nufacturing
freeholders for polling purposes. In 1806 Benjamin Romaine, a grand
sachem, was removed from the office of city controller by his own party
for acquiring land from the city without paying for it. In 1807 several
superintendents of city institutions were dismissed for frauds. The
inspector of bread, a sachem, resigned because his threat to extort
one-third of the fees from his subordinates had become public. Several
assessment collectors, all prominent in Tammany, were compelled to
reimburse the city for deficits in their accounts. One of the leading
aldermen used his influence to induce the city to sell land to his
brother-in-law at a low price, and then bade the city buy it back
for many times its value. Mooney, the founder of the society, now
superintendent of the almshouse, was caught in a characteristic fraud.
His salary was $1000 a year, with $500 for family expenses. But it was
discovered that his "expenses" amounted to $4000 a year, and that he had
credited to himself on the books $1000 worth of supplies and numerous
sums for "trifles for Mrs. Mooney."

In September, 1826, the Grand Jury entered an indictment against Matthew
L. Davis and a number of other Tammany men for defrauding several banks
and insurance companies of over $2,000,000. This created a tremendous
sensation. Political influence was at once set in motion, and only the
minor defendants were sent to the penitentiary.

In 1829 Samuel Swartwout, one of the Tammany leaders, was appointed
Collector of the Port of New York. His downfall came in 1838, and he
fled to Europe. His defalcations in the Custom House were found to be
over $1,222,700; and "to Swartwout" became a useful phrase until Tweed's
day. He was succeeded by Jesse Hoyt, another sachem and notorious
politician, against whom several judgments for default were recorded
in the Superior Court, which were satisfied very soon after his
appointment. At this time another Tammany chieftain, W. M. Price, United
States District Attorney for Southern New York, defaulted for $75,000.

It was in 1851 that the council commonly known as "The Forty Thieves"
was elected. In it William M. Tweed served his apprenticeship. Some of
the maneuvers of this council and of other officials were divulged by
a Grand Jury in its presentment of February 23, 1853. The presentment
states: "It was clearly shown that enormous sums of money were spent
for the procurement of railroad grants in the city, and that to