ic suspect
and distrust him, so that altogether, his retirement was a very wise and
politic act.

The "head devil" of the Ring is WILLIAM M. TWEED, or, as he is commonly
called, "Boss Tweed." He is of Irish descent, and was born in the City
of New York. He was apprenticed to a chair-maker, to learn the trade,
but never engaged legitimately in it after he became his own master. He
finally became a member of Fire Company No. 6--known as "Big Six," and
"Old Tiger"--the roughest and worst company in the city. He soon became
its foreman. His attention was now turned to politics, and as he
possessed considerable influence over the "roughs," he became a valuable
man to the city politicians. As a compensation for his services, they
allowed him to receive a small office, from which he pushed his way into
the old Board of Supervisors, and eventually into the State Senate. Upon
the inauguration of the New Charter, he became President of the Board of
Public Works, and the most prominent leader of the Ring. He is a man of
considerable executive ability, and has known how to use his gifts for
his own gain. In March, 1870, the _New York World_ spoke of him as
follows:

"Mr. Tweed was worth less than nothing when he took to the trade of
politics. Now he has great possessions, estimated all the way from
$5,000,000 to twice as much. We are sorry not to be able to give his own
estimate, but, unluckily, he returns no income. But at least he is rich
enough to own a gorgeous house in town and a sumptuous seat in the
country, a stud of horses, and a set of palatial stables. His native
modesty shrinks from blazoning abroad the exact extent of his present
wealth, or the exact means by which it was acquired. His sensitive soul
revolts even at the partial publicity of the income list. We are tossed
upon the boundless ocean of conjecture. But we do know from his own
reluctant lips that this public servant, who entered the public service a
bankrupt, has become, by an entire abandonment of himself to the public
good, 'one of the largest tax-payers in New York.' His influence is
co-extensive with his cash. The docile Legislature sits at his feet, as
Saul at the feet of Gamaliel, and waits, in reverent inactivity, for his
signal before proceeding to action. He thrives on percentages of
pilfering, grows rich on the distributed dividends of rascality. His
extortions are as boundless in their sum as in their ingenuity. Streets
unop