Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-11-17
Tweed's Escape and Capture.

Tweeds Escape and Capture,
A Washington correspondent gives the
following as the true story of the escape
and capture Of VIM. NJ. Tweed:
Tweed escaped from New York in a
small schooner, and was landed in a
small boat from this schooner in an OBJ
scure port, ten miles south of Santiago
de Cuba. The vessel that carried
Tweed from New York merely put into
the small port for the purpose of landing
Tweed and young man who accom-
panied him. After the two were placed
on shore the small boat returned to the
schooner, when she headed about and
stood out to sea again. A Spanish fish
erman witnessed the secret landing of
these two men in this obscure quarter,
and at once suspected them of coming
with aid and comfort for the Cuban in
surgents. The suspicious of the fisher
man were still further increased by these
two men approaching him and offering
him large sum of money to carry them
over to Santiago de Cuba, where they
wished to go. He complied with their
request, pocketed their money, and then
Loyalty turned them over to the Spanish
authorities as suspicious characters, who
had landed upon the island in such a
secret manner that their presence GER
tainly demanded an explanation. Tweed
and his companion asserted that they
were travelling for their health, but told
so many conflicting stories as to still fur
ther accumulate suspicion against them.
Tweed also exhibited passports made out
at the State Department at Washington,
under the name of Secor for himself and
of Hunt for his companion. Tweed said
he was citizen of Florida, and was
very indignant at his arrest. Notwith-
standing his explanations and his pass
ports he was placed in the custody of the
Admiral of the Spanish feet at Santiago
de Cuba, it being thought that, as Tweed
was captured while travelling by sea,
he belonged as matter of right to the
naval authorities.
The American Consul at Santiago de
Cuba, Alfred N. Young, reported all the
facts of the capture of these American
citizens to Consul Gen. Hall, at Havana.
Hall at once reported by telegraph to
the State Department here all the facts
in the case as they had been sent to him.
The State Department people at once
overhauled the records and found that
the passports referred to were regular,
and had been obtained, so far as the
records could show, in all due form. 1t
then occurred to Secretary Fish, who
was familiar with the many sensational
stories that were published in New York
concernining Tweed's escape, that these
fr.-N Ht1Ht r,1iorkf ha thu
missing ones. He at once sent a photo
graph of Tweed to Hall, to have Secor,
if possible, identified. This, of course,
occupied some time, but Tweed was
meanwhile kept in custody. Prompt
ly on receipt of Tweed's photograph
Hall dispatched 1t to Santiago de Cuba,
where Young at once identified Secor as
Tweed. Hall then telegraphed to Fish
that the man calling himself Secor was
Tweed, and asked for instructions. Fish
at once sent back word to the Consul to
see Capt. Gen. Jovellar and present to
him full statement of the case, and re-
quest that the Spanish Government de-
liver him up to the United States author
tiles. To this Jovellar replied that it
would give him much pleasure to con-
Ccut 50 ItdsOudulC d ICNuCet. IlC NJ
once issued an order addressed to the
Admiral of the Spanish feet, requesting
him to turn over Tweed to the Consul
General at Havana, who was to hold him
in custody until United States vessel
could be sent for him Fish reported to
Robeson what he had done, and the lat
ter directed a war vessel, lying at Port
Royal, s. c., to go to Havana for Tweed.
Meanwhile it appeared that Tweed had
strong friends in Cuba, who aided him
again in making his escape. An in
fluential resident of Santiago de Cuba,
not Spaniard or American, whose name
is withheld by the department, was in
strumental in persuading the Spanish
Admiral to release Tweed upon his
parole to visit Santiago de Cuba. OF
course he violated his parole, and again
escaped. Consul Young at once found
out which way he had gone, that he had
taken passage upon the Carmen, a Span
ish trading bark bound for Vigo, Spain.
Hall at once reported to Joyellar, who
was very indignant at this escape. He
promptly communicated by cable with
the Government at Madrid, and it
by saying that careful
watch would be kept for the Car
men at Vigo, and that upon her
landing her two passengers would
be arrested and locked up to await
the call for them by the American
This was in accordance
with Jovellar's demand, and was re-
garded here as satisfactory, as it made
Tweed's capture mere question Of time.
The very day that the news arrived
here of the arrival of the Carmen at Vigo
and Tweed's arrest, information was re-
ceived at the Navy Department that the
United States steamer Franklin was at
Gibraltar, upon the eve of departing
upon homeward cruise. Instructions
were at once cabled to her officers to
proceed to Yigo and take Tweed on
board and bring him along. 1t is sup
posed that Tweed's companion was his
nephew, although that point is of such
secondary Importance to the State that
no information concerning him has been
sought.
The passport which was obtained for
Tweed in the name of Secor acc urately
describes him, and was granted upon the
by letter of Secor, who wrote
that he was a citizen of Florida tempo
rarily in New York, and desired to go
abroad.