Year: 1873

. w


The telegraph yesterday announced
the termination, by verdict of guilty
upon all the counts in the indictments,
of the trial of William M. Tweed, that
has been slowly dragging its length
along, in New York City for the sever
al days last past. This is the second
trial at the circuit of this noted case,
and is remarkable for many things aside
from its results, and one of its most
prominent features is that it stands out
as the beginning of a new era in the his
tory of the municipal government of
New York, marking the first work of
the noted committee of seventy, and
demonstrating that the reform in the jury
system is radical if it be not lasting.
Three years ago William M. Tweed was
the ruling spirit in the city politics of
the metropolis of America, command
ing the homage and respect of the rich
and powerful, as well as the poor and
wicked. To-day he is closing his private
business, being only allowed to traverse
the city in a close carriage in the custo-
dy of two deputy sheriffs, convicted of a
henious felony, and the frowning walls of
the State prison looming up immediate
ly before him.


The defense offered no evidence on
this trial, tacitly admitting that the facts
proved by the prosecution witnesses
were true, but relying upon the energy
and herculean efforts of counsel and the
bungling legislation of the State, to
work the deliverance of the respondent,
but these failed. The jury acted upon
their oaths as become men of integrity.
They were severely secluded from all
improper influences and undue tempta-
ton, and the verdict was such as to
give courage to all good citizens and
vindicate the great palladium of English
liberty, the trial by Jury, from the inn
putations that had been cast upon it by
the results of some of the recent Grim
inal trials that have attracted public at
tention. We have not the space nor the
data to give history of the transactions
in which Tweed committed the crimes
for which he has been committed, but
only that they, most of them, arose in
the operations Of the famous board of
audit of 1870, consisting of VIM. M.
Tweed, A. Oakley Hall and Richard 3.
Connely. This board had the supreme
control of the auditing of claims against
the city and the way it was done is well
illustrated by the account of Mcbride
Davidson, WHO presented bill for the
sum of $16,24 This was allowed by
the board at $40, 900, large proportion
of which sum was transferred the same
day to Mr. Tweed's credit at the Broad
way Bank The board never met, but
the signature of Mr.. Tweed always pro-
cured the other names when necessary,
and untold millions of the public money
was converted from public purposes to
the private Golfers of ''Boss" Tweed, as
he was familiarly called.


One of the strong points of the de-
fense, and the one of all others upon
which the prisoners counsel hope to pro-
cure a reversal of the judgment, is the
defective legislation on the subject. The
Board of Audit was created in 1870, by
a hasty act of the Legislature, and was
drawn so loosely and was so defective
that Mr. Tweed was enabled, under it,
to rob the public to the immense amount
now proven against him. In 1878 the
Legislature repealed this act, and this,
the astute Mr.. Graham claims, lets
Tweed out, as there is no law under
which he could do the acts charged
against him in this indictment. 1t does
not look to us that it will have this eff
feet, but it at least throws an.uncertainty
into the result that careful Legislators
should avoid, and is another illustration
of the dangers of hasty legislation, and
another warning against the passage OF
unnecessary laws. The great burden of
the country is its mass of unwieidy, in
comprehensive legislation, that confuses
wise Judges and lawyers and furnishes a
shield behind which malefacters can
find protection from the punishment
they justly deserve. tt;>g !,


But Tweed is convicted on two hun
dred and four counts of this voluminous
indictment, either of which, if sustain
ed, might send him to States prison, and
the dispatch says that Mr.. .Tremain, for
the people, has given notice that he will
ask for separate term Of Imprisonment
on each count, involving a sentence fer
longer term than any single life! The
people Of New York will feel easier
when the exceptions are all disposed Cf,
and the ''boss" safely incafeerated: in
the stone walls of aprisoh. His Poiiti-
cal and personal power is already ,brok-
en-, but his influence is dangerous
while he is at large, and his inprison-
ment will be a public benefit There rs
another feature of this trial that is
worthy of note, and that is the exceed
ing undignified and indecorous manner


in which the court received the motion
in arrest of Judgment, after the verdict.


Judge Davis has but this one failing, he


is irritable and snappish, and looses his


self control. and all men when they get


mad and allow their temper, to control


their Judgment act foolish, and,itlis par.


ticularly offensive in an important judge


sitting to administer justice and preside


in criminal trials. Mr.. Graham's motion