The Portland daily press., 1901-01-25
BOSS TwEED's DIAMONDS.
Bishop Potter's story of Diamond
suspendsr Button.

Bishop Pottsr said recently that
friend of his picked up diamond as big
az his thumb IN the Office OF Boss Tweed
one day and that IL turned out to be one
OF the boss suspender buttons.
''Now, with all due respect to the
bishops friend, do not believe that diA'
mond story" said a man who saw mush
OF Twee1 In his days OF power. to New
York sun reporter. HAD the old man
ever worn diamond suspender button l
certainly would have known OF 1t. The
fact IL, the only big diamond the boss
ever displayed was q large solitaire that
he never failed to have In bis expansive
shirt front. Tweed was jolly old dog,
and often in his suffering way used to
get of s,me queer remarks just for effect
or as guy on his hearers.
at would have been most like him to
ssy when his diamond solitaire was
picked up by the bishops friend: 'Oh
that's only a suspender button OF mine;
l didn't miss 1t.
This tuspender b1tton story puts me
in mind Of a genuine diamond tale abou.
the toss. Tweeds spokesman on tbs
fioor OF the Assembly was Thomas Q )
Fields OF this city. He, like the boss,
wore a large diamond In his shirt front.
Bnt II had little chain and pin attach
ment that the boss diamond had not.
One evening Fields had dinen not wisely,
but too we'll, and during the sitting OF
the Assembly fell into heavy siumbsr
with his lead on his desk. Alec Frear
was also member from this city. lie
saw that certain bills could not b.
banded properly unless Fields hod
clear head, SO he got the speaker, Billy
Hitohman, to secure the passage OF a no.
ton to adjourn. John ]. Blair and Bill
ly Cook, members from this CITY, quietly
got possession Of Fields diamond pin.
Then the lights in the Assembly chamber
were turned low and Fields was lett
sleeping there.
ait was dawn the next day when
Fislds woke up. Fields rubbed his eyes,
stretched himself, yawned and then
lookei around. Hs said nothing, but
to the Deievan. When he turned up at
breakfast BOSS Tweed and Alec Frear
were a'raadY at the table, and so was
Hitchman. Fields was wild. he nau
N Used his diamond when he got to his
room. He had already gone TO ponce
robbed. lie said that while not tesnng
we'll he had gone into the Assembly
chamber, and, Imagining that there was
to have been q night session, he had
taken q ten minutes nap, and thah our
ing that time some one, who must nave
followed him, had taken his diamond.
Fiel1s told his story at the table. and
ragged like a mailman about the loss OF
his pin.
"'Well, FIELDS said Twesd, what
made you think there was to be "a night
session and go TO the Assembly chamber
at all
Hanged II / know, said Fields.
but
''At this stage OF the proceedings Boss
Tweed pulled at his napkin, which he
had the habit of tucking under his big
double chin. There on the boss big
white shirt front giistsned Fields dia-
monn, made unmistaKabie by It's little
gold chain ana pin.
"There was a general laugh all around
the table, No; Fields did not laugh.
half raising himself up from his seat
with his fat face flushing as red as
beet, he exclaimed in a voice that coul
be heard all over the dining room:
Tweed, j always knew you were the
damnedest thief on record, but before
this session is over I'll make you pay me
in cash ten times the price OF that pin.
OF COURSE Fields got his pin.
AT the close OF tho session one Night
he was with Alexander ErEar and Speak
er Hitchman enjoying cold bottle In a
corner OF the boss room at the Delevan.
Putting his hand into his pocket he drew
out a roll of white tissue paper 'S-a-a-y,'
said he TO Hitchman, with n laugh; a
months ago told Tweed he'd pay heavy
cash for that pin business, didn't ~
Well, compromised and he unrolled
the paper and exhibited three immense
solitaire diaomnds, worth 1t was after
ward learned, $500. So the joke on
Fields proved costly one to Boss Tweed.
Fields had actually made Tweed believe
that he would Kill enc OF his pet bills II
he did not Sc ttle in that diamond way.
"Let me say this. No one who knew
the way the Tweed rlngsters revelled IN
money In those days would think the
diamond suspender button an impossible
ity. Diamonds were worn in prorusion
by all the Tammany officials, and the
bigger the diamond the bigger the man
In the estimate OF the heelers. 1t Is said
that many men in the legislature who
helped Tweed In 1871 to pass certain ring
measures were pa.d with diamonds. One
of them, 1t Is said, once remarked to the
head OF the lobby OF that day: Checks
can be traced and bills can be marked
and gold eagles nicked for future identi-
fcation, but valuable unset diamo ads tell
no tales out of school,