The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-03
CAPT. DUGO, A WEALTHY RECLUSE
AND FATHER-IN-LAW OF
SENATOR KYLE,
WON'T GIVE UP WHITE WINGS
The South Dakota Man Has Tried
in Vain to Persuade the
Captain to Give Up
the Lakes.


great lakes, a man who is supposed to
possess considerable wealth, and the
father-in-law of United States Senator
Kyle, Of South Dakota, is Capt. F. Dugo.
who, for the last fifteen years, has spent
day and night, summer and winter. on
board the old White Wings, formerly the
pleasure yacht of ex-Congressman V. A
Taylor, of Bedford.
For fifteen years Capt Dugo has made
the yacht his home, seldom setting foot
on terra firma unless to purchase sup
pies and provisions. Unostentatious
uncommuatcattve as regards matters per-
taining to himself never confiding in any
one, living a life which he apparently en-
joys, Capt Dugo will probably end his
days as he has lived them, unless the
pleading of his daughter, the wife Of
Senator Kyle, and of Senator Kyle him
self. that the old captain come to their
Dakota home and Spend his last days,
prevails
There is a mystery in Capt Dugos life
mystery that no one who has ever
known him has been able to solve, unless,
perhaps, the whole story Of his life is an
open book to his daughter and Senator
Kyle. He is said to have a fortune OF
over $2OO,O0O. He is not hermit, in the
accepted meaning Of the term, for the
wealth which he possesses is invested in
farms and various enterprises. He does
not hide himself from the world to the
extent Of refusing to see or talk to or
mingle with the people of the world, yet
he does not seek. .companionshlp, unless it
be with the winds and the waves and his
yacht.
During the last fifteen winters the
White Wings and Capt. Dugos home
have been at one of three places-Cleve-
land, Detroit or Buffalo. During the
winter just closed the yacht has been
tied UP at Rocky River. There the cap
his warm and cosy cabin, or on the
river or in lake fishing through holes
in the ice. The monotony of the days
has often been broken by visitors-busi-
ness men from Toledo, Detroit, or other
lake ports, or farmers from certain rural
districts in the state. These visitors
have called to transact business with the
captain. They have called to pay the
rent for farms, to pay the captain his
share of the result of certain invest
ments and to enter into new contracts
for the ensuing month or year.
Senator Kyle and his wife were in
Cleveland last fall for few days. At
that time they visited Capt Dugo and
made an effort to induce the old sailor
/ to leave the yacht and go with them to
their South Dakota home and live with
them. But their entreatles were of no
avail. Once or twice every year the
senator and his wife visit the captain,
and each time they put forth their best
endeavors to make him give up his pres
ent mode of living. But the captain Is.
welded to the water. He has been
sailor for fifty years or more, and the
task of preventing the inevitable would
be no greater than that of inducing him
to leave his home on the bosom of the
great lakes.
Probably no two persons have had more
to do with Capt. Dugo than Capt George
p. Mckay and ex-Congressman V. A.
Taylor. Capt. Dugo WAS the second mate
of the PeWabic, of which Capt. George
Mckay was the master. The PeWab1c
was one of the vessels on the Lake Su-
perior line, and in August of 1863 was
involved in one of the greatest lake dis
asters that have occurred before or since
that time. Pewabic and another large
vessel collided and many lives were lost.
At the time of the collision Capt. Dugo,
then second mate, showed supreme cour-
age and bravery, in common with the
other officers and sailors on the vessel.
Capt. Mckay knows little of Capt
Dugo except that he was a good sailor
and a conscientious workman.
ut was in 1863 or 1864 that first met
Dugo," said Capt. Mckay, when asked
about the matter. Il shipped him as
second mate, in which capacity he serv-
ed until the time of the Pewabic disaster.
I met him again in 1866 and shipped
him as first mate He remained with me
until the season of 1871. I never en-
couraged yarn spinning among my men,
nor was l in the habit of spinning yarns
with any of my crew. Consequently L
never found out anything about Dugo.
He was always very quiet and never
made a confdant of any of his fellow
workmen. Since he left me l have heard
very little about him except in a round
about way"
Ex-Congressman Taylor related to a
Leader reporter the circumstances under
which he first met and became acquaint-
ed with Capt. Dugo:
'As near as l can remember" said
Mr.. Taylor, 'it was just fifteen years
ago. I was cruising on my yacht the
White Wings. and had gone up the De
troit river. On my way 1 met Capt Du-
go at the docks. I talked with him
little at that time. On my way down
l again stopped at Detroit and saw the
captain. | was a little short-handed
and needed a man to assist the captain
of the yacht I had no idea Of Offering
the position to Dugo, but in talking with
him | happened to mention that I needed
a man. He then inquired about the
yacht and me. More as a joke than
anything else I asked him how he would
like to ship with me. He Immediately
said he was willing to do so. OF course
] was a little surprised and I asked
him on what terms he would ship
For my expenses he replied.
'Well,S responded, those are pretty
easy terms. How soon can you start?'
In fifteen minutes he REPLIED
He left me and in a few minutes he
was back and on board the yacht and
so far as I know he has been there ever
since In the fifteen years that he has
been with the yacht, l don't think he has
spent a whole week at a time away
from the boat. I never knew anything
about him, but I was told some time
after he shipped with me that he was
worth between 100000 and $200, 900. I
think he owns two farms In Medina coun-
ty, Ohio, and he seems to have business
interests in Toledo, Detroit and else
where. for he receives many visits from
business men from those places. The
first time l knew he was related to Sem
ator Kyle was one day when I went
down to the yacht and the boys told me
that Capt Dugo had distinguished Wis
itors that day They told me that Sen
ator Kyle and his wife had called on
the captain and then I found out that
Senator Kyie's wife was Capt. Dugo's
daughter.
Several years ago 1 was trying to sell
my yacht Capt. Dugo had incurred
some expenses for the yacht. and in set