The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-28
He Was One of the Best Known
Officers In the American Navy
and Had a Remarkable Ca
reer
BOLDLY DEFlED THE
GERMANS AT SAMOA
AS Governor of Guam He InStitu-
ted Many Reforms-HiS Name
Was Taken From Roster Three
Times But Was Restored After
Investigation

IlltCOliSoklOil
Washington, Dec. 27.-The Navy
Department this m~ning received the
following telegram from Admiral Nor
timer L. johnson, commanding the
Boston Navy Yard. dated today:
Captain Richard P. Leary, u S. N,
died this morning at Marine Hospital,
| Chelsea"
Capt Leary was the first governor
| of Guam after that island came into
| the possession of the United States.
| He was relieved of the command of the
receiving ship Richmond, last October,
| owing to heart trouble, and granted
six months leave of absence.
| Capt. Richard Phillips Leary, United
| States Navy, was born at Baltimore,
| Nov 3, 1912, the son of Cornelius l.. l..
| Leary, who represented that city in
| Congress at the outbreak of the Civil
| War. He was graduated from Annap-
| oils in 1860 and attached to the block
aiding squadron off Charleston. In Oc-
| tober 1863 he was made an ensign; in
| May, 1866, a master; in February, 1861,
a lieutenant; in March, 1868, a lieu
tenant commander; in June, 1882,
commander and in April, 1897, a cap
tain He served in various stations
and commanded several ships, among
them the Adams, on the Pacific station.
1889 In this ship he was senior
| American naval officer at Samoa dur
ing the revolution of 1888. In 1878 he
commanded the cruiser San Francisco
and at the outbreak of the Spanish
war brought that ship home from the
| European station, conveying the newly
purchased cruiser New Orleans.
After a brief service in command or
| the ram Katahdin Capt. Leary was
reassigned to the San Francisco, Rear
/ Admiral Howell's flagship, engaged in
coast patrol and blockade during the
Spanish war. Thereafter he was as
4 signed to the Boston Navy Yard. but
Il in February, 1884, was detailed as first
i governor Of Guam. After a years serV-
4 ice in the tropics he was relieved at
his own request. and came home. The
request was made Feb. s, 1900, and he
was relieved in July. Reaching this
country he was placed in command or
the receiving ship Richmond at the
League Island Navy Yard, Dec. 3, 1900.
He arrived in Boston Oct. "a last, on
three months sick leave, and for some
| weeks he has been in a critical condi-
ton at the Marine Hospital Chelsea,
| where his brother-in-law, DR.. Fairfax
Irwin. is superintendent
| Commander Leary took the Adams
to Samoa in 1888 at the time of the
|
| There were not many American cit
| liens there to be protected, but what
few there were Leary was determined
| should not suffer He was far out
matched by the German naval force,
but he did not allow that consideration
| to stir him, and when 1t seemed that
! there might be a conflict between him
and the Germans he was more defiant
| than ever
In September of that year, when the
| Germans were supporting Tamasese.
the German corvette Adler bombarded
| a village full Of natives on the island
! of Mauna, regardless Of the fact that
| the women and children and other
non ombatants were still there. This
made Leary very angry and he at
| once wrote a spicy note to the COM
mander of the Adler, protesting RE-
spectfulIy and solemnly. In the name
| of the United States OF America and
Of the civilized world in general"
| Nothing came of this, but it undouht-
| edly paved the way for the next incl
| dent preciptated when an American
citizen named Seaman hoisted Unit
ed States flag above his property, and
the followers Of Tamasese tore down
the flag and demolished and looted the
house. I.eary at once sent a letter to
the captain of the Adler, inquiring
whether the outrage had been perpe~
trated with the approval OF GernlAny'
The response was non committal.
Iealy wrote second letter. which
elected nothing more satisfactory, and
he then addressed himself directly to
. Tamasese. warning the chief that the
goods taken from Seaman must be re-
turned and indemnity paid for the
other damage done. Again he was
Obliged to write two letters, but he
brought matters TO a head by setting
sunset as the limit Of time within which
/ demands must be complied with, ana
SAYING that the hosting Of a GER
tain signal on an American war vessel
must be accepted IN lieu Of other nonce
for the removal Of all non-combatants
10 a place OF safety
| This unequivocal message appealed
to Tamasese who promptly made the
lanpIest reparation for the injuries done
to Seaman on another occasion the
/ Adler fired upon a party OF unarmed
natives who crossed the harbor, ana
some of the shots carried 10 the shore
and entered the houses Of foreigners
there. This brought out letter OF pro-
test from Leary which the commander
Of the Adler respected to the extent OF
not repeating the offense. On a pre-
! vious occasion the Adler steamed past
the American ship, and at her foremost
| was a native chief. bound with stout
| cord to the mast. The German saluted
as he passed, but no answer came back
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