Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-07-07
A FEARLESS SKIPPER
NE HELPED BOSS TWEED TO ESCAPE
FROM NEW YORK.

Bad Luck Followed Him Until He
Finally Died Penniless.
After losing every cent Of the $50, 600
which he received for aiding Boss Tweed
10 escape from the country james Bryan
died penniless at his home in New York.
Bryan was a sea captain and was fairly
prosperous until the day when he took the
fugitive Tweed aboard his ship and car
ried him away from New York harbor.
Then his misfortune began.
Bryan did not know who his mysterious
passenger was to be, and he did not care.
That was why he was chosen to do the
work. He had the reputation of being the
most fearless man who ever sailed q ship
out of the port of New York. 1t was his
boast that he feared neither man, God nor
the devil. On occasion, when a terri
BILE storm was raging and oil shipmasters
bad been warned not to leave port, he, to
use his own words, "sailed out in tho
name of tho devil"
Bryan's widow told tho story of that
run for liberty with apparent pleasure.
She was us proud Of the captains daring
as he had been of it himself. She told It
Just as no had told it to her. She said:
"Bryan had just come into port on the
Belle. He found that Michael Murray and
John Norton, who owned Norton's point,
Coney Island, had already cleared the
Frank Atwood in his name and that she
was ready to go out.
"He was told that he was to take two
passengers to Cuba and that there would
be a good thing In it for him. He did not
know who they were or what part Of Cuba
they wanted to 20 to, and he did not ask
any questions. It wa not his habit to ask
hard questions In such matters.
"He dropped down the bay and lay to
of Norton's point. The tug Dauntless
was alongside, and, to save time, he did
not anchor, the tug keeping the ship
steady against the tide.
"The captain went ashore In a small
boat, leaving the ship in charge of the
mate. They had arranged a signal with q
revolving light, which was shown by both
the ship and the boat, SO that each could
tell where tho other was In the darkness.
"There was no moon, and the clouds
cut off tho starlight and made it one of the
blacklist nights that had ever been known
on the bay. A signal light on shore show
ed the captain where to land, and q few
passwords agreed upon beforehand told
him that he had found his passengers.
1.-TWO muflled figures stepped into the
boat, and they were rowed back to the
ship. The passengers went below, and the
tug took the ship through the channel
and returned. No time was lost in get
ting out to sea.
Sin tho morning Bryan recognized
Tweed by his pictures, which every ono
had seen. Tweed told Bryan to keep his
mouth shut, and he would DO well re-
wardcd. Bryan did keep his mouth shut,
and Tweed gave him $50, 600 before he left
the ship.
"The Frank Atwood had been cleared
for some South American port, I forget
which, and could not 90 into Santiago,
Cuba, where Tweed wanted to land.
"Bryan ran his ship toward the harbor
as though he was going to sail in, and
when near shore q small boat rowed
alongside That had been arranged by
Tweed's friends in Santiago, and Tweed
and his secretary, Samuel Hunt, got into
the small boat.
"Then Bryan turned and put out to sea.
A Spanish gunboat chased him and fired
several shots at him, but could not catch
him.
"Tweed went under the nan Of John
Secor and Samuel Hunt under the name
of William Hunter. Bryan heard that
they had some trouble with the Spaniards
when they landed, but q little money fixed
it all right.
"The police got wind of the thing some
way and were looking for Bryan, so he
had to stay away from New York for three
years. He lived during that time in Mo-
bile under tho am of John Smith.
"Then Twced's friends fixed things up
all right, and Bryan was allowed to come
back. He took the $50, 900 which Tweed
gave him and built the Flying Scud. He
sailed her for awhile and sold her for
SIS, 500.
'Then he bought an interest in four or
five other ships and sold them out again,
but somehow always seemed to lose money
on every trade.
"Hc bought an interest in the Joe Kelly
and was shipwreckcd in her off San Saliva
dor. Then he bought IN interest in the
". and II. Witherspoon and was ship
wrecked in her off Hatteras. He did not
lose u man in other shipwreck, every one
of tho crew getting off safely, but he lost
a lot Of money.
"Thcn he bought q third interest in an
other ship, and he and the other two own
ers got into a quarrel, and neither would
let the other do anything with her, and
she lay over at the Eric basin for a couple
Of years until the dockagc ate her up. She
was no good, and the insurance companies
would not take her. She was sold finally,
and Bryan's share was only $3.50. The
man who bought her took her to sea, and
she sank.
"The $3.50 was soon gone, and Bryan
had to go to work for other owners. His
last trip was on the Concordia, and it was
his worst. She belonged to Simon How
ard, who lived in st. Andrews, on tho
Venezuelan coast. Bryan took charge of
her ut Charleston and sailed her to West
Indian ports and back to Charleston. He
was on her 2k years and never got paid a
cent. He seized the ship at St. Andrews
for his pay, and she was tied up.
"Tho matters got mixed up in the courts
and dragged along SO long that he was
most starved. Finally a captain who knew
him brought him home.
"Bryan got William j. Sharkey out of
the country after the murder of Robert
Dunn in 1876. That was when he owned
the Flying Scud. He did not have much
trouble then. He just took Sharkey with
him when he was going to Cuba. He did
not make anything out Of 1t either. Iun-