The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20
Would Not Cross the Atlantic
to Be a Lord.
PREFERRED THE PENITEyTIARY
Queer Old Character " as Capt. Jack Dade.
Warden of the Greeniezf Point Peniien-
iisry During Iyler's Administration
Cousin of the President and Celebrated
for His FrofaaiIy-Bad a Good Heart,
Nevertheless, aud Was Kind TO Inmates.

1 t>bfl FFhNEi1 NcAaAN eAAA-t
a lordship can 60 TO kingdom come. L
would lsot cross the Atlantic for all the
estates and lorlships in England Now.
! Lord AshbuTton. that's an eld TO II, sir
II the ocean is ever bridged, and Tn
| around. / may go over; but I'm d--d If
/ venture a. make the trip by water. s-r
| am not going sir; and that settles il.
This was the positive and emphatic an
/ sweT C9pt. John y. Dade gave Lord Alex
| ender Barring Ashburton, England's spe-
cial Minister TO the United States. when.
! in 1872 he told Capt Dade that by going
| TO England he might come into posses
| sion of Lord Francis Townshends e.
tates ana be made a lord. Capt. Dade
was the keeper or warden of the United
| States penitentiary at Greenleafs Point
| under Tyler's administration. and he and
| Lord AshbIrton became fast friends
| Lord AshburtOn had every reason to be
lieve that Dads was the rightful heir 10
| ToWnsnends estate, and repeatedly tried
| TO persuade him to go over and lay claim,
but was always unsuccessful, for while
| Dade did not fear man nor devil, there
was nothing which could tempt him 10
| go on water. Some of his family lived in
| Alexandra, and when he wished to visit
them ne would go miles out of the way
! IN order TO make the trip by land. Dades
| former home was Albion, near Colonial
! Beach, and it was one of the prettiest
| ana most valuable homes in the State
| containing nearly fourteen hundred acres
! 1t was granted to Francis Townshend
! and here that son OF England lived and
| died. The estate was handed down by
| entail and otherwise through the Dade
family branch, Until il reverted to John
B. Dade. Written documents now in pos
session of Capt. TOwnshend Smith.
resident of Washington and grandson of
| Capt. Dade, show conclusively that Lord
AShburtOn was correct in his belief that
John b. Dade was entitled to the Francis
| Townshend estates in England. and that
a lordship was mis- simply by going after
it. After Lord Ashburton had concluded his
| work of assisting in negotiating treaty
| adjusting the northwestern boundary,
and was ready 10 return to his home in
! England, he made another effort to have
his friend Dade go to England and take
| possession Of the TOWnshend estate, but
was unsuccessful.
| How He Got Jcb.
| Capt. Dade was better known as CAPT.
! Jack" "Peritentiary Jack" and "Damit
| Dade," the latter being given him on ac-
count OF his frequent use OF profanity.
| 1t is said that Capt. Dade could swear in
every known language. including South
| Washington, and ring in new cuss words
lengthwise, crosswise, up, down, and
| slanting, in a manner never before at
| tempted or accomplished by any known
Nirginian. and that the manner in which
| he did 1t made one feel that it was posi-
| lively elegant and refined. But the gen.
| tleman had positive and emphatic ideas
| There was no deception or. hypocrisy
about him; he was plain open and shut;
| a hater of sham, and possessed of a heart
as sympathetic and easily touched as a
woman's.
| When he came to Washington he
| brought with him a very strong letter
| from his cousin, John Tyler. then Vice
| President of the United States to Pres
| ideiIt Harrison. Capt Dade wanted a
| government job. and the Vice President
had written the President that Capt
| Dade was well qualified to fill any posi-
| ton he might see fit TO give him. Capt
Smith SAYS of the letter:
Before grandfather had a chance TO
| deliver the letter in person to President
| Harrison the President died, and of
| course Tyler became President Grand
| father went to the White House and pre-
sented him the same letter. Well like
all politicians. Tyler tried to get out of
| the hole in which he found himself but
| grandfather pinned him right down TO
| his fodder by saying, Cousin John. do
you propose to go back on your own
words? in that letter you say thatI am
| che OF the best men in America, and
WELD tremendous influence in Virginia.
and now you are not willing to take your
own medicine. damn it, Now | want the
| lOh without Shana oh Z.
Tyler saw that he had to do something.
and asked him. We'll, Cousin Jack. what
can l give your Grandfather replied in
| his characteristic way. Don't give A
| damn what it is. John Tyler. so it's a
| sinecure-plenty of pay and 10 work"
Warden Of Penitentiary.
| After some crOss-firing TYLER asked
grandfather how he would ike the mace
as Warden of the penitentiary: Jhat it
paid $500 a year, and he would be ailoY-
ed cows, sheep, hogs, chickens, ca -riages.
horses, two servants, and a COOL resi-
dence III Iake the Job" said grand
father; al might as well get acquainted
with the penitentiary, for if | gallon with
you politicians long l will wind I'D there.
| anyway" Tyler told him that the position
OF Warden ranked high being almost
| that as soon as he mad assumed charge
he must give an old-fashiOned Virginia
dinner, to which he and Ills Cabinet must
be invited. This grandfather agreed 10
and q few days after ne was installed as
Warden the dinner was spread The
President and the Cabinet was mere, and
they had royal time Of Il for rrand-
! father knew just how 10 get W dinner
After the dinner was over the President
told grandfather that ii was his dusy TO
make talk 10 lhe cOnvicts, and tell them
what he would expect of hem. Acting on
this suggestion, grandfa ;her mad the con-
victs brought out into the large room, and
mounting a chair. he said:
"Gentlemen-no, you are not gentlemen,
for if you were you would rot oe here
FellOw-citiZens-nO. d--n you. NJ fellow
citizens of mine. Convicts-yes, convicts
| that's It: All want to gay 70 y0I is that
| am going 10 be boss Of his pi1ce IL
you behave | will see that you are treated
right; but God have mercy on you if YOU
don't behave. Now. get back 10 Your
| holes, and remember what | nave saii to
you. d-n you
Capt. Smith said that the conflicts
imagined by the red-nOt talk o. IN, new
Warden that their prison life WOULD be
made more miserable ;han ever. but in
this they were mistaken. IL was NJ. more
than an hour after he Rad made ,hem
the brief but pointed speech before they
were enjoying a good dinner. the best
they had tasted within prison walls. and
from that hour they knew that all that
was necessary was 10 live -eligi1uslv I'D
to the rules governing the peni.entiary.
When one failed 10 do tbs he WAS soon
made 10 know and feel that the Nay OF
The trsnsgressSr was hard. During Can,
Dade's entire service IS Warden there
Was little or no trouble NJ the penl-
tentiary, and the conyiets were very fond
OF him.
His Sympathetic Nature.
Though profane and rough in his lam
glage, Capt. Dade was man OF a kindly
and sympathetic nature. Al one time there
was a young man confined I'm the peniten-
tiary for horse stealing. and his mother
and sisters had made repeated efforts Ia