The Only Thing They Respect or Fear.

This powerful cartoon by Thomas Nast shows Boss Tweed and his Tammany Hall cronies recoiling in fear at the sight of a row of hangmen’s nooses—symbolizing the justice they had long evaded. As head of New York’s notoriously corrupt political machine, Tweed oversaw the theft of millions in public funds through bribery, fraud, and political manipulation. Though he was removed from power in 1871, his initial trial was dismissed due to lack of witnesses, and he arrogantly claimed no one would ever imprison him. Nast’s relentless visual campaign helped turn public opinion, and Tweed was ultimately convicted in a second trial, making this image a chilling prediction of his fate.