The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-17
DYNAMITE JOHNNY"
Is CRITICALLY I'LL
Capt. O'Brien, Filibustcr and
Sea Rover, Has Stroke Of
Paralysis.
LIFE READS LIKE FICTION
Born Here "a Years Ago. lie
Won RenOwn by Exploits
as Gun Runner.
LIFE READS LIKE FICTION

NEWARK. ~. J.. April 1G.--Dynamite
Johnny OBrien, whose name has been
known In every port In the Spanish Main
for nearly half a century as the most
daring gunrunner and all round soldier
OF fortune. is critically III at his home
ss6 South Seventeenth street, as a result
OF a stroke OF paralysis. He will be II
years on next Monday, but despite his
age his physicians think he has a chance
OF recovery.
Capt. John O'Brien. TO give him his fun
name, has had so many adventures that
he SCENE more like a character OF i'm
aginative fiction run wild that "A person
Of real life. He never has been afraid Of
anything. and the more dangerous TIVE
undertaking the more he revelled In il.
Capt. O'Brien was born In the old Dry
dock section In New York in 1887. lie
learned to swim almost as soon as he
learned to walk. lie worked with his
brother. who ran a ferryboat In the East
River. became known as Daredevil Jack.
and ran away at the age OF 3. He was
captured and taken back home. but when
the civil war started he finally succeeded
In getting a commission as third officer on
the Illinois, which with other ships was
sent to tackle the Merrimac.
His First Real Trip.
Shortly afterward he went out as mate
on n schooner bound for Nassau. The
vessel proved to have arms and ammuni-
ton for the Confederates and really was
destined for Matamoras, Mexico. OBrien
succeeded to the captaincy and under
took the job of running the schooner 10
her destination and handed the cargo
over to the Confederates. Then he re-
turned TO New York and took up the job
Of plotting sailing vessels through Hell
Gate.
That work palled on him. however and
when he got an offer to take sixty tons
of dynamite to Columbia In a small yr,cht
he undertook the loading OF the explosive
and the hiring OF the crew In the West
Indies he struck n storm that unloose ned
the boxes OF dynamite in the hold and
| for hours he worked alone In the hold
TO keep the boxes from humping to-
gether. In those days dynamite was much
more ticklish than IT is TO day. That
| fea: won him the name OF Dynamite
| johnny
OBrien had had taste OF alibustering
In the civil war and when the Cuban rev.
olution started he was eager to. run the
blockade with arms and ammunition FOR
the revolut ionists. It is said he never lost
man or gun or pound of ammuni %
| ton In all his trips. Bu; he did not stop
with that for occasionally he landed and
headed forces that We're successful under
his daring leadership.
With the steamship City of Mexico he
! laughed at the Spanish warships and
always lnrded his cargo Sometimes the
warshps were only "A few miles distant
Aided Lcgitimr's Downfall.
/ He carried contraband cargo 10 Ha.atl
using tho steamship South Portland and
aided IN III" downfall and eNpatriauon o'
Legitime. lie turned To- the job of pilot
between Cuba and Florida for a TIM.
and that was a job for which there were
few applicants In those days
Capt O'Brien has had almost COUNTLESS
thrilling experiences He fought mutt
nous crews. lie risked his lie many a
time for his crew. once ne was upon "A
ship within six miles Of Fernandlna Fla
when the vessel caught fire. The crew
was ordered to the boats, but O'Brien
found there was not room enough for
all. He swan ashore
One of his feats was 10 take tho Al
Foster around the Horn To san Fran
cisco and another was trip To Havana
/ In Fort Lee ferrvboat.
Several years ago story was printed
/ 10 the effect that in the Russo-Japanesr
war O'Rrien commanded submarine for
/ the Japs IN the great naval encounter =
the Yellow Seq. OF late years ne hat,
been the official pilot at Havana. That
| job was given TO him IN recognition OF
his filihusterng expeditions.
| He spent the summer of 1910 here tu
see some really good baseball games He
came back from cuba last fall because
as he said. he waNted to see "a snowfall
before he died.