The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-16
THE ESCAPE OF W. NJ. TWEED.
CAPT BRYANT SUPPLYING THE MISS
ING PART or THE STORY
Tweed Embnrkinu ut Coney Island AMER
Months Of HidIna->aiiIng to Cubn In the
Schooner owned by his Friend Murray.


Months Of Misunderstanding 10 Cubn In the
Schooner owned by his Friend Murray
J,om n, S,mtr Nass
WS1 NJ Tweed escaped from the custody
Of the Sheriff OF the county Of New York on the
evening OF Dcce mbcr g. 1875. In April. 1876.
the schooner Frank Atwood lay at the foot Of
Dover street loaded with a general cargo and
cleared for Port Maria Jamaica. messenger
from Michael Murray. her owner handed her
Captain tBryanU note summoning him to the
owners Office and in the Office the owner said:
Captain. | want TO send two passengers out to
Cuba with YOU. They will be on board o-night
You will wunt some fancy stores TO vary your
ordinary sea fire Here is $50. Lay in your
stock at once. You are ready for sea nowr"
Yes, SIR
One Of the passengers will assume charge
OF the schooner. You will do whatever he de;
sires, as II he was myself, BY the by. viii
send down to the schooner this afternoon. GIVE
my messenger some token or other that the
passengers can bring to you as proof that they
are the proper persons. and you needn't put
Yourself out To- tell any one about this either"
The messenger boarded the schooner that
afternoon. aud Capt Bryant gave him token
whcrewith the expected passengers might nu-
thenticate themselves. Capt. Bryant continues
the narrative ~ follows:
II was getting toward dusk that evening.
and WIS all ready for sailing. Some friends
OF mine were talking TO me on the quarter deck
when man came down the wharf. He was an
ordlnnry-loOk ing. mtdlum-siz d man. dressed
in a common dark suit. He strolled along as II
he had nothing particular to do, and plenty OF
time To do II IN. lie hhSStt GOWN the wharf
toward the schooncrs bow. He stopped at the
fore-riggiug. stepped on To- the nulwark. aud
jumped down on the deck He didn't come ait
though. but fooled around forward chatting
with the cook. who was getting supper ready,
I'LL my friends went ashore. Then. Just as |
was going down the cabin stairs. he walked
briskly Mt and called:
Gait Bryant!
&c That's my name | said
"'Then YOU know what this means and he
handed me the token. told him recOgn ICED
il. and asked him what could do. He said:
N.n up llf | NpU
get clear OF this dock at once. The sooner Now
York secs our heels the better III Ike IT,
Very well, said but I'd like to know
some S PST name No i Is william F9H ny Hunt
" had the watch called up. and we cast of
from the wharf | signalled tug and was
lowed out OF the dock and down to Governor s
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 We're about
midway between Fort Hamilton and Murray Il
Nortons Coney Island wharf. There Hunt
told me TO run as lose into the beach us could
and anchor. | o6eyed Hunt was perfectly
Rramme clearly mapped out. But he watched
every movement on the schooner keeny. When
the anchor fetched ground asked him If we
should turl the sulls. H. said:
:" Not much. Unless you want the trouble OF
setting them ngain tonight
This time il was AS dark rs pitch. The men
went to supper. ana took a snack on deck. rs
Hunt had said he might want me any minute.
He sat on tn" tu1rail, smoking one cigar after
another. hummiug a tune. and looking toward
the shore. without eyer turning MS head; sud;
" % n u
out ashore. Il looked like one OF the flash lights
made 10y burning resin. which We used 20 sig
deck and threw his cigar overheard. He said
hurriedly: Lower u boat. Captain We pulled
straight Tor whore the light had showed. and
beached the boat just below Murray 4 Norton :
wharf. There were three men there. one was
Murray himself and one was biz. porty
middle-aged man. with clean shaved face lie
wore a SLOUGH hat. pulled down over his eyes
q rough blue wooen shirt and dark pnnta-
looms. He had no cont. There were three
handsome silver Or nickel mounted NallseS on
the beach at his feet
Hunt landed and said something 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-by
into the boat. and Hunt anu the other man gOl
IN. He sat in the stern. and WINS So heavy that
he almost swamped the gig. When we pushed
of Murray called to me:
You know your orders. Captain. DOM
90 He won't il know myself said Hunt and
we rowed Of. leaving them watching us. Tn,
man In the stern never said word after VT
''As soon as we got on board Hunt and tn,
other passenger went into the cabin. ordered
the anchor 70 he hove short and followed them
The middle-aged man was sitting on the sofa
with his nat on yet, hopping his face with I
blue silk handkerchief. Hunt said. Captain
let me introduce you to Uncle John Secor'
We shook hands. Uncle John saying. with
d. ss s bst o " newy 9u him 0 at nn.
from his pictures in the papers. 1t was Bill
We were well out to sea by daylight. Tweed
began 10 Doe sensick the minute we struck rough
water. He was about the sickest man l eve
saw. and was rs helpless as a baby, When w
got clear OF the Bahamas. Hunt told mo the,
had concluded TO land nj Santiago de Cuba
They had settled on that place from book the,
had brought on board. 1t was called Yves
INDIA Pcklesp Among the places described II
Tweed had taken fancy TO i from the descrip
ton. hut when he found another OF Matanzas h.
did not know which to choose Hunt avore.
Santiago. So they made n tOss-up Of IT, will
the head or a twenty dollar piece Tor Santag,
and the tail for Ma,anzas. Head won.
i was naturally curious TO know how the
Were fixed for money. but got very little salts
faction on that score The three Yallses wrr
nlled with linen and A few old suits of clothes a
Hunts; but in one was Il RUSSIA leather satche
with straps To sling II over the shoulders, and
was fun Of something. There was also a leathe
Hunt had n money belt around his waist. III
only weapon saw was a little Remington r.
On the Both Of April sixteen days out. W
weathered Cape Mavsi. and began to think {
the end OF the voyage. i had never been
Santiago de- Cuba. SO / overhnuled my book {
sailing directions, and We held council Of wal
We found from the book and chart that Their
was niue flNer emptylng INTO me sea- hboi
four miles from Santiago harbor. 1t is a Lowell
place. only visited TOR fresh water by occasioni
ships There Tweed determined TO 20 ashor.
SO We ran for that point We had head wind
and an ugly son. aud did not rgise the coast ii
after dark on the lst Of May ! ran in ms clos
ms / dared. and cleared the boat, which ha
been housed on deck, for lowering. We wer
ihicR and biack. indeed. Tweed and HUI
were below packing the few things they II
tended to take ashore into one valse. II wa
midnight Hunt had brought the Valise o
deck. Tweed had the sAtchel slung TO hin
Hunt carried the writing ease. They spoke L
gether in low voices on the opposite side Of III
deck from me. Then Hunt went into the cabi
and called me down.
He had roll OF something in his right han,
He put his hand out and grasped mine. | f.
the bank notes pressed into my palm. and Il
said. STUFF them into your pocket Captain an
say no more about it. Is the boat readyf"
ut is
80 Here's fifty dollars Tho old man wan
you 20 share IL among the crew. You can hay
those two vases. They are of no use to u.s.
This money was in gold iive-dollAr piece
He laid IL on the cabin table. and left il Their
We got into the boat. with two men at the oar
and pulled for the shore. The schooner va
laid 10 within mile OF the shore, but thong
we could hear the sea breaking. We could n
see the land. sort OF fog was drifting OF
from the mungrOve swamps ashore. and b.
tween il and the wind it was so chilly that
made us shiyer. Tweed now had a coat q
which | had given him. Otherwise he WI
dressed us me- had been when he came on bonl
At CunrY Island. lie was very quiet. but ul
ensy aud anxious. Hunt on the contrar
seemed TO bee rs Good HS ever. He spoke no
ana thento hi cpmIhnlon in whisper, Guide
by the sound ol the brrakcrs we pulled dow
flta | "a sttrr III ma /