Evening star., 1901-01-23
DEATH>OF "SERGEANT DICK
RICHARD r.. DUDLEY, LATE OF THE
MARINES. PASSES AWAY.
Coroner Decides That Demise Result
ed From Accident-Interment to
Take Place at Arlington.

Richard f. Dudley, retired sergeant OF
the United States Marine Corps, was fourd
dead in his room at No. S0i l. street south
east shortly after 10 o'clock last night. A
single gas jet in his room was turned On
and the door and window were closed.
Death had no doubt resulted from inhaling
the gas. but whether it was the result OF
an accident or was done with suicidal in
tent will probably never be known.
The deceased was about sixty years old,
and was an Englishman by birth, although
he came to this country when he was quite
young and spent the best years of his life
in the army and Marine Corps of his
adopted country Since his retirement in
1888 he has lived in this city, and for a
long time he occupied the room in which he
was found dead. Sergeant Dick, as he
was Familiarity known, was fond of the
marines and sailors, and for this reason he
had always lived in the vicinity of the navy
yard and marine barracks. Frequently he
spent hours In the company of the men
who were still in the service, telling them
of his experience when there was hard
fighting to do.
The old man knew good story when he
heard it, and was also able to tell good
one. He was a staunch admirer of Queen
Victoria and the Prince Of Wales. and in
his room the police found many pictures OF
them, clipped from newspapers during the
past twenty-five years The old sergeant
had accumulated mary books and maga-
zines and they We're found scattered about
his room last night
Yesterday afternoon Sergeant Dick
ndurned the death of Queen Victoria, and
friends with whom he talked saw that he
viSibly affected. He had been drinking
heavily, and his intoxicated condition prob
ably made him feel all the more sorrowful.
Item In Hi. Diary.
He kept a diary during several years of
nr1-ioa Yai into NO
entry made during his third enlistment
concerning the arrest of William NJ Tweed,
who better known as Boss Tweed"
The entry, which was made while Dudley
was on the L. S s. Franklin, reads as fol-
lows:
I'VE left Villefranche September IA, 1876
homeward bound. Arrived at Gibraltar
September 10. coaled and received a tele-
gram from the department to delay de-
parture On the 2lst received a dispatch
from the minister at Madrid to proceed to
Nigo for the purpose of taking on board
William NJ. Tweed of Tammany notoriety.
Tweed had escaped from prison in New
York and reached Santiago in Cuba. The
police got a c1ew to his whereabouts and
communicated with the captain general,
who was too late in making an attempt to
secure him. He. however. found that
Tweed had taken passage on Spanish ship
called the Carmen. and communicated with
the government at Madrid, which gave
being over twelve ships of that name on the
Spanish shipping list. this was matter of
some difficulty.
The Spanish police requested photo
graph of Tweed, but there being none at
hand they were furnished with copies of a
caricature representing Tweed beating
child. This was taken from Harper's
Weekly. The Spanish translated the pic
ture in the wrong sense, as they construed
Tweed to be a kidnaper, which Is con-
sidered In Spain to be a most Infamous
crime. The police kept bright lookout for
William NJ, and gobbled him when the
fined for security on an island called St.
Simons, on which stands the fort in which
he was placed. We left Gibraltar for Vigo
on September % arriving there on Sep
tember 26. The Carmen was in port The
Suarda costa told me that Tweed was in
his bare feet washing down decks, dressed
in a coarse suit of sailor clothes. He was
confined in the large fort overlooking the
city. His cell floor was sanded, and he was
kept in his bare feet to prevent him at
tempting to escape. Shortly after our ar
rival Spanish government boat came
along with Tweed's baggage. At 10 o clock
at night Tweed came on board with Hunter.
his nephew. He confined in the ad-
mirafs cabin, with sentry inside. Dur
ing his stay on board he occupied his time
playing cards, and wrote good DEAL He
Is temperate and does not smoke A bottle
of wine lasted him a couple of days He
took great interest in the newspapers, and
Csed 10 SEND round for all the papers that
were to be had In the ships"
COrOner's Conclusion.
Coroner hewitt viewed the body this
morning and made an investigation He
was told that Dudley had lived on L street
southeast for about seven years, during
which time he frequently went on sprees
He was also Informed that he was very
much under the influence of liquor yester-
day. DR.. hewitt concluded that death was
the result OF an accident, and gave a GER
uhcate accordingly The body of the un-
fortunate man was turned over to the
military authorities to be buried at Airing
ton.