Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-25
BOSS TWEED.
How he Made his Escape from New York
after EluSing the Sherifr's Deputies
Captain Bryant, Of the Schooner
s'Frank Atwood" Supplies
the Missing Part of
The StOrY-TWeed Embarks at COney ISL
and after Some Months Of Hiding,
and Sails to Cuba In the Schooner
Owned by his Friend Murray
and Commanded by Bryant.

New York Sunday NeEs: VIM. M. Tweed
escaped from the custody of the sheriff of
the county of New York on the evening of
schooner Frank Atwood lay at the foot of
Dover street, loaded with a general cargo
and cleared for Port Maria, Jamaica. A
messenger from Michael Murray, her owner,
handed her captain (Bryant) a note summon
ing him to the owners Office, and In the
office the owner said: Captain, l want to
send two passengers out to Cuba with you.
They will be on board tonight. You will
want some fancy stores to vary your or
binary sea fare. Here is fifty dollars. Lay
in your stock at once. You are ready for sea
now?
"Yes, SIR"
&" ''One of the passengers will assume charge
of the schooner. You will do whatever he
desires, as if he was myself. By the by, |
will send down to the schooner this afternoon.
Give my messenger some token or other that
the passenger can bring to you as proof that
they are the proper persons, and you needn
put yourself out to tell any one about this
either"
The messenger boarded the schooner that
afternoon, and Captain Bryant gave him
token wherewith the expected passengers
might authenticate themselves. Captain Bry-
ant continues the narrative as follows:
sit was getting toward dusk that evening,
and | was all ready for sailing. Some friends
of mine were talking to me on the quarter
deck when a man came down the wharf. de
was an ordinary-looking, medium-sized man,
dressed in common dark suit. He strolled
along as if he had nothing particular to do,
and plenty of time to do 1t In. He passed
down the wharf toward the schooner's bow.
He stopped at the fore-rigging, stepped on to
the bulwark, and jumped on the deck. He
didn e come aft, though, but fooled around
getting supper ready, till my friends went
ashore. Then, just as l was going down the
cabin stairs, he walked briskly aft and called:
" Captain Bryantr
a. That's my name, | said.
Then you know what this MEANS and
he handed me the token. | told him l rec
oguizad it, and asked him what could do.
He said:
IF you have no objection, l wish you
would get clear of this dock at once. The
sooner New York sees our heels the better
I'll like It,
&" Very WE'LL said, bat I'd like to know
some name to call you BY"
" My name is William Hunt
81 had the watch called up, and we cast
off from the wharf. l signaled tug and
was toWed out of the dock and down to
Governors Island. There the tug cast loose
and we made sail There was a brisk
breeze going, and we bowled along at good
rate till we were about midway between Fort
Hamilton and Murray q Norton's Coney
Island wharf. There Hunt told me to run
as close into the beach as could and anchor.
| obeyed. Hunt was perfectly cool and col
lected, as if he had his whole programme
clearly mapped out. But he watched every
movement on the schooner keenly. When
the anchor fetched ground l asked him If we
should furl the sails. He said:
" Not much. Unless you want the trou-
BILE of setting them again to right.
''This time it was as dark as pitch. The
men went to supper, and 1 took snack on
deck, as Hunt had said he might want me
any minute. He sat on the taffrail, smoking
one cigar after another, humming tune,
and looking toward the shore, without ever
turning his head. Suddenly, at about nine
O'Clock, bright light flashed out ashore. 1t
looked like one of the flashlights made by
burning resin, which we used to signal ships
with at night. Hunt jumped to the deck
and threw his cigar overheard. He said
hurriedly, Lower a boat, captain. We
pulled straight for where the light had
showed, and beached the boat just below
Murray & Norton's wharf. There were three
men there. One was Murray himself, and
one was a big, portly, middle-aged man,
with clean shaved face. He wore a SLOUGH
hat, pulled down over his eyes, rough blue
wooden shirt and dark pantaioons. He had
no coat. There were three handsome silver or
nickel-mounted valises on the beach at his
feet:
'Hunt landed and said something l could
not hear, sitting In the boat. Murray and
his companion shook hands with the middle
aged man and with Hunt, and wished them
good bye and pleasant voyage. M'Kay
put the valises into the boat, and Hunt and
the other man got in. He sat in the stern,
and was so heavy that he almost swamped
the gig. When we pushed off Murray
called to me:
"'You know your orders, captain. Don't
make any mistake
'''He won't if know myself said Hunt,
and we rowed of, leaving them watching Us.
The man In the stern never said word after
we started.
the other passenger went into the cabin. l
ordered the anchor to be hove short, and fol-
lowed them. The middle-aged man was
sitting on the sofa, with his hat on yet, mop
ping his face with blue silk handkerchief.
Hunt said Captain, let me introduce you to
uncle. JohntSecor.'
1--WE shook hands, Uncle John saying,
without rising, Glad to meet you, Captain,
and taking his hat off. l knew him at a
glance, from the pictures in the papers. 1t
was Bill Tweed.
''We were well out to sea by daylight.
Tweed began to be seasick the minute we
struck rough water. He was about the sick
est man | ever saw, and was KS helpless as
baby. When we got clear of the Bahamas,
Hunt told me they had concluded to land at
Santiago de Cuba. They had settled on that
place from book they had brought on board.
It was called West India Pickles Among
the places described in West India Pickles
was Santiago de Cuba. Tweed had taken
fancy TO it from the description, but when he
found another of Matanzas he did not know
which to choose. Hunt favored Santiago.
So they made toss-up of it, with the head
of a twenty-dollar piece for Santiago and the
tail for Matanzas. Head won.
81 was naturally curious to know how they
were fixed for money, but got but very little
satisfaction on that score. The three valises
were filled with linen and few old suits of
clothes of Hunts; but In one was Russia
leather satchel, with straps to sling it over
the shoulders, and it was full of something.
There was also leather writing case, SINH
larry fixed for carrying. Hunt had money
belt around his waist. The only weapon
saw was a little Remington revolver, which
Hunt carried.
son the thirtieth of April, sixteen days out,
we weathered Cape Maysi, and began to
think of the end of the voyage. l had never
been to Santiago de Cuba, so l oveIhauled my
book of sailing directions, and we held a
council of war. We found from the book and
chart that there was a little river emptylng
into the sea, about four miles from Santiago
harbor. 1t Is a lovely place, only visited for
fresh water by occasional ships. There Tweed
determined to 60 ashore, so we ran for that
point. We had head winds and an ugly sea,
and did not raise the coast till after dark on
the first of May. ran in as close as dared,
and cleared the boat, which had been housed
on deck, for lowering. We were laying to at
the time, and the night was very thick and
black, indeed. Tweed and Hunt were below
packing the few things they intended to take
ashore into one valise. It was midnight.
Hunt had brought the valise on deck. Tweed
had the satchel slung to him. Hunt carried
the writing-case. They spoke together in
low voices on the opposite side of the deck
from me. Then Hunt went into the cabin
and called me down.
"He had roll of something in his right
hand. He put out his hand and grasped
mine. l felt the bank notes pressed into my
palm, and he said, Stuff them into your
pocket, captain, and say no more about it.
Is the boat ready?
est is
HERE'S fifty dollars. The old man wants
you to share it among the crew. You can
have those two vallses. They are OF no use
tO ia