerful attempt tc
shield Van Twiller, owing to a mis-
carriage of whitewash the director wa:
dismissed. Yet he remained in the
colony to enjoy expansive lands, in
cluding the present Governors island
and herds of cattle, which, owing tC
his official position. had in the shcrt
space of five years been turned intC
his account.
Tienhoven profited by the change
inasmuch as William Kieft, the new
director general. who arrived in 16ss
appointed him secretary of the colony
Kieft in his previous field of operations
had been accused of embezzlement; sc
it is not surprising that, with Tien
hoven's assistance, his new authority
worked for public mischief Under his
predecessors the council had consisted
Of five members, who acted as magis'
trates. One councillor, having one
vote, was enough for Kieft, who re-
served the right of casting two votes
so like the Leader" in the practical
working of the Tammany councils
Kieft possessed in his own person q
quorum and fair working majority.
&C G. Buel, in Century.