Our New York Letter.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 915, 13 September 1889, Page 8

Our New York Letter.

A case has recently been decided in our courts here which affords one of the most remarkable examples of wholesale perjury ever heard or seen in a court of justice. Three years ago a Spaniard by the name of Mont jo procured a divorce from his wife on the usual statutory grounds, and the court awarded him the custody of his children. Three years have passed, and a short time ago Mrs Montjo appeared before the court and demanded that the case be re-opened, which in the trial had gone by default, the defendant 'failing to appear. Nor did she take the advantage of the statutory time of appeal, which is one year in the State of New York,'but without remonstrance she allows three years to pass by, and now she comes into court. And thereby hangs a tale. The husband replies that she not only did not defend the suit against her, so ednsoious was she of her guilt, but that immediately after

he was divorced from her she went to Philadelphia, accompanied by one Solomon, to whom she was married in that city by a police magistrate. The magistrate, who identified Solomon, and his son, who was <-is clerk, and made out the marriage certificate, fully identified the woman. Now Mrs Moutjo comes into court and swears pointblank that she never was in Philadelphia -with Solomon in her.life, and moreover she never was married to Solomon or any other man except Montjo, and Solomon swears that he never in his life was married to auy one, Mrs Montjo or anybody, else. Just in the nick of time up step 3 the janitor of a flab house who rented a fiat in New York to Mrs Solomon, whom he now recognises as Mrs Montjo, and that he made receipts out to her as Mrs Solomon. Mrs Solomon or Montjo, as the case may be, is willing to swear on a stack load of Bible 3 as high, as a barn that she never rented a flat of him or anybody else—that she never paid any rent or got auy receipts, or wa3 called Mrs Solomon by him or anybody else. Now this is what may be safely called double extra superfine first-class lying. The judge, before whom the case was tried, was almost paralyzed, and ho roundly declared that for good old hard adamantine cheek that particular case took the cake —the bakery, the •ground the bakery stood on, with, a first mortgage ou the waggons, horses, pies, and ovens. Mrs Montjo was thrown out of court, the judge declaring that he was satisfied notwithstanding Mrs Montjo’s oath that she was married to Solomon in Philadelphia, and consequently she was a perjurer. The demagogues who passed the Contract Labour Bills in Congress are now beginning to find that their chickens come home to roost. The labour organizations are made up and largely governed by foreigners who, having entered into- possession of the Promised Land, were desirous of beeping .all the milk and honey of the newly discovered province zo themselves, and of excluding their poor countrymen from auy parbicipatiou in their good luck. They did not legislate against the ignorant hordes that are a curse to the country, but only against the importation of brains and intelligence. The first fruits of this nefarious act was the stoppage at our national gates of the Rev. A alpoTe Warren, who was brought over from England to fill the pulpit of one of the most influential Episcopal Churches ia New York, They adjudged this minister of Christ to he a contract labourer, subject to a penalty of one thousand dollars for landing on our shores. The Church compromised by paying one hundred dollars, and the reverend gentleman preaches here to-day. But every right thinking man cannot regard it but as one of the most disgraceful and humiliating transactions that the Government was ever connectod with.

Then comes the great university of California to which Govorn r Sanford has donated thirteen millions of dollars, and the Great Catholic University at Georgetown for whieh several millions have been raised, which will undoubtedly make it the foremost Catholic institution of learning in the world. Now that the work is already under way the President and Trustees are met at the threshold with the iuiquitous law which forbids us to import intelligence and education, but permits the importation of ignorance and crime. A few months ago a gentleman on the Hudson imported a gardener who would beautify his estate and make it more lovely to look upon or more valuable to sell. The man was seized at Castle Garden, and sent back to England as though he had bem a sentenced felon, his only crime being that he knew too much of gardening, fdr on the same ship were a lot of stupid, dirty, ignorant labourers, and they were allovyed to land. The series of sutrages perpetrated under the contract law culminated this week in sending back the book-keeper of a New York business house. The firm conducts business in London and New York, and the books of the New York house got badly tangled. Their book-keeper in London was an expert, and understood their business thoroughly, so they induced him to come over to their New York house and take charge of their books. As soon as he arrived at Castle Garden lie was seized by the sapipnt authorities a.s a contract labourer, and was adjudged to he sent back on jibe same steamer on which he arrived. The same class of legislation which panders to tbe prejudices of the most worthless class of the community by bidding for their votes, has brought our States to the verge of ruin and mutiny by shutting down on the labour contract, and thereby depriving the convicts of an opportunity to work. The whole of this class legislation is a disgrace, and should be forever swept from our statute books. As of old all roads led to Rome, so m these latter days I am reminded that scarcely a thing happens anywhere in the United States bat directly or indirectly it affects New York. It matters very little whether it is a prize fight in Mississippi or Louisiana, or the purchase of Millet’s great masterpiece in Paris, the ‘ Angslius ;’ the purchase of a thousand miles of railroad by Henry Villard, or the perpetration of the most gigantic swindle by Y ard, all sooner or later come to New York. This is impressed upon me more powerfully by the death of John N. McGinnis, who last week was killed by lightning in New Orleans. At the m mtion of his name 1 am carried back to one of the most remarkable episodes in our history. About eighteen years ago Mr McGinnis had married Wm. M. Tweed’s eldest daughter, and his brother Arthur Ambrose fell in love with Mary, Tweed’s youngest daughter, who was to him a 3 the apple of his eye. Whatever faults Wm, M. Tweed may have had, he was a kind husband and an affectionate father, and more than this, he was a faithful friend ; faithful even unto death, for he died behind prison bars rather than betrav the men who served him, for he might have escaped punishment himself if he had given up his frionds to the savage and vindic ive vengeance of his foes. Seventeen years a|o this summer the Tweed ring thieves were in’ the zenith of their glory and power 1 ' They held both branches of the Legislature with the grip of death. The Supreme Court of the State, Cardoza, Barcard, and ; McCunu were their abject slaves, . ready to do their bidding. The Mayor of the city was their creature;

sheriffs, constables, and city judges were all their paid servants. The controller was a thief, and so was the city treasurer, and Wm. M. Tweed, at the head of the Board of Public Works, was busy dividing nearly thirty millions of money stolen from the city amoug his hungry henchmen. All New "¥ork felt his power, and on the day that his youngest daughter was married New York made it a special holiday. All the great merchants and manufacturers were anxious to court the favour of the king. Never was seen such bridal presents at any wedding in the United States before nor since. The room set apart for the presents looked like a section of Tiffany's great store. Numbers of the presents were worth from SI,OOO to $5,000. Tom Fields and his wife gave a set of diamonds worth five thousand dollars ; Tom died a fugitive from justice in Canada, and his beautiful wife died a drunkard in the street gutter; Jim Fuk, then in the height of his glory, was killed by an assassin ; Mike Norton, wlio presented a’set of silver worth three thousand dollars, died a pauper the other day, and a benefit was given to bury hitn. It was a brilliant company, and a brilliant night. Great lawyers, doctors, and clergymen were proud of an invitatiou to a wedding where the bride wore diamond buttons in her boots and they almost beggared themselves to pay tribute to young American princess. Poor girl, she died about a year-and-a-half ago, broken-hearted, and wrecked by her father’s terrible downfall, a father whom she tenderly loved, as well she might, for he was naught but good to her. Peter B. Sweeney, the brains of the thieving ring, is hero after years of exile in France, he having purchased immunity for his thefts by returning a portion of the plunder. The rest are scattered to the four winds of heaven, or dead. The names of the men who figured prominently on that eventful night now lie ou the desk before me —let them rest, to recall them can do no good, A few days ago I was passing pensively through Greenwood, that beautiful city of the dead, whose sod covers ao much dead love and virtue comingled with withered hopes and crime and tears. The flowers were all in bloom, nature never looked more lovely, tbe joyous birds,sang sweetly among the trees. I raised my eyes and before me rose a grand granite shaft — To the memory of Wm. M. Tweed.

Near him under a sweet bank of flowers lay his darling little Mary, whom he loved so well. The storm was over, sweetly she sleeps, ‘ nor steel, nor poison, malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing can touch them further.’ * Broadbrim.