The evening times., 1899-02-14
JAMES BRYANT DEAD.
The Sailor Who Helped Boss Tweed
Escape to Cuba.

~ SoDus
New York, Feb. H.-James Bryant. who
commanded the vessel in which Tweed es-
capped to Cuba, and who got William J.
Sharkey out of the country in the same
manner after the murder of Robert Dunn
in 1873, died Sunday at his home, IL
Monroe Street.
Captain Bryant was born in Newbury-
port, Mass, fifty three years ago. He went
to sea when he was II years old, and was
the master of a vessel when he was II.
AS his widow repeated his story yester-
day, he was in command of the schooner
Frank Atwood, of which Murray & Norton
were the owners, when he aided Tweed to
elude his pursuers. She was lying at the
foot of Dover Street, loaded with a miscel-
laneous cargo. in April, 1875, when, he said,
Mr.. Murray sent for him and told him
that he was to take two passengers on
board
Samuel Hunt, Tweed's secretary, joined
him that afternoon, and they dropped
down to point near Fort Hamilton,
where, after an exchange of signals, Tweed
came off in boat from the Coney Island
shore and was introduced as Uncle Joe
Secor" Captain Bryant recognized him
at once, he said, from his pictures. -Four
months had passed since Tweed had es-
capped from the sheriff and the hue and
cry after him began.
Captain Bryant landed Tweed and Hunt
at Santiago, the former rewarding him
handsomely for his risk. He kept the
secret for years, and when he finally told
the story Murray denied it. Captain Bry-
ant always insisted that ii was true, and
used often to call On Hunt at the Sinclair
House. His widow said that Hunt spoke
about buying him an interest in ship
but never did SO.
! Sharkey escaped from prison with the
I l.,
| woman's disguise. She followed him TO
! Cuba, where he abused her and married
another woman, She afterward married
| William J. Scanlan, the actor.
/ Mrs. Bryant says that while the Flying
! Scud with Sharkey on board, was on her
way to Cuba, the steward complained TO
! Captain Bryant that Sharkey kept pis-
! tol under his pillow. The captain made
| the fugitive give up the weapon, saying he
was the only man on the snip priylleg d To
carry arms.
! You ought TO be selling hardtack, re-
marked Sharkey, as he complied.
/ Captain Bryan decided that he could not
! let this observation pass unnoticed. He
| walked up TO Sharkey on deck, and. grasp
! ing him by the lapels OF his coat, made
him go down on his knees and apologize.
| Sharkey offered no reward when ne landed
| i'll Cuba. Mrs. Bryant says he is there now
ana uOlnS well on MS p'dHldtIOHs
Captain Bryant sailed mostly 70 tie
West Indies, but once he went around the
Horn to San Francisco. He was twice
shipwrecked, once of San Salvador, in the
Joe Kelly. and again. about five years ago
off Cape Hatteras, in the w. & II. Wither-
spoon. No lives were lost in either wreck
He returned several months ago from
Venezuela after disastrous voyage. He
went in command Of the ConcOrdia, OF
which he was part owner. She got into
difficulties there and was finally con-
demned to be sold. He got $500 for her
and was kept there for two years and five
months.
Friends undertook TO get him place as
watchman on one of the piers, and he un-
derstood that Mr.. Croker had promised tC
find something for him, but he fell i'll OF
dropsy and enlargement of the heart
which finally caused his death.
Besides his widow. he leaves two sons
one of whom is an actor and the other a
justice OF the peace in Newburyport. After
Tweed's escape Captain Bryant concealed
himself for three years in Mobile, sailing
thence under the name of James Smith.
Tweed's daughter gave him a watch set
with diamonds, which one of his sons now
has.