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  • Thank, Jeff.

    Here are some random bits from Brookfield's memoirs.

    Random Reminiscences (London: Edward Arnold, 1902), link
    by Charles Hallam Elton Brookfield

    Page 27

    It must have been in about 1875 that the committee of the Savile Club paid me the honour of election. Their house was then in Savile Row. I believe the Savile was originally a doctors' club. I know there was a superstition prevalent among the non-scientific members that the smoking-room at the back of the house, with its top light, had in its time served as a dissecting-room, and that the physiological members used to fill in their spare moments after luncheon or tea by a little desultory autoptical investigation. If the sealing-wax were missing from the writing-room, we obstinately suspected it had been used by the hall-porter to display the arterial system of some surreptitious subject that the doctors must have smuggled in at some time when they had the club to themselves.



    Page 28-30

    I remember one of the stories—' A Superior Animal'—which was 'syndicated ' by [walter] Besant's able friend, Mr. Watt; that is to say, it appeared in a number of local papers in different parts of the country, so that I received about four times as much for it as I should have been paid by any solitary editor. I was correcting a proof of this effort in the solitude of the card-room one afternoon, when Rudyard Kipling came in and asked to look at it. He spoke most kindly of the tale, but had many suggestions to make with regard to the telling. 'Don't you see how much stronger that would be?' he asked after suggesting an excision and a transposition. 'D'you mind if I alter it?' And, so saying, he whipped out a pencil and set to work; and having once put his hand to the plough, so to speak, he persevered, and in a few minutes the whole virgin expanse of proof was furrowed and hoed and harrowed and manured and top-dressed by the master. I packed up and despatched the corrected sheet there and then.

    The result was unexpected. I received a most abusive letter from the editor, saying that if I imagined his compositors had nothing better to do than to try and decipher Chinese puzzles I was gravely mistaken; that they had been put to great inconvenience to fill in at the last moment the space my story should have occupied; that they certainly shouldn't use it now, and were extremely sorry they had paid for it; and that they were writing to Mr. Watt to complain. I had not the Christianity to write and tell the editor that what he was discarding as worthless rubble was, in reality, sparkling with Kipling nuggets.

    'A Superior Animal' appeared also in the Bristol Times and Mirror. It had (originally) a most artistic, unconventional, and thrilling finish, of which I was duly proud. When I saw it in the West Country paper I found an entirely unauthorized, commonplace, and impotent conclusion, which annoyed me excessively. I wrote, accordingly, an icy letter to the office, asking how it came about that the termination of a story appearing over my name had been altered without my sanction. I received a curt note from the sub-editor, saying that he didn't know who I was; that the only individual he recognised in the transaction was Mr. Watt; and that he 'put an end to the story because it didn't appear to have one.' I wrote back and said:

    'Dear Sir,

    'The village editor has no more right to adulterate a story than the village grocer has to sand the sugar, though I am aware that the custom prevails in both cases.'

    This closed the correspondence.

    Pages 144-145

    The regular 'house of call,' however, for the members of the Haymarket Theatre was the Café de l'Europe, a few doors up the street. It has frequently changed hands—-and names—-but no one has yet succeeded in making a fortune there. The miscellaneous company that used to frequent it afforded me endless entertainment. There were respectable tradespeople from the neighbourhood, 'lumberers,' confidence-men, money-lenders' touts, journalists, and actors, and occasionally a Scotland Yard detective or two. I made friends with several of 'the boys,' as the flash gentlemen who live by their wits are called. One of them showed me one day a very ingenious contrivance. This was a teetotum with a movable stem. Such of my readers as are familiar with this amusing toy will, I hope, forgive me for explaining it for the benefit of the remainder. When you spin with one end, only a i or a 2 or a 3 will turn up, but by surreptitiously pushing the stem through, and so spinning on the other end, with the top the other way up, it will expose a 4 or a 5 or a 6. 'There was an American I got acquainted with at the "Piccadilly,"' my friend told me, 'who knew—well, he seemed to know as much as what / did. Racing, cards, he wouldn't be taken on at anything. One morning I got up and I lay this 'ere teetotum in the gutter of the Haymarket just alongside of the curb. Presently I meets my Yankee friend. "'Mornin', Seth," says I. "How are you?" says he, and we start down towards the Two Chairmen for our first drink. All of a sudden I kicks up this bloomin' top. "Hullo!" says I, "'ere's some poor little kiddie been and dropped 'is top. Poor little beggar! he'll miss that, I dare say, as much as you or I'd miss a ten-pound note. I'm passionately fond of children," I says ; " I've got five of my own." And we got yarning away about kids and that. Presently we gets to the bar. "What's yours?" says I. "No, no," says my Yank, "this is my shout." "Not a bit of it," says I. "I insist," says he. At last I says, "Let's spin and see whose turn it is with this kiddie's top." And we started spinning for drinks, and we got on to shillings, and dollars, and sovereigns, and before twelve o'clock I'd lifted just on two hundred pounds off of him.' And then, after a pause, 'And all down in that little bit of bar across the way there—-the Two Chairmen they calls it.'

    Page 161

    There was still a tendency, even as late as 1884, for a few malcontents to muster on a Haymarket first night and clamour for the missing pit, to the inconvenience of the rest of the audience. So on my first night I engaged a few fighting men to keep order. During the overture an individual in the front row of the gallery began to shuffle his feet, and to call out, 'Where's the pit?' He was picked up by his collar and the seat of his trousers and handed over the heads of his neighbours from one of my sturdy stewards to another, until at last he found himself at the top of the gallery staircase, where an East End light-weight, in an excess of zeal, struck him on the side of the head and knocked him downstairs. He wrote me a protest against my 'cowardly attempt to burke an expression of honest opinion.' I replied by acknowledging the receipt of his letter—' which was evidently written under some misapprehension.'

    Pages 205-206

    A few years ago I met at Cowes an American 'sport' called 'Colonel' Troy. I believe he has since died. He was a man of about fifty, stout, with his sandy hair en brosse and a moustache hérissée. The only feature that gave him away was his eyes, which were small and furtive. He was a genial old party, but with that strong strain of selfpity which is conspicuous in all the habitual criminals I have met. They have no sense of right and wrong (though they generally have many other excellent qualities), but, in place of it, a perpetual feeling of grievance against the existing order of things. 'Colonel' Troy waxed quite pathetic over his own plight. 'You know, Mr. Brookfield,' he said, 'I'd give anything to have a small annuity—-say about 2,000 dollars—-just enough to live on in some little quiet watering-place. I hate late hours, and I hate cards! As it is, I make the acquaintance of some bright young fellow; he invites me down to his place and gives me the best of everything; and after dinner, when I'd like to go to bed like everything, I have to say to myself, "No; you've got to sit up and rob this young man. That's the return you're goin' to make for all his hospitality." Mr. Brookfield, it's a miserable life, and I hate it.' The obvious alternative, which he could not face, however, was giving it up.

    Pages 290-291

    [About a trip to New York.]

    But, talking of hospitality, I did on one occasion during my four nights' stay have it forced upon me in a way that some might not have relished. Amongst my letters of introduction I had one to Mr. 'Bob' Pinkerton, a partner in the famous detective agency, who was extremely polite when I called, and detailed one of his men to 'show me around' that evening. A tall, well-dressed, extremely agreeable man called for me at my hotel soon after dinner, a Mr. O'Donoghue. He took me a most entertaining round. We visited the Chinese quarter, which, though not to compare with the China Town in San Francisco, is nevertheless very interesting. Most of the little men appeared to be married to Irish wives. One of these told me she would rather have for a husband a Chinaman who would work than an Irishman who wouldn't. I did not discuss this nice point with her. We visited a joss-house and a Chinese theatre, where we saw a portion of a native melodrama played in front of the orchestra, which was on the stage. Then we went to a music-hall, where all the audience were Jews, and to another where they were all 'men of colour.' Then we called on ' Steve Brodie, B.J.,' which initials do not signify that Steve is a member of a religious community, but that he once jumped off Brooklyn Bridge and deems himself champion bridge-jumper of the world. He presides over a drinking saloon on the Bowery, and there I was introduced to sundry 'toughs' and ' Bowery boys' and 'sports' of various types. [...]

    Comment


    • Originally posted by TradeName View Post
      Thank, Jeff.

      Here are some random bits from Brookfield's memoirs.

      Random Reminiscences (London: Edward Arnold, 1902), link
      by Charles Hallam Elton Brookfield

      Page 27

      It must have been in about 1875 that the committee of the Savile Club paid me the honour of election. Their house was then in Savile Row. I believe the Savile was originally a doctors' club. I know there was a superstition prevalent among the non-scientific members that the smoking-room at the back of the house, with its top light, had in its time served as a dissecting-room, and that the physiological members used to fill in their spare moments after luncheon or tea by a little desultory autoptical investigation. If the sealing-wax were missing from the writing-room, we obstinately suspected it had been used by the hall-porter to display the arterial system of some surreptitious subject that the doctors must have smuggled in at some time when they had the club to themselves.



      Page 28-30

      I remember one of the stories—' A Superior Animal'—which was 'syndicated ' by [walter] Besant's able friend, Mr. Watt; that is to say, it appeared in a number of local papers in different parts of the country, so that I received about four times as much for it as I should have been paid by any solitary editor. I was correcting a proof of this effort in the solitude of the card-room one afternoon, when Rudyard Kipling came in and asked to look at it. He spoke most kindly of the tale, but had many suggestions to make with regard to the telling. 'Don't you see how much stronger that would be?' he asked after suggesting an excision and a transposition. 'D'you mind if I alter it?' And, so saying, he whipped out a pencil and set to work; and having once put his hand to the plough, so to speak, he persevered, and in a few minutes the whole virgin expanse of proof was furrowed and hoed and harrowed and manured and top-dressed by the master. I packed up and despatched the corrected sheet there and then.

      The result was unexpected. I received a most abusive letter from the editor, saying that if I imagined his compositors had nothing better to do than to try and decipher Chinese puzzles I was gravely mistaken; that they had been put to great inconvenience to fill in at the last moment the space my story should have occupied; that they certainly shouldn't use it now, and were extremely sorry they had paid for it; and that they were writing to Mr. Watt to complain. I had not the Christianity to write and tell the editor that what he was discarding as worthless rubble was, in reality, sparkling with Kipling nuggets.

      'A Superior Animal' appeared also in the Bristol Times and Mirror. It had (originally) a most artistic, unconventional, and thrilling finish, of which I was duly proud. When I saw it in the West Country paper I found an entirely unauthorized, commonplace, and impotent conclusion, which annoyed me excessively. I wrote, accordingly, an icy letter to the office, asking how it came about that the termination of a story appearing over my name had been altered without my sanction. I received a curt note from the sub-editor, saying that he didn't know who I was; that the only individual he recognised in the transaction was Mr. Watt; and that he 'put an end to the story because it didn't appear to have one.' I wrote back and said:

      'Dear Sir,

      'The village editor has no more right to adulterate a story than the village grocer has to sand the sugar, though I am aware that the custom prevails in both cases.'

      This closed the correspondence.

      Pages 144-145

      The regular 'house of call,' however, for the members of the Haymarket Theatre was the Café de l'Europe, a few doors up the street. It has frequently changed hands—-and names—-but no one has yet succeeded in making a fortune there. The miscellaneous company that used to frequent it afforded me endless entertainment. There were respectable tradespeople from the neighbourhood, 'lumberers,' confidence-men, money-lenders' touts, journalists, and actors, and occasionally a Scotland Yard detective or two. I made friends with several of 'the boys,' as the flash gentlemen who live by their wits are called. One of them showed me one day a very ingenious contrivance. This was a teetotum with a movable stem. Such of my readers as are familiar with this amusing toy will, I hope, forgive me for explaining it for the benefit of the remainder. When you spin with one end, only a i or a 2 or a 3 will turn up, but by surreptitiously pushing the stem through, and so spinning on the other end, with the top the other way up, it will expose a 4 or a 5 or a 6. 'There was an American I got acquainted with at the "Piccadilly,"' my friend told me, 'who knew—well, he seemed to know as much as what / did. Racing, cards, he wouldn't be taken on at anything. One morning I got up and I lay this 'ere teetotum in the gutter of the Haymarket just alongside of the curb. Presently I meets my Yankee friend. "'Mornin', Seth," says I. "How are you?" says he, and we start down towards the Two Chairmen for our first drink. All of a sudden I kicks up this bloomin' top. "Hullo!" says I, "'ere's some poor little kiddie been and dropped 'is top. Poor little beggar! he'll miss that, I dare say, as much as you or I'd miss a ten-pound note. I'm passionately fond of children," I says ; " I've got five of my own." And we got yarning away about kids and that. Presently we gets to the bar. "What's yours?" says I. "No, no," says my Yank, "this is my shout." "Not a bit of it," says I. "I insist," says he. At last I says, "Let's spin and see whose turn it is with this kiddie's top." And we started spinning for drinks, and we got on to shillings, and dollars, and sovereigns, and before twelve o'clock I'd lifted just on two hundred pounds off of him.' And then, after a pause, 'And all down in that little bit of bar across the way there—-the Two Chairmen they calls it.'

      Page 161

      There was still a tendency, even as late as 1884, for a few malcontents to muster on a Haymarket first night and clamour for the missing pit, to the inconvenience of the rest of the audience. So on my first night I engaged a few fighting men to keep order. During the overture an individual in the front row of the gallery began to shuffle his feet, and to call out, 'Where's the pit?' He was picked up by his collar and the seat of his trousers and handed over the heads of his neighbours from one of my sturdy stewards to another, until at last he found himself at the top of the gallery staircase, where an East End light-weight, in an excess of zeal, struck him on the side of the head and knocked him downstairs. He wrote me a protest against my 'cowardly attempt to burke an expression of honest opinion.' I replied by acknowledging the receipt of his letter—' which was evidently written under some misapprehension.'

      Pages 205-206

      A few years ago I met at Cowes an American 'sport' called 'Colonel' Troy. I believe he has since died. He was a man of about fifty, stout, with his sandy hair en brosse and a moustache hérissée. The only feature that gave him away was his eyes, which were small and furtive. He was a genial old party, but with that strong strain of selfpity which is conspicuous in all the habitual criminals I have met. They have no sense of right and wrong (though they generally have many other excellent qualities), but, in place of it, a perpetual feeling of grievance against the existing order of things. 'Colonel' Troy waxed quite pathetic over his own plight. 'You know, Mr. Brookfield,' he said, 'I'd give anything to have a small annuity—-say about 2,000 dollars—-just enough to live on in some little quiet watering-place. I hate late hours, and I hate cards! As it is, I make the acquaintance of some bright young fellow; he invites me down to his place and gives me the best of everything; and after dinner, when I'd like to go to bed like everything, I have to say to myself, "No; you've got to sit up and rob this young man. That's the return you're goin' to make for all his hospitality." Mr. Brookfield, it's a miserable life, and I hate it.' The obvious alternative, which he could not face, however, was giving it up.

      Pages 290-291

      [About a trip to New York.]

      But, talking of hospitality, I did on one occasion during my four nights' stay have it forced upon me in a way that some might not have relished. Amongst my letters of introduction I had one to Mr. 'Bob' Pinkerton, a partner in the famous detective agency, who was extremely polite when I called, and detailed one of his men to 'show me around' that evening. A tall, well-dressed, extremely agreeable man called for me at my hotel soon after dinner, a Mr. O'Donoghue. He took me a most entertaining round. We visited the Chinese quarter, which, though not to compare with the China Town in San Francisco, is nevertheless very interesting. Most of the little men appeared to be married to Irish wives. One of these told me she would rather have for a husband a Chinaman who would work than an Irishman who wouldn't. I did not discuss this nice point with her. We visited a joss-house and a Chinese theatre, where we saw a portion of a native melodrama played in front of the orchestra, which was on the stage. Then we went to a music-hall, where all the audience were Jews, and to another where they were all 'men of colour.' Then we called on ' Steve Brodie, B.J.,' which initials do not signify that Steve is a member of a religious community, but that he once jumped off Brooklyn Bridge and deems himself champion bridge-jumper of the world. He presides over a drinking saloon on the Bowery, and there I was introduced to sundry 'toughs' and ' Bowery boys' and 'sports' of various types. [...]
      Great stuff from Mr. Brookfield, in particular that editing job from Kipling that was rejected as illegible. I almost wish Brookfield had informed him (after the publication) of whom he had slighted.

      I have not heard of Col "Troy", so I can't tell what his background is. Possibly as bad as that of Dr. Tumblety in it's way, but that's a guess.

      In the last paragraph, Robert "Rob" Pinkerton took over the firm's management after the death of Allan Pinkerton (the founder of the firm) in 1876. He was, for a couple of years, friendly with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, personally showing him items of interest when the latter visited the U.S. Their friendship ended though when Doyle wrote the last Sherlock Holmes novel, "The Valley of Fear" which was based on the destruction of the "Molly Maguires" in the Pennsylvania Coal Fields in the 1870s by the Pinkerton agent, James McParland. This was changed to the destruction of the criminal gang, "the Scowlrers" in the "Vermissa Valley" by "Birdy Evans". Pinkerton felt that Conan Doyle had taken advantage of their friendship in using what was still (in 1914) classified material, and led to a break between the two men.

      While in New York City on that trip (probably about 1890) Brookfield met Steve Brodie, who claimed he successfully jumped off the East River (or Brooklyn) Bridge and lived to tell about it. His feat was celebrated on stage and in song for decades before it was questioned. When the Brooklyn Bridge was opened in May 1883 it was the tallest structure in the New York City and Brooklyn area (before 1898, when the boroughs unified to create the "City of Greater New York", Brooklyn was the fourth largest independent city in the United States - and the bridge connected it with Manhattan which was the actual city of New York at the time of 1883). The Bridge itself had been built only after a fourteen year struggle by John Roebling (who died of a tetanus infection from an injury on the bridge) and his son Washington Roebling (who at one point got a case of the bends, and his wife Emily took over giving his directions to the men from her ill husband). Ill-fortune conspired against the Bridge, including a panic (ten days after it was built) where pedestrians thought it was falling, and in the rush trampled about a dozen people to death. Then in November 1883 a diving instructor named Robert E. Odlum made an illegal dive off the bridge - but died. Brodie came along about two years later, and was seen leaving the East River all wet, claiming he jumped. Problem was (later discovered) that Brodie never was seen jumping from the Bridge itself. Although accepted in his time as the man who had jumped and survived, it is more than likely he made the thing up.

      Jeff
      Last edited by Mayerling; 01-03-2016, 07:08 PM.

      Comment


      • Two articles about Steve Brodie's alleged feat.


        New York Sun, July 24, 1886, Page 1, Column 3

        BRODIE JUMPS THE BRIDGE

        RISKING ODLUM'S FATE AND ESCAPING ALIVE AND SOUND

        His Wife Dressed Him for the Feat--Friends
        were in a Boat to Pick him Up--He Goes
        to Sleep in the Tombs Feeling that he is
        the Biggest Man in the Fourth Ward

        Steve Brodie, the newsboy pedestrian,
        tired two years ago of being "King of the
        Bootblacks," and resigned the leadership to
        his brother Dan. Ever since then he has been
        planning to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge.
        He had an idea that there would be glory and
        money in it. Six months ago he gave up his
        place as boss bootblack at the Mills
        building and came mighty near sailing
        on Soto's filibustering expedition to
        Honduras which wound up by leaving
        a lot of Fourthwarders stranded on
        Turk's Island. He came to the conclusion
        that there was neither glory nor
        money in Central American filibustering
        and he took the money he had saved to
        Brighton Beach every race day to accumulate
        more by betting it on the races. He lost almost
        all he had and the last two weeks he had an
        especially hard time of it.

        On Tuesday of last week he says he rode up
        from the beach with a sporting man named
        James A. Brennan. Brodie began talking on
        his hobby of jumping off Brooklyn Bridge, and
        said he was willing to do it any time if there
        was any money in it. Brennan said he would
        put up $100 that Brodie couldn't do it. Brodie
        took him up and went into training for the
        jump. He made another bet of $25 that he
        would jump from High Bridge, and early on
        Sunday morning last, he says, he went up with
        a few friends and jumped off. He said at the
        time that he had jumped off High Bridge once
        before and didn't think anything of it. He felt
        jubilant over winning the first bet and told all
        his friends that in the latter part of the week
        he would jump off Brooklyn Bridge and make
        a name for himself.

        On Thursday he went around the Fourth
        ward and asked the advice of his friends about
        the best time to jump. He said he thought of
        jumping that afternoon, but they told him it
        wouldn't be a good time, and he said he would
        postpone it. Most of them thought the whole
        thing was off. That evening he consulted some
        more friends who are compositors in a newspaper
        office, and he made arrangements with
        them to witness the jump yesterday morning.
        Then he went to to the back tenement at 85
        Chystie street where he lives with his family
        and has two rooms on the north side two flights
        up and went to bed.

        Yesterday morning his wife dressed him.
        She was proud of his courage and wanted to
        do all she could to have him succeed. He had
        got a long strip of canton flannel, and this was
        wound around his loins, abdomen, and chest
        five plies thick. It covered him from below his
        thighs up to his armpits. After it was tied in
        place he put on a thick knitted red Jersey over
        it, a pair of heavy striped trousers, and a pair
        of old patent leather low shoes with thin soles.
        His wife knotted a white silk handkerchief
        around his neck over his jersey. Alter putting
        on his coat and taking up his black soft felt hat
        he started down town.

        Near the bridge he met Dan Houston of 13
        Elm street. He said to Houston: "I'm going
        to jump the bridge and I want you to come
        along and help me."

        Houston asked him If he was n earnest.
        Brodie answered that he was and promised
        Houston $15 and a suit of clothes if he would
        get a boat and pick him up. Houston promised
        to do it. The two went on down Frankfort
        street, and on the corner of Gold street they
        met Paul Butler and Tim Brennan. Brodie
        made the same offer to them, and told them
        that he was going to make $100 from his jump
        at once, and more in the future, and that he
        would divide up half the $100 with his friends.

        They all went along down South street to the
        Battery. There Dan Houston hired a boat for
        two hours from an 18-year-old boy who had
        charge of it. He agreed to pay 30 cents an hour
        and left his coat as security for the 60 cents.

        The four men got into the boat and rowed up
        to Dover street dock. There they met Jimmy
        the Boatman and took him on board. They
        paddled around for a while and discussed the
        jump. Brodie said:

        "Well, boys I've decided. I'm going to jump
        the Brooklyn bridge."

        The boat pulled up into Dover street dock
        again. Brodie got out, shook bands with them
        all, and at half-past 11 o'clock be started up
        Frankfort street to the bridge. At a quarter
        past 12 he came back and said that the wind
        was too strong just then. The boat was tied up
        at the pier until 1 3/4 o'clock, when Brodie said
        that he was going to jump for certain, and
        started again up Frankfort street. The boat
        pulled out with Dan Houston, Tim Brennan,
        Paul Butler, and Jimmy the Boatman on
        board, and hovered in the river south of the
        bridge. The tide was just beginning to run
        out. Tugs and ferryboats were continually
        passing, but none of them took any notice of
        tbe boat or its occupants.

        Brodie had had two drinks of whiskey during
        the morning before be left his four friends
        in the boat. He went up Frankfort street
        alone. At Nassau street he met Jerry Kane
        and said:

        "Jerry, I'm going to jump the bridge. I've
        got 20 cents, and I won't need only two to get
        out on the drive. Come in and have a drink."

        The two went into Kosmak's. Kane drank
        beer and Brodie whiskey. They went out and
        stood by the wagon road over the bridge. Bugs
        Waterman was standing there.

        "Bugs," said Brodie. "I'm going jump the
        bridge. Come along and see me."

        Waterman said he would. Brodle must have
        found some more money about him than the
        20 cents, for he took a dollar bill from his
        pocket and said:

        "Boys, this is my last dollar. Come and have
        a drink."

        He and Waterman went into Kosmak's.
        When they came out Kane asked Brodie if he
        was in earnest about jumping off the bridge.
        Brodie said he was, and that he was going to
        start at once. Kane left him and started down
        Frankfort street to Dover street dock.

        Waterman remained with Brodie. Brodie
        stopped three or four wagons and asked them
        to take him over the bridge. The drivers
        refused. He stopped a coach that a boy drove,
        but the boy refused. Brodie's coat was
        buttoned over his red Jersey, and there was nothing
        unusual in his appearance. He saw a man
        driving a red wagon with one horse up Park
        row. There were only a few lengths of pipe in
        the wagon and the load was light. He went
        down Park row, and stopping the driver, asked
        him to take a drink. The driver and Brodie
        went into Kosmak's. A minute later the driver,
        Waterman, and Brodie climbed up into the bed of
        the wagon. Brodie paid the driver two cents,
        and they started over on the south roadway.

        Before the wagon passed the New York tower
        Brodie, who was standing up in the wagon, took
        off his soft hat and waved it. It was a signal to
        his friends in the boat. Besides these watchers,
        Forest Rush, Charley Stevens, William Romayne,
        Tim Chrystal, and Patsy Sullivan were
        on the lookout on the Dover street pier.

        One hundred and twenty feet beyond the New
        YorK Tower Brodie took off his coat and tossed
        it on the wagon bed. It was ten minutes after
        2 o'clock. He dropped off the wagon and walked
        along a few feet behind it. He was very nervous,
        and tapped his feet on the board flooring
        as if going to dance a clog. In a sing-song
        voice he hummed to himself:

        Lum te tum, lum te tum, God will help me, God will
        save me.

        He snapped his fingers over his head as if he
        were trying to distract his mind by recalling some
        [...] minstrel ditty. Nobody except
        Waterman, the driver, and Policeman Michael
        Lally was in sight on the roadway.

        Brodie stopped humming, and climbed up on
        the iron netting that guards the sides of the
        drive and over the heavy iron railing. As he
        let himself down Waterman cried:

        "Look out! There's a man going to jump off
        the bridge!"

        Brodie was clambering down the outside of
        the railing to the stringpiece below. The policeman
        did not see him, and went up to the
        wagon. Waterman was getting frighened and
        greatly excited, and Lally, thinking he was the
        man, was going to arrest him.

        "I ain't the man," he shouted. "It's him.
        Stop him." He pointed to Brodie, and the
        policeman rushed over toward the railing. The
        driver of the wagon, being a prudent citizen,
        whipped up his horse, and with Waterman's
        and Brodie's coats on board, drove rapidly
        across. That was the last seen of him.

        Brodie had let himself down over the outside
        guards to the level of the floor of the bridge.
        He grasped the stringpiece underneath the
        flooring with both hands and hung there for
        ten seconds facing up the river. The policeman
        saw it was no use to attempt to stop him
        and ran for the New York side of the bridge.

        Brody [sic] swung to and fro twice trying to steady
        himself before he let go. His legs were close
        together as if tied. His face was turned up
        and he took a long breath. He worked his
        hands close together, and his body finally hung
        still, without swinging.

        He let go. With his arms outstretched
        straight above his head just as they were when
        he hung to the stringpiece, he started down the
        124 feet to the water. His fingers had partially
        closed again after letting go their hold. Two
        thirds of the way his bodY flashed down rigid.
        The felt hat that he had waved and dropped
        just before he flung himself free fluttered in
        the air following him slowly to the water. His
        friends in the boat had rowed up to within a
        few feet of where they expected him to fall.
        His friends on the shore timed him.

        Fifty feet from the water he whirled a quarter
        way around to the left and his face could be
        seen by the people on the pier. His lips were
        clenched and his nostrils dilated. As he turned
        his arms bent at the elbows and came down
        bent forward so that his fists were about at the
        level of his eyes, his knees bent slightly and he
        put his right foot forward and lurched forward
        a trifle with his body. His attitude was much
        like that of a runner about to start a race.
        His friend thought he was going over on his
        side, and Houston shouted, "He's lost--he's
        lost!"

        But he came down feet foremost after all. He
        neither flopped nor turned further. His elbows
        bent a little more and just before hitting the
        water he squatted slightly.

        Time of the fall--3 seconds and perhaps a
        little over. He struck squarely on his feet. He
        was not inclined 15 degrees from the perpendicular.
        The splash was very slight. Spray
        flew up ten or twelve feet, and there was a hole
        for a second where he had sunk. From the
        time his head was seen over the railing to his
        striking the water not over thirty seconds had
        elapsed.

        In seven seconds after he went under the
        water he came to the surface, rolled over on
        his back and blew the water out of his nose.
        The rowboat was within thirty feet of him.
        Houston and Butler dived in after him. Houston
        got to him first, and the two swam back to
        the boat. Brodie swam on his back. He needed
        no assistance. He climbed in, and after a
        snort that cleared his nose, he said:

        "Bully boy, Steve. Thank God I've done it.
        Luck is wid me. Where's me children? Boys,
        didn't I do it?"

        Each of his friends told him that he did.

        "I said I was going to jump the bridge, and
        I've done it. Haven't I? Every one of you
        saw me do it. Didn't you?"

        Houston tore open Brodie's shirt, produced a
        bottle of brandy, and rubbed his chest with the
        spirits. Brodie took no drink until he got to
        land. The boat was rowed over to the pier at
        the foot of the bridge tower, and Brodie and
        Houston were landed on the spiles there.
        Houston had lost his hat and a shoe. All this
        time Butler Was struggling about in the water
        where he had been left. An oar had been
        thrown to him or he might have drowned. He
        shouted for help, and two policemen and a
        crowd came. A tug and the boat went for him
        and took him ashore. Brodie didn't like his
        place on the spiles, dived off, and swam across
        the slip to Dover street pier. A rope was
        thrown to him and he climbed up on the pier.

        Bridge Policeman Lally had been on a dead
        run down from the bridge entrance, and was
        seen coming down the pier. Brodie got back
        into the boat.

        "Fetch that boat into the dock," said the
        policeman. "Come in here."

        "Do you want to arrest me?" said Brodie.

        "No."

        "Won't you touch me?"

        "No."

        Then Brodie and his friends came in. Brodie
        and Brennan were arrested and taken to Oak
        street police station. Brodie look off all his
        wet clothes and capered around in the policemen's
        room. There were no bruises of any account
        apparent on his body. On his right
        shoulder was a little red spot, and his rightside
        was red as if it had been scraped when he
        climbed into the boat. He said that he had
        been turned on his rightside in striking, and
        that his side was very sore. He howled and
        talked incoherently and boastfully. Dr. White
        come from Chambers Street Hospital in answer
        to an ambulance call. He pulled Brodie's arms,
        sounded his chest, prodded his stomach,
        yanked his legs, and then said that there was
        nothing the matter with him except that he
        had been drinking a little too much. He had
        taken a glass of whiskey in the station house,
        and a reporter went out and brought him a flask
        full, which he was not allowed to tOuch.

        "Doctor, ain't I hurt?" he asked. The Doctor
        told him he wasn't. "Why ain't I?" he asked
        again.

        Word had been sent up to 85 Chrystie Street,
        where Mrs. Brodie was anxiously waiting. She
        sent down a bundle of dry clothes and he put
        them on. He and Brennan were entered on the
        blotter aS

        Stephen Brodie, bookmaker, 23 years of age, native of
        New York, married, lives at 85 Chrystie street. Drunk
        and disorderly.

        Timothy Brennan, foreman at 13 Franklin Street, 24
        years old, from Boston, lives at 214 East Broadway.
        Same charge.

        "Is there anybody that don't believe I jumped
        the bridge?" Brodie continually asked. "Ain't
        I got sporting blood?"

        Outside the station a crowd had gathered
        that blocked up Oak street, and policemen had
        to clear a way before the prisoners could be
        taken to the Tombs. The crowd bowed down
        before Brodie.

        "He's de biggest man in de Fort' ward," said
        a young man.

        "Yes," said Brodie, "Sam Patch or none of
        dem fellers ain't anything to me."

        If a vote had been taken at once who should
        be the next Alderman to succeed P. Divver,
        Brodie would have been next to unanimously
        elected, although he lives in the Tenth ward
        now. He walked proudly over to the Tombs
        Court, occasionally remarking on his own
        greatness.

        Justice Kllbreth was holding court when
        Brodie arrived. Jimmy Oliver's brother was on
        hand as counsel. Both Brodie and Brennan
        were arraigned. It took some time to get a
        charge that would hold Brodie. He had not
        collected any crowd, for the crowd had been
        gathered by Butler's cries that he was drowning.
        He was not drunk enough to be locked
        up as drunk and disorderly. So Policeman
        Lally swore that Brodie had attempted suicide,
        and he was locked up in cell 23 in the lower
        tier of the main prison, for examination this
        morning. Brennan was held, too, but his employer
        Myles Walsh, who is a bookbinder at 13
        Franklin street, gave ball for him.

        Brodie went to his bed in his cell at once.
        When his occupation was taken at the Tombs,
        he said with pride that he was a bookmaker at
        the races. The charge on the slate over his
        door reads "Attempted suicide."

        Mrs. Brodie brought her three children,
        Irene, 5 years old, Steve Jr., 3 years old, and
        Nellie, three weeks old, to the Tombs to see
        him as soon as he was locked up. She brought
        a dozen bananas and the evening papers with
        her. Brodie lay in bed and ate bananas while
        he talked and read the papers. To a SUN reporter
        he said:

        "I've been thinking of this for two years. I
        did it on a bet of $100. I can make more off it,
        though, and I'm willing to jump again any
        time. It's not much. I've jumped off High
        Bridge twice and a big bridge out in California.
        It seemed a long time coming down, but I
        didn't mind it. I knew I was going down
        straight, and I didn't trouble about lighting so
        long as I came down on my feet. I feel all
        right except on my side, which is a bit sore.
        'Tain't nothin' to jump the bridge if you only
        make up your mind to it and do it right.

        After his wife left he fell asleep.

        Brodie was born 23 years ago on Park street.
        His father was an Irishman and died years ago.
        His mother is still alive. There were four
        brothers of them--Dan, Steve, Tom and Eddie.
        Eddie was a little hunchback who used to keep
        a restaurant on Nassau street near Ann. He
        is dead. Steve began business as a newsboy
        and bootblack. He was enterprising and got
        charge of the bootblacking stand at French's
        old hotel, where he had two assistants. He
        lived in the Newsboys' Lodging House and began
        his pedestrian record by making 90 miles
        there in 24 hours. Afterward he made a tour
        of the West and was in many walking contests.
        That is what gave him the name of "The Newsboy
        Pedestrian." His last contest was in Baltimore.
        On returning he took charge of the
        bootblack stand in the Mills building where
        he had two helpers. Once in a while he got a
        chance to make $100 in a lump by something
        out of the usual run. When the last filibustering
        expedition to Honduras was being got up
        he acted as recruiting agent for Cherry Hill.
        six months ago he gave up his place in the
        Mills building and has been playing the races
        since. Now there is a dime museum prospect
        before him.

        His wife was Bridget Breen, a small pretty
        black-eyed girl, who thinks nobody is so brave
        or so great as her husband.

        Brodie is about 5 feet 7 1/8 inches high, lean
        and hollow eyed. His hair is black and his
        cheek bones are prominent. He is a typical
        Fourth ward boy.

        One man had jumped off the bridge before
        Brodie. Prof. R. E. Odlum did it on May 19,
        1885, and died of it. Several cranks and
        seekers for sympathy have started to jump or
        made a pretence of it, but none got any
        further than the guard rail

        ----end

        New York Sun, July 25, 1886, Page 9, Column 3

        Divver Bails out Brodie

        The Bridge Jumper Won't Run against Him for Alderman.

        Thinks of Going Starring Instead--How he
        Felt when he was falling--In Favor of
        Prohibiting Other Folks From Trying It.

        Alderman P. Divver showed yesterday
        how a man with a pull and a great head can
        make hImself solid and shine in the lustre of
        a noble deed by goIng on the bail bond of Steve
        Brodie, who jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge
        on Friday. Steve had thought of moving into
        the second district to run for Alderman, and
        had consulted with his friends about it, but
        after the magnificent action of P. Divver he
        came up to THE SUN office and announced:
        "I'm for P Divver, and it's not me to go back
        on a friend and run against him for Alderman
        before he's got his share."

        Brodie is himself a member of the Tammany
        district committee. He slept soundly in his
        cell in the lower tier in the Tombs on Friday
        night, ate a hearty breakfast yesterday, and
        wanted more. The Tombs court room was
        packed as soon as the doors opened by reformed
        filibusters and other Fourth warders. A bridge
        policeman brought a note to Justice Kllbreth
        from the trustees asking that the hearing of
        Brodie's case should be postponed until next
        Wednesday, when their lawyer can be present.
        The Justice told the policeman to go and fetch
        a copy of the bridge ordinances, or something
        that would show what offence against the bridge
        Brodie had committed when he jumped off. He
        was held on the charge of attempted suicide,
        which is a felony, and Jimmy Oliver's brother
        Frank, who looked after him could not see
        what the bridge ordinances had to do with it.
        In the meantime Brodie was holding a reception
        to privileged friends and his family in his
        cell. He made a little speech and said:

        "Boys, hain't I done it? Yo's all knows that
        I jumped de bridge. Didn't I? I'm de only
        man that ever jumped de bridge."

        In an hour and a half a squad of bridge policemen
        appeared in the court carrying a pasteboard
        card 10 inches by 8. It was an official
        bridge ordinance poster and was reverently
        laid before Justice Kilbreth. It recited that
        wagons must not drive on the cartracks and that
        passengers must not walk on the roadway or
        smoke in the cars or whittle the iron rails or
        chip pieces off the towers.

        Justice Kilbreth read it over carefully and
        handed it back, saying there was nothing there
        to hold Brodie. Frank Oliver asked for Brodie's
        release. The Justice refused, and remanded
        him in $1,000 bail for a hearing next Wednesday
        morning. Jim Brennan, who was arrested
        at the same time, and is also out on $1,000 bail,
        will appear at the same time.

        Alderman P, Divver was in Brooklyn when he
        heard of the trouble his promising ex-constituent
        and competitor was in. He flew to the
        Tombs and went Brodie's bail. Brodie was
        brought up to sign the bond.

        "How do yoU do, jumper?" said the Justice,

        "How do you do, Judge," said Brodie.

        Commissioner Porter was standing near by
        and said: "It was a great thing, but don't you
        do it any more."

        Brode said he would consider the advice.
        As soon as the bail bond was signed he was
        released, and went at once to a neighboring gin
        mill where he drank four sarsaparillos, one
        seltzer, and an occasional hard drink, while he
        told his story with the refrain, "Didn't you see
        me jumping de bridge? Well, I done it, and I kin
        do it again."

        A lot of museum men swooped down on him
        with offers to exhibit. Nathan Morris offered
        to give Brodie half the receipts and take him
        to Coney island to exhibit when everybody on
        the Bowery had seen him. Brodie wanted a
        guarantee of $150 a week for a ten weeks'
        engagement. Morris would not give over a
        hundred, and no bargain was made.

        After he was released, Brodie said: "No
        more short horses for me. I've dropped $700
        on the races in the past few weeks. I had but
        one dollar when I jumped off the bridge, and I
        spent that on drinks. I'm going to get the $200
        that was up on this and return $100 to the man
        who put it up for me. The other hundred I'll
        live on till I get into a museum. I'd be satisfied
        if I didn't make a cent. A Bowery museum
        man offered me $100 a week, and a Baltimore
        man has offered me $200 a week to be exhibited,
        but I think I'll go with Tom McCoy and travel
        over the country for twenty weeks on shares.

        "You'll see a lot of sharks jumping off and
        getting killed," he went on. "There ought to
        be something done to stop it. Odium would
        have got along all right if the police hadn't
        hurried him. That's all there is to it. Any
        man who is a trained jumper can do it. It
        wouldn't do for him to jump head foremost.
        He could just keep his arms stiff enough to
        protect his head, and if he struck square on
        his head the water would smash his skull and
        kill him. Why, even in my shoes hitting the
        water made my feet feel as if they had got a big
        shock of electricity. There's the only place
        that caught me--on my feet. The bruises on
        mY chest and shoulder were caused, as THE
        SUN said, by my climbing into the boat and
        being hauled around.

        "The first time I went up in the morning I
        looked down and saw the boat four piers
        below. They were afraid I would fall on them.
        but I knew they were too far off to get to me in
        time if I should be insensible when I struck. I
        Went back and stationed them off the bridge
        dock, and told them to keep about forty feet
        away. Then I went back and got on the wagon
        to go over the bridge. I hadn't picked out any
        particular place to jump from. If the policeman
        was in the middle of the bridge, I was
        going to try it near the tower. If he was near
        the tower I was going to the middle. When I
        got off the wagon I got feeling queer. That's
        what made me sing that [...] minstrel song.
        But I says to myself, 'Here you are and you're
        in for it, and I got over that railing pretty
        quick. I climbed on down as I saw the policeman
        coming for me. I knew he couldn't grab
        me without climbing over after me, and if he
        did that he might tumble off himself. I knew
        he wouldn't do that, so I wasn't afraid, and
        took my time. The air was swinging me too
        much when I grabbed the wire underneath. It
        was hard for me to get steady, and the wire
        scrapped my hand."

        He held up his left hand and showed where a
        piece of skin as large as a cent had been scraped
        from the Inside of his third finger.

        "I held on there until I was steady, then I
        let go. I looked all around. I saw a tugboat
        that had just passed underneath going on down
        the river, and there was a little schooner up by
        Catherine Ferry tacking on down toward the
        bridge. It was pretty far off, but I was afraid I
        would fall on it. So I hurried up to get down
        before it got under me. I took a long breath
        and began to drop. I kept my eyes on that
        little schooner coming down from Catharine
        Ferry, and kept thinking that I was really
        jumping the bridge.

        "About half way down my feet began to
        spread and I remembered and got them
        together again and put up my right hand to
        balance my feet. That brought them back. They
        were about a foot and a half apart. I turned
        my chin to my breast and looked down and
        saw that there wasn't any chance of my lighting
        on the little schooner. Then I looked up and
        saw the policeman leaning over and watching
        me. I tried to smile at him, but it was no
        use. By this time I was right by the water,
        and lit. As soon as I came up I swam to the
        boat.

        "I didn't take any full breaths on the way
        down. I just heaved twice to keep my chest
        firm. Lighting didn't sicken me at all. My
        stomach was all rIght, and so was I. I
        expected to be unconscious when I came to the
        top of the water, and had a bottle of ammonia
        and a bottle of whiskey on board to be rubbed
        with. When they were rubbing me it smelled
        so good that I took a few tastes. That was
        what troubled me in the station house."

        Brodie has bad tintypes made of himself as
        he looks dressed in his diving suit. He got the
        clothes from the station house and put them
        on yesterday morning. The jersey sags like a
        ball dress. His trousers are tied at the ankles
        with cords, and there is a big bulge around his
        waist and chest where the canton flannel is.

        In Divver's last night Brodie signed a contract
        to show at Tom McCoy's for two weeks at
        $100 a week, and then to travel with McCoy at
        same pay and expenses, "except wine," for
        thirteen weeks. P. Divver signed for him as
        surety and ex-Alderman Farley signed for
        McCoy.

        ----end

        Comment


        • Actually from the description of the placement of his witnesses, none saw him jump. He went beneath the roadbed of the bridge, and my guess is he climbed down as quickly as possible. He might get wet, but it would not be like Odlum's smashing into the river's surface (which from that height would be rather pretty hard - sort of like driving into a stone wall in a car). I guess Brodie was counting on his actions before the "dive", his friends and the police noticing some of his movements, and the bridge itself blocking full view.

          Jeff

          Comment


          • Link to an article about Professor Robert Odlum's fatal leap from the Brooklyn Bridge in 1885. A member of Odlum's support crew, Captain Paul Boyton, was mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, "Dr. Benjamin Howard and Captain Paul Boyton."

            New York Sun, May 20, 1885, Page 1, Column 1

            He Met Sam Patch's Death.

            Odlum Leapds from the bridge and is Picked up Dying

            Smashed Against the Water, 140 Feet Below--A
            Dummy Arrested by the Bridge Police
            Just Before the Leap--Paul Boyton, Paddy
            Ryan, Jerry Dunn, Muldoon, and Others
            Waiting for him with a Tugboat on the
            River--He is Brought Ashore in a Coffin--
            The Coroner Orders the Arrest of All.

            ---end

            A link to a biography of Odlum by his mother.

            The Life and Adventures of Prof. Robert Emmet Odlum (Washington, D.C.: Gray & Clarkson, 1885), link
            by Catherine Odlum


            Steve Brodie tried to paddle down the East River in a Boyton-type inflatable suit.


            New York Sun, April 25, 1887, Page 1, Column 7

            Brodie Paddles Down the East River

            Steve Brodie, the bridge jumpor, cllmbed into
            a Paul Boyton rubber suit on one of the floats of a Harlem
            boat club at the Fourth avenue railroad bridge
            yesterday afternoon, and jumped into the Harlem River
            with a resounding splash at 12 1/2 o'clock. His intention
            was to propel himself down the river to the Battery in
            four and one half hours with a canoe paddle. He had
            intended to take along an umbrella that couldn't turn inside
            out even if it wanted to, but he left it behind. His
            brother Tom followed him in a rowboat with an American
            flag stuck in the bow, and a crowd jammed Harlem
            bridge to watch him paddle under it.

            The tide was against him and at times twirled him
            round like a chip in an eddy. Four hours after he started
            he had got only as far as Grand street, and became stuck
            there in an eddy near the ferry wharves. He tried for
            twenty minutes to fight the eddy, and then gave the
            thing up and came ashore. He was tired out, and his
            face was burned as red as a lobster by the hot sun. He
            wished he had taken his patent umbrella along.

            ---end

            Comment


            • It was an era of athletic stunts of all kinds - some of which have stuck with us to this day. In 1875 Captain Matthew Webb swam the English Channel (the first person to do so), but he would die trying to swim the Niagara Falls Rapids about ten years later. The first person to go over the falls in a barrel was a woman in 1899.

              There were also plenty of sports crazes around the glove. In 1889 for example, Spaulding (the U.S. sports equipment entrepreneur) took an all star "baseball team to give demonstrations of the national pastime in England, France and other countries (including Egypt). It wasn't a real success (the game was, after all, based on the old English game of rounders) and baseball only found favor in Latin America and (of all countries) Japan - where it has remained ever since. Britain and the Empire were to show the same devotion to cricket, although lawn tennis became popular. Germany found cricket becoming popular there as well, which became something of a "nationalistic" problem in the decades leading to both World Wars. But the biggest new sports craze of the 1890s was bike riding. This was due to the invention of the safety bicycle.

              Jeff

              Comment


              • Brookfield recounts an anecdote about the American pedestrian, Edward Payson Weston.

                Random Reminiscences (London: Edward Arnold, 1902), link
                by Charles Hallam Elton Brookfield

                Pages 55-57

                Dull as practical jokes usually are, we perpetrated a fairly amusing one in about 1878 at Cambridge. There was at that time a man called Weston who was walking through England at some prodigious rate—-a hundred miles a day, or something of the kind (it may have been less, but my brain reels nowadays at the idea of anything over five). He wore on this expedition a close-fitting suit of velveteen, with knee-breeches, a sombrero hat, a broad ribbon across his body, and he carried a light cane. It was announced that on a certain afternoon Weston would enter Cambridge—-via the Newmarket Road and Jesus Lane—-at about five o'clock.

                I believe it was W. G. Elliot who first conceived the idea of anticipating him. At all events, we selected one of our number who was more or less of Weston's build—-I fancy it was 'Peter' Burgess—-and procured for him a suit exactly resembling that worn by the pedestrian. We then 'cast' the rest of our number as trainer, doctor, timekeeper, newspaper reporters, etc., and made arrangements to invade the town on the appointed day in these characters. There was a good deal of excitement about Weston's visit. Scaffoldings were erected and rows of seats, and tradespeople let their shop-fronts at remunerative rates, and when the great afternoon came round every corner was crowded.

                Shortly before five a little party hove in sight, the athlete in his unmistakable velvet suit, his wide-brimmed hat jauntily cocked, walking with an easy swing, fresh as paint. His trainer beside him carried a bowl of water, and occasionally flicked a few drops in his face or tenderly sponged his mouth. In a dogcart alongside sat a grave-faced doctor (bearing a striking family likeness to the one who a few years later attended Count Vladimir in the play of' Fedora' at the Haymarket Theatre), while a timekeeper recorded in monotonous tones each minute as it passed. At the back of the cart two eager reporters were writing in their notebooks at lightning speed.

                The cheering was long and loud. At certain points wreaths of laurels and bouquets of rare flowers were hurled at the hero of the hour, but he could only acknowledge these by a graceful touch of the hat with the Wanghee cane he carried; he was obliged to hurry on to keep faith with the public. The floral tributes were placed in the back of the dogcart. At last the party, followed by an enthusiastic crowd which increased at every yard, reached the Bull Hotel. After vociferous acclamation the champion appeared for a moment at the window and said a very few words: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I am a walker, not a talker. But I thank you—-I thank you—-I thank you.' And the window closed —-the crowd went home.

                At about half-past five, as workmen were taking down the deal stands that stood along Jesus Lane, a shabby, exhausted man appeared, covered in dust, his stockings ungartered, shambling along in evident distress. It was the genuine Weston. But the public wouldn't have him at any price, and greeted him with hoots and missiles. 'Some infernal charlatan,' said one, 'trying to impose upon us. Lucky he didn't come half an hour sooner. He might have taken us in.' 'Not a bit of it,' replied another. 'I've seen the posters. You can see at once; this chap's not a bit like them.'

                ---end

                A contemporaneous version:

                Vanity Fair, Volume 21, March 8, 1879, Page 137

                There is an amusing story told of Weston's walk, to the following effect:—-

                On the day when Weston was to reach Cambridge, an undergraduate, himself no mean pedestrian, started from a remote village on the route, arrayed in full walking trim, an hour in advance of Weston himself. As he proceeded he became encircled by ever-gathering crowds, who escorted him in triumph into Cambridge, where he walked in grand style into the inn where Weston was to put up, sat down to the dinner which had been prepared for the latter, ate it all up, and got away just in time to come upon the real Weston, whom he found in course of being mobbed as an impostor!

                ---end

                Comment


                • Fascinating about Payson. I recall the detective story novelist, Peter Lovesey, wrote a "Sgt. Cribb" novel about early pedestrianism as a popular sport, "Wobble to Death".

                  I wonder what that incident alluded to by Brookfield (presumably in his memoir) was - regarding "Count Vladimir". Interestingly Saki wrote a story where his hero/anti-hero Clovis Sangrail pretends to be a "Count Vladimir" ["The Unrest Cure"], but it does not deal with universities or exercise (specifically pedestrianism).

                  Jeff

                  Comment


                  • Jeff, I think Vladimir is a character in the play Fedora. Brookfield played Gretch, the police detective, in the Haymarket production.

                    Dramatic Notes, Volumes 4-6, May, 1883

                    Pages 21-25

                    Review of Fedora


                    Page 77


                    Cast List for Fedora


                    An English language version, but I'm not sure if it is the one produced at the Haymarket.

                    Fedora: A Drama, link

                    This version of the story about that Baronet caught slumming in Whitechapel says, "He then turned his attention to theatricals, and when the Bancrofts produced Fedora they allowed Sir George [Arthur] to appear as the corpse. " i think "the corpse" refers to Wladimir. And the Bancrofts produced the Haymarket version.

                    Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 28, 2 February 1889, Page 1

                    ARREST OF A BARONET FOR THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERER.

                    Comment


                    • I was reading the review of the play, and started looking at the actual translated text. I don't think this kind of play would make it with an audience in 2016, but it was meat and potatos for the melodrama loving audiences of 1882-83. Victorien Sardou (and his predecessor, Eugen Scribe) were the leading advocates of what was termed "the well-made play" where the physical structure of the business in the plot was all important. George Bernard Shaw made of this, calling it "Sardoodledum", but it influences his early plays, like "Arms and the Man" and "The Devil's Desciple", but Shaw's sense of humor covers it up by making tricks played by Scribe and Sardou on the audience into self-collapsing incidents (a key letter found by the heroine's father about Captain Bluntschli in "Arms and the Man" will reveal the circumstances of their embarrassing first meeting - but it is lifted from the father's person before he realizes it, and he shows massive confusion when he can't find it). The only real remnant of "the well-made play" from this period are the farces of Georges Feydeau with the timed entrances and slammed doors in his comedies.

                      I heard of the incident with poor Sir George Arthur. A matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

                      Jeff

                      Comment


                      • The Pedestrian hoax of Brookfield and his chums

                        After you showed the passage from Brookfield about how he and his friends pulled a fast one on the American pedestrian and the local university townspeople, I wondered why it sounded a little familiar. It occurred in the 1870s, and then I remembered today an incident from 1910 that is still admired as one of the best practical jokes on officialdom ever done. I'm referring to the "Dreadnought Hoax" of 1910.

                        H.M.S. Dreadnought was the most advanced piece of military hardware (and certainly naval hardware) of the pre-World War I period, forcing every major power to seek ships of similar speed and armament for their own fleets. In 1910 the Admiralty received word that the Emperor of Abyssinia and his official party were coming to England and sought to see the great ship. At the appropriate hour a train arrived and the Emperor and his party (in native "Abyssinian" garb showed up to be escorted by an official naval unit to see the battleship. The party of about eight included a translater (who was German) and spoke "Abyssinian" to the "Emperor" and his men. They would speak out loud so all heard them talking, and the entire visit proved to be successful except for one point: when an official barge was sent to transport the party to the "Dreadnought" a motor boat crossed it, driven by a naval officer. Later he would be reprimanded. It was one of first Sea Lord Battenburg's sons (possibly Lord Louis Mountbatten, of all people). But the repremander never seemed to notice that the young officer, despite his family connection, did not seem to be aware of the royal visitors of that day. It should have tipped him off.

                        Soon the hoax was exposed in London. Horace Cole, a notorious practical joker of genius, got his friends (including a young Virginia Woolf - then Virginia Stephen), to dress up as the "Abyssinians" and come to see the "Dreadnought" and it's crew in the best naval uniforms. The language spoken by the interpreter, was mispronounced Latin that the jokers had worked on (taking words and putting emphasis on the wrong syllable). A rather red faced First Lord of the Admiralty had to face the House of Commons asking questions about security regarding this.

                        Jeff

                        Comment


                        • Thanks, Jeff. I hadn't heard about the Dreadnought Hoax before.

                          The article about Steve Brodie and the Brooklyn Bridge mentions that Brodie had been involved with a filibustering expedition. The filibuster story had been covered for The Sun by Arthur Brisbane, who was the paper's London correspondent at the time of the Whitechapel murders. This thread, Author of Central News letters identified - 1891, discusses an 1891 article in which Brisbane is quoted as saying that the "Dear Boss" letter was concocted by John Moore of the Central News Agency.

                          Here's how Brisbane recalled the filibustering incident in a talk given in 1910.

                          University Missourian, January 20, 1910, Pages 1, 4

                          His Are the Yellowest
                          Brisbane Tells Students of his Newspaper Work--Some Experiences

                          [...]

                          Mr. [Arthur] Brisbane, in a reminiscent talk,
                          told of some of his feats as a young
                          reporter.

                          "I was once assigned to learn the
                          facts about the fitting out of a rubber-gathering
                          expedition designed to land
                          in Guatemala, dethrone the president
                          and make it possible for a rich Guatemalan
                          in New York City to assume
                          the presidency. Many reporters had
                          failed, but I went to a bootblack down
                          on the waterfront who was an exceedingly
                          smart bootblack. I learned the
                          purpose of the expedition and the
                          name of the man who was furnishing
                          the money.

                          "By holding to the rear of the man's
                          carriage I was able to ride with him
                          to his home, where I tried to interview
                          him. The rich man offered $8,000
                          to have his name suppressed, half for
                          me and half for the bootblack. The
                          bootblack wanted to take the money,
                          and threatened to cut my leg off if I
                          refused. The story was published, the
                          vessel was seized and sold by the
                          United States government as a pirate
                          for $250,000. The rich man escaped to
                          Guatemala and never was caught.["]

                          [...]

                          ---end

                          A couple of articles from 1886.

                          New York Sun, February 7, 1886, Page 3, Column 5

                          Gone Filibustering

                          Fourth Warders Sail to Descend
                          on Honduras.

                          TURK'S ISLAND THE RENDEZVOUS.

                          Gatling Guns Said to Have Been
                          Shipped as Merchandise.

                          IS IT SOTO'S EXPEDITION?

                          Pistols Distributed to the Men Aboard
                          the San Domingo.
                          Some af the Fourth Warders Conclude that
                          Fighting is Ahead and Won't Go--One of
                          Them Brings Off a Navy Revolver as a
                          Mememnto--David Wallace Embraces Tearful
                          Marian May Aboard the Steamer and
                          Sails for Glory or a Grave--Brooklyn Elevated
                          Men Go Too--Teddy Dunegan of
                          James Street Tries to Dissaude Brother
                          Chris, But Chris Would Go--Supposed
                          Destination of the Forces is central America.

                          When the steamship San Domingo of the
                          Clyde line sailed for South America at twenty
                          minutes before 6 on Thursday afternoon she
                          carried a queer set of passengers about whom
                          there hangs an interesting odor of romance.
                          It is averred that there were in the cargo arms
                          shipped as lard or other merchandise, so that
                          the company would not know what it was carrying,
                          and the queer passengers were twenty-five
                          rather tough-looking citizens of this land
                          who had been engaged to do a llttle filibustering
                          among the South American republics.
                          Some of them know what they were going
                          down there for, but most ot them did not. This
                          is the story:

                          Three weeks ago Stephen Brodie, the newsboy,
                          a well-knownn citizen of tho Fourth Ward,
                          who has been a professional walker, and
                          who is now a member of the Tammany
                          General Committee of the Second
                          Assembly district, was leaning against
                          Martin's liquor store on the corner
                          of East Broadway and Catharine street, talking
                          to his wife, and waiting for fortune to blow his
                          way. Instead of fortune there came an individual
                          named James Halliday, and with
                          him a young man well known in
                          South street, who out of consideration
                          will be spoken of as Smith. Brodie knew Mr,
                          Smith, and courteously asked if be desired to
                          go through an opium joint or see the town, a
                          little pleasure which the newsboy occasionally
                          furnishes to his friends. Mr. Smith said no,
                          but that Brodie was just the man he wanted to
                          see.

                          INVITED TO GO PICK RUBBER.

                          "The fact is," Mr. Smith went on. after
                          introducing Mr. Halllday. "that we have discovered
                          a rubber field in South America. There's
                          millions In it." (Brodie grew interested.)
                          "And we want men to go down there and pull
                          the rubber. You are just the man to find the
                          men for us. We will give them thelr board and
                          $30 a month."

                          That as Brodie knew, was a fine offer in this
                          combination of bad weather and hard times,
                          and he promised to bring half the men in New
                          York; at the same time inquiring why they
                          came to him instead of advertising, since an
                          advertisement would bring them more men
                          than they knew what to do with. Mr, Halllday
                          answered this question.

                          "The moneyed man, who is running the
                          thing," he said. " wlll not let us advertise for
                          fear it would be made public. He does not
                          want the snap given away, and then an ad.
                          would bring us a gang of worthless bums. We
                          want good men. In fact, to be frank
                          with you, we want tough men, men who are
                          not afraid to fight. If we could fix it, we want
                          men out of jail, men who do not care what
                          they do, men whose lives are of no value to
                          them."

                          Brodie explained that the latter class of men
                          were very rare, and inquired why so much
                          fighting blood was wanted. It was explained
                          to him that the country was full of Indians and
                          bad men, who wanted to keep all the
                          rubber to themselves, and who would fight.
                          Mr. Brodie said that Indians were nothing; according
                          to what he had read one New York boy
                          could kill a tribe, and that if this job was such
                          a good one he would send his brother Tom,
                          who happened to be out of work.

                          "Good." exclaimed tho young man called
                          Smith. "I'll make him a Second Lieutenant,"

                          "Of what?" said the newsboy. "This isn't
                          crooked. Is it?"

                          His suspicions were allayed, and he promised
                          to be on hand in front of Mash & Crook's restaurant
                          on Park row the following morning
                          with six men, including his brother Tom.

                          He was there, and these are the six men wbo
                          were With him, ready to "pull rubber" and
                          fight Indians: Wm. Doran 22 years old,
                          of 456 Pearl street; James Bogan, from
                          the Howard House on Chatham street;
                          Sandy Dick, who has no other name, and who
                          came with Bogan from the Howard House;
                          Dutchy Gleason, who lived in James street,
                          and could be heard from at Case's liquor store:
                          Johnny Connors of the Howard House, and
                          Tom Brodie, the newsboy's brother.

                          A RENDEZVOUS IN OLD SLIP.

                          Mr. Smith, the young gentleman, and Mr,
                          Halliday were on hand, but it was announced
                          that the expedition had been delayed by a
                          failure to make certain arrangements. Other
                          meetings were had, until at last, on Wednesday
                          last, the day before the San Domingo
                          sailed, Brodie got a note from
                          Mr. Smith telling him to be at 147 Cherry street
                          at 7 o'clock that evening. Brodie was there
                          with his men and his brother, and was
                          put off for the last time. Mr. Smith failed
                          to appear, but sent word for Brodie to
                          be patient, and come at 10 o'clock the next
                          morning to the office of Jones & Williams, shipping
                          agents, of 23 Old slip. Brodie was there,
                          and everything was all right. A lot of other
                          men were there, who had been brought
                          together by Mr Halliday, and when
                          they had all signed tbeir names, they were
                          marched down to 147 Cherry street, which is
                          the home of Mr. Williams, one of the firm, who
                          is better known as Taff Wllliams, a lover of
                          game fowl. It was as a **** fighter that young
                          Mr. Smith first made Mr. Williams's acquaintance.

                          While the men were at the office of the shipping
                          agents remarks were made that caused
                          Brodie, the newsboy. some anxiety. A restless
                          desire was shown to get the men away which
                          looked bad. and Brodie kept asking himself
                          over and over again:

                          "Is there anything crooked in this?"

                          "His suspicions increased after the men
                          were gathered in the house on Cherry street.
                          They were kept there surrounded with much
                          mystery until the ship was about to to [sic] sail,
                          and then they were taken down to the San Domingo,
                          which lay at Pier 86, East River, two at
                          a time. Tom Brodie, the newsboy's brother,
                          was made a sort of marshal to escort the
                          couples and keep them from running away.

                          MARIAN RAY WEEPS FOR DAVID WALLACE.

                          At the ship things were very queer and
                          romantic indeed. Ten of the men were booked
                          as cabin passengers aud fifteen as steerage
                          passengers. Brodie went on board, and was
                          astonished. One of the first sights that
                          met his gaze was Mr, David Wallace, rigged
                          out with much gorgeousness, including a suit
                          of bright blue with a silken stripe down the
                          trousers, and a jaunty travelling hat of heavy
                          cloth to match. Mr. Wallace is the young man
                          on whose account young Mr, Ray, who was
                          living happily at 1,007 Madison avenue, killed
                          himself, and endeavored to kill his wife, Marion [sic]
                          Ray.

                          Mr. Wallace was not alone. Quite the contrary.
                          His mother was tbere. and so was
                          Marian Ray, the wound made by her husband's
                          bullet not yet healed. She evidently knew that
                          Wallace was going to pull a very refractory
                          sort of rubber, and was grieved to see
                          him go. Mr. Brodie. whose word can be trusted,
                          declares that she hung upon his neck, crying,
                          "Good by, sweetheart," in a way that quite
                          disgusted him with the newsboy: so much so
                          that as soon as he saw his wife he told her that
                          if she ever did that to him he would cut ber in
                          pieces,

                          "And," said Brodie afterward. "I would."

                          While on the ship Brodie went with bis
                          brother Tom into the cabin of Halliday. and all
                          indulged in wlne.

                          In the cabin, besides Halliday and the
                          Brodies. were Tom Loftus and Fred Perry,
                          who are among the important members of the
                          expedition.

                          After tbe wine was drank, Loftus handed to
                          Tom Brodie a big revolver of the bulldog pattern,
                          and said: "Here, take this. There is
                          only one man to kill."

                          This did not make Tom feel cheerful. He
                          ran out after his brother. who had just gone
                          up stairs, and demanded an explanation. The
                          newsboy did not give any. but said:

                          "Tom, you had better jump off Ihls thing
                          and go home."

                          Tom did so, abandoning his clothes, which,
                          he says, were worth $22.

                          THE SAN DOMINGO SAILS.

                          When the ship pulled out on her interesting
                          trip there were twenty-five men aboard. Ten
                          of them who were in the cabin knew
                          pretty well what they were about;
                          those in the steerage had only a
                          vague idea. They had pledged themselves
                          to fight Indians, and. in a general way. to pull
                          rubber in spite of everything. This list gives
                          an idea of some of those men who went, and
                          what they were. Among those in the cabin
                          Who travelled as flrst-class passengers were:

                          David Wallace. the lover of Marion Ray, who
                          understood that he was to be a sort of Lieutenant,
                          and who looked very swell.

                          John Perry, a conductor on tho Brooklyn Elevated
                          Railroad, of whom it is said that he was a
                          very smart young man, and belonged to a good
                          family, &c.

                          John Perry, in the course of his adventurous
                          career has been a professional walker,
                          and was beaten in a walk in Philadelphia
                          eight or nine years ago by Brodie, the
                          newsboy, who was a walker then also. When
                          asked how he came to be in such a crowd,
                          Perry replied, just as he was about to start:

                          "I got into it becauso I was a d--- fool, and
                          I'm too deep in to got out now.["]

                          James Halliday, the leader among them all,
                          was. of course, a first-class passenger, too. He
                          would be much more than a llttle private when
                          he gets under command of Uen. Delgado, who
                          has been cruising around the Honduras coast
                          of Central America on the steamship City
                          of Mexico looking for a landing, and
                          whom it is supposed this party is to join.
                          Just who Halliday is no one seems to
                          know. It is he who had most to do in getting
                          the little band together, and he was rendered
                          attractive by the fact that he was provided
                          with $1,000 to spend in making himself popular
                          and keeping up his men's spirits. Mrs. Ray
                          knew Mr. Halllday qulte well, it seemed, and
                          klssed him good by.

                          Then there was Tom Loftus, already spoken
                          of, who will be in charge of the ammunition,
                          and who will be expected to be in the storage
                          a good deal, so as to keep the subalterns
                          cheerful and resoulute [sic] by comforting words
                          of promise. His duty will also be to explain to
                          them gradually just what they are going down
                          for. Mr. Loftus is known by overy one in
                          Cherry street, and will be very badly missed.

                          Thomas Fraiser from Boston is also travelling
                          toward victory and gore in first-class style.
                          He will be expected to work the gatling guns
                          that are said to form part of this outfit.

                          Another of the lucky ones is an Englishman
                          named Ball, who used to carry newspapers in
                          Rochester. Mr. Ball is described by friends as
                          an extremely solid and dangerous personage,
                          admirably calculated to capture a small South
                          American republic all by himself.

                          Among the steerage passengers are:

                          James Gleason, called "Dutchy," of 88 [?] Monroe street,
                          William Austin of Oliver street, young William
                          Doran. called the "Kid" of the Franklin
                          House, 456 Pearl street, and Johnny Connors,
                          22 years old. of the same place; also Alexander Dicks,
                          nicknamed Sandy, and big James Bogan, called Ryan,
                          both of the Howard House, Bowery and Roosevelt street.

                          Doran is a printer, and Connors used to work
                          in Walsh's newspaper mailing agency in Frankfort
                          street. They both left the Franklin House
                          about a week ago.

                          Bogan and Dicks were employed as compositors
                          in Scott's publishing bouse, in Park row.
                          They came to the Howard House together
                          on last Friday, and on Saturday
                          night were put out for coming in
                          drunk and raising a disturbance. Bogan was
                          registered at the hotel under the name of
                          Ryan. "Wallace" was written on the register
                          of the botel on Jan. 28.

                          SAID TO BE SOTo'S EXPEDITION.

                          The story told to Brodie by his brother made
                          the newsboy more suspicious than ever, and,
                          leaving the ship, he climbed into a carriage
                          in which sat young Mr. Smith waiting
                          for the ship to start. Mr. Smith
                          was feeling very sociable and kind, and was
                          not inclined to keep back what he knew, he
                          simply asked Brodie to see if the ropes were
                          off, and when he learned that the vessel was
                          under way he told the story.

                          The expedition, Mr. Smith said with a frank
                          smile, was really not to pick rubber. It was
                          sent out in the interest of Mr. Marco
                          Amelio [?] Soto, a very rich and very good
                          South American gentleman, who had been
                          greatly wronged. This was how it was, according
                          to Mr. [Smith], Soto, in 1883 was President of Honduras.
                          He resigned on account of the wicked
                          action of Gen. Barrios, then President
                          of Guatemala, who wanted to force
                          a Central American Union, which President
                          Soto objected to. Gen. Bogran, supported by
                          Barrios, whose arms were back of him, became
                          President of Honduras, and the friends of Soto
                          were greatly oppressed. One, a iad
                          of 17, named Velasquez, was beaten to
                          death by order of Bogram [sic] because he
                          sent a marked copy of a paper containing a
                          caricature on Barrios and Bogran. Ever since
                          that time Soto's friends have been importuning
                          him to use his fortune of four
                          millions to overthrow the present Administration,
                          and become President himself.
                          Soto[, who] preferred to enjoy his wealth in
                          quiet, and indulge in literary pursuits, was
                          willing. He sent one expedition down there
                          on tho City of Mexico, Mr. Smith said. That
                          has not got along very well. This expedition
                          was to come to the rescue by furnishing arms
                          and tough fighters to Gen. Delgado,
                          who is in command of the Mexico. Just
                          how the forces would unite Mr. Smith did not
                          know, but probably the San Domingo would
                          meet the Mexico at some one of the numerous
                          little islands off the Mosquito coast or at
                          Turk's Island, where the men will be
                          transferred to the City of Mexico and
                          put under Delgado's command. The object
                          Mr. Smith says, is to land in Honduras or
                          Guatemala either and kick up a revolution.
                          Mr. Smith says that Mr. Soto would a little
                          rather be President of Guatemala than of Honduras.

                          GEN. SOTO DISOWNS IT.

                          Gen. Soto was visited yesterday afternoon at
                          his house at 854 Fifth avenue. His residence is
                          a veritable palace, and seemed much proferable
                          to anything in Central America. Young Mr.Smith
                          was sitting in one parlor. Mr. Soto was interviewed
                          in another. He said he knew nothing
                          about it at all, and did not know Mr. Smith,
                          who was supposed to be his agent. He had
                          never seen him. Three times during the interview
                          he went out to talk to Mr. Smith.

                          Mr. Soto said that the President of Guatemala
                          was his good friend. He did not want him
                          killed. He did not say as much for Bogran of
                          Honduras. He was out of Central American
                          politics forever. It was all nonsense.

                          THE ARMS SAID TO BE ON ANOTHER STEAMER.

                          "The truth of this matter is," said Jacob
                          Baiz, the New York consul for Honduras, last
                          night, " that the arms were not shipped on the
                          San Domingo. I do not know how many men
                          went in her, nor anything about her.
                          But during last Docember a party of
                          two hundred filibusters was recruited
                          here in New York to go down
                          and create a disturbance in Honduras. These
                          arms were to have been taken on board, but
                          they were stored in a bonded warehouse, and
                          on account of the mysterious actions of those
                          connected with them there was a hitch about
                          the delivery, and the gang took fright and disbanded.
                          The crowd was to have carried
                          out 2 steam launches, 4 other launches, 50
                          cases of rifles, 600 cases of cartridges, besides
                          other arms, making in all 740 packages.
                          Finally the City of Mexico left for Progresso
                          with a cargo of corn, carrying along twelve
                          filibusters, of whom Gen. Delgardo was the
                          leader, and a few days later the arms were
                          shipped to Kingston, Jamaica, on the steamer
                          Audos[?]. The government at Jamaica refused
                          to allow the arms to be landed except on
                          the condition that they were to be returned
                          to New York, and obliged the steamer's owners
                          to give a bond of $2,000 that the arms would be
                          so returned, The arms were therefore transferred
                          to the steamer Albano, and they arrived
                          in New York last week. Meantime the City of
                          Mexico had discharged her corn, and sailed
                          for Belize. where she arrived on Jan, 6.
                          On Jan. 12 she sailed fur Bluefields, on
                          the coast of Nicaragua, having taken
                          on twenty-seven more filibusters at Belize.
                          The Bluefields authorities, knowing their intentions,
                          refused to allow the filibusters to
                          land, and the City of Mexico sailed for Jamaica
                          via San Andreas to get the arms which she
                          expected would await her there. The last
                          heard of her was that she had
                          arrived at Port Corn Island short of
                          coal, and not knowing what to do.
                          In this emergency the Norwegian steamer
                          Fram was chartered to take coal and the arms
                          out to her at Port Corn Island, and she sailed
                          on that mission on Friday at 2 P. M. She had
                          aboard the arms brought back by the Albano.
                          They were transfered to her secretly in lighters.
                          She had been lying off Staten Island.
                          Suppose the filibusters make a landing, what
                          hope have they of overturning thw Government
                          of Honduras? Does the President employ a
                          bpdvguard?"

                          "President Bogran walked about as any
                          American does in New York. He has been
                          fully appraised ot the expedition, and is only
                          anxious that it shall arrive."

                          "I would like to have you say that information
                          received from Washington makes it appear
                          probable that an American steamer will
                          be sent out to bring in the City of Mexico, in
                          order to put a stop to this business, I am sure
                          that some energetic measures will be taken by
                          the American Government."

                          a FOURTH WARDER WHO DIDN't GO,

                          Charles Connors of 386 Pearl street, who
                          didn't go, said; "I heard it talked along South
                          street on Wednesday night that there was a
                          good job at Jones wllliams's shipping office
                          at 23 Old slip, awaiting any one who wanted to
                          go to Central America. I was on hand at the
                          office on Thursday morning with fifty-six
                          others, who were out ot work. Fifteen of us
                          were admitted to the room, and the others
                          were shut out. Tommy Loftus, a Spaniard,
                          who lives at 98 Monroe street and is a runner
                          for vessels, helped Jones make the selection of
                          men to sail on the steamer San Domingo that
                          afternoon. We were told that our passage
                          would be paid to Guatemala, and that we were
                          wanted there to pick rubber; but another story
                          was that we were to help lay a railroad in
                          Guatemala. of which a nephew of Jay Gould's
                          was the President. We found out that this was
                          nonsense, but for a time we supposed thst a
                          young man who was in the office
                          was the Guatemalan Railroad President.
                          We weren't told much about what our work
                          would be in Guatemala, but our names were
                          collected and read off by Tommy Loftus. As
                          each man's name was called he was asked to
                          put his signature in the centre of a piece of
                          paper put before him by Mr. Jones. There was
                          no other writing than our own on the slips of
                          paper we signed. We did not make any contract
                          to do work. We were told that a Mr. Holliday
                          was hiring us. We didn't see Mr. Hollidsy.
                          After all the names had been obtained. Jones
                          told us to go by two and threes to the San
                          Domingo's pier at the foot of Market street.
                          We were there by 4 P. M., and were admitted
                          aboard the vessel. Plenty of our friends were
                          on the pier, for it had been noised in the
                          neighborhood of our homes that we were going
                          to Central America without knowing for what
                          purpose we were engaged. Rumors that it was
                          filibustering expedition reached my ears, and
                          I determined not to go unless I knew what I
                          was sailing for. I couldn't find out from anybody
                          on board the vessel, and tried to persuade
                          Jerry Daly of 30 Madison street, and some
                          others of my companions to get off with me.
                          They refused, and I left the vessel without
                          them."

                          CHRIS DUNEGAN GETS AWAY FROM TEDDY.

                          Teddy Dunegan of S3 James street, whose
                          brother Christopher, 33 years old. signed, tells
                          this story:

                          "My brother had been in drink since New
                          Year's, and was out of his head. About 5 P.M.
                          on Thursday Michael McCormick of Cherry
                          street came to my widowed mother and myself
                          and told us that Christy was going to Central
                          America on the San Domingo to fight. Mike
                          said he had taken Jerry Daly off the vessel,
                          and that we'd better persuade Christy not to
                          go, if we wanted to see him alive again. My
                          mother and I hurried down to the vessel, and
                          I caught my brother on the deck, where nearly
                          all the fellows who had signed were lying
                          around drunk, and tried to take him
                          away with me. He hit me in the mouth
                          and ran down the companion way. and
                          hid himself somewhere in the hold of the ship.
                          The mate wouldn't let me go below to look for
                          him, but told me I could get a policeman. I
                          sent my mother to look for one, but while
                          she was gone Capt. Kelly, who, I believe,
                          is a brother of Capt. Kelly of the City of
                          Mexico, gave orders for sailing. I had to leave
                          the ship, but Capt. Kelly promised me he
                          would put my brother aboard tho pilot boat
                          and send him back. The pilot boat Marshall
                          returned to-night, but Christy wasn't aboard
                          of her.

                          "None of the fellows who sailed," said Dunigan [sic],
                          "know anything about a seafaring life. The
                          talk is around here that they have gone to fight.
                          But they're very light soldiers. Most of them are
                          chronic drunks. Toft Jones, I'm told, got $10
                          a head for shipping the fellows. Loftus went
                          along with them as interpreter. He is interested
                          in the affair, whatever it is, in some way. I
                          heard that a similar expedition, carrying
                          thirty or thlrty-five men, sailed for Central
                          America from Martin's stores, Brooklyn, today,
                          and that another vessel is to follow on
                          next Saturday."

                          WOULDN'T LET JERRY DALY GO TO WAR.

                          Jerry Daly of 30 Madison street told a story
                          similar to Connors's of the way tbey were
                          signed in tbe shipping office.

                          "I didn't think anything was crooked." said
                          Daly, "until some friends told me it was
                          filibusterlng, and I'd better come off. I
                          wanted to give up going. All the
                          other follows, except Connors, said they'd
                          stay, but I stepped off the pier to get a drink
                          of water. and Mike McCormick and others of
                          my friends nabbod me, and run me down the
                          pier into South street. I couldn't get away
                          from them, and the sbip sailed without me. I
                          ain't sorry, since I've heard I was hired to go
                          to war. It was a great bluff they gave us about
                          picking rubber or railroading. They said we
                          would be ten days making the passage to
                          Turk's Island, and that there we'd be put
                          on another steamer going to Guatemala. We
                          were told we'd be away five or six months, that
                          our wages would be paid regularly, and that we
                          wouldn't have to find our board nor clothes.
                          We didn't hear a word of it until Wednesday
                          night, and on Thursday we were rushed
                          through without much explanatlon. except
                          that we were told that we were getting something
                          pretty good."

                          THE SHIP OWNERS KNEW NOTHING OF IT.

                          W, P. Clyde & Co. are owners of the San Domingo.
                          Mr. Clyde said last night that no vessel
                          of his line would be permitted to carry
                          arms and men, for it would involve the
                          line in endless difficulties with the
                          Government of San Domingo and GUatemala
                          and interfere greatly with its business. The
                          steamshlp San Domingo was built for the San
                          Domingo line, and has never been chartered by
                          any other line or individual.

                          "The vessel was loaded at Pier 36, East River."
                          he sald, "because it was more convenient.
                          She carries general cargo. We have occasionally
                          shipped packages of firearms in the way
                          of business, but only small quantities. I do not
                          think the San Domingo is carrying arms this
                          time. If there are any on board the
                          quantity was so small as not to be
                          noticeable. If any one person paid the
                          passage of a number of men to any of the
                          ports we touch at it would cause comment,
                          and I should certainly hear of
                          it. I don't know just how many passengers
                          the steamer is carrying, but I
                          think the number is small. Our vessels always
                          stop at Turk's Island. We carry freight and
                          passengers there. The crew of the steamer
                          consists of thirty-five men, in charge of Capt.
                          Kelly."

                          At Mr. Clyde's shipping office, 35 Broadway,
                          the officer who cleared the San Domingo said
                          that the passengers numbered thirty-one, of
                          whom fifteen went in the steerage. He was
                          on the steamship just before the lines were
                          cast off. A young man who had come on
                          board with a party of respectable-looking
                          men, all of whom had bought tickets singly
                          at the Broadway office, was besought
                          by his parents not to go away, and
                          he went ashore. The party didn't look like filibusters.
                          One of them said that they were going
                          to become planters. This clerk says that
                          he knows that there were no arms and ammunition
                          on the steamer.

                          Mr. Julius, the senior member of the firm of
                          shipping agents, said to the reporter that a
                          nice looking young man visited the office in Old
                          slip a few days ago and on his application several
                          men were hired to sail on the steamship San Domingo,
                          but who the young man was, for
                          what purpose the men were hired, and what
                          their destination was Mr. Jones said he had
                          not the slightest notion.

                          ----end

                          New York Sun, February 8, 1886, Page 1, Column 1

                          Hunting the Filibusters.

                          An Armed Vessel Searching for the New York Adventurers.

                          Ex-President Soto Tells all About the Expedition
                          and its Object--Gen. St. Delgardo's
                          Manifesto--Will the United States Interfere?--
                          Congressman Tim Campbell Appealed
                          to to Rescue the Filibusters From
                          the Fourth Ward--Honduras is Wide
                          Awake and Ready to Repel Invasion.

                          Mr. Marco Aurelio Soto, once President of
                          the republic of Honduras, was apparently not
                          a bit disturbed yesterday by THE SUN's discovery
                          of his filibustering expedition, the last
                          detachment of which was shipped on the steamer
                          San Domingo on Thursday last. He pulled
                          aside the big heavy curtains of his parlor in
                          which he was sitting in his palace at 854 Fifth
                          avenue. smiled a courteous Spanish smile upon
                          THE SUN reporter, bade him make himself at
                          home and talked to him cheerfully about the
                          filibusters, and why they had been sent forth
                          to battle for liberty and progress.

                          Brodie, the newsboy. who called upon Mr.
                          Soto early on Saturday morning to reproach
                          him for sending Fourth warders to the wars,
                          declared with a rather scornful sniff that the
                          ex-President of Honduras was not satisfied to
                          live like other people, but had built himself a
                          red brick castle, with fancy trimmings, under
                          the evident impression that he was President
                          of New York. Mr. Soto's house really is very
                          gorgeous. Two street-car horses might romp
                          through the big parlors without hearing themselves
                          move, so thick aud soft are the carpets.
                          They might also dash their heads sportively
                          against the walls without being hurt, for the
                          walls are not of plaster covered over with fancy
                          paper, as with ordinary mortals, but are soft,
                          yielding cushions, covered in one parlor with
                          pale blue satin, in another with green embossed
                          velvet. Stained glass lends splendor to
                          floors and windows. The Irish maid who opens
                          the door disappears with your card through a
                          plantation of marbles and bronzes, with a sort
                          of hanging garden of queer Spanish lamps
                          hanging over her head, and sending out all
                          sorts of colors. It is a fine place to live in--
                          much better than anything In Honduras,

                          But Mr. Soto is interested in Central America,
                          and he was kind enough to enlighten the public
                          about it through THE SUN reporter.

                          EX-PRESIDENT SOTO'S STORY

                          In 1883. he said, he was President of Honduras,
                          was living there happily with his family,
                          had been President for seven years, liked
                          his peeple, and was liked bv them. Everything
                          was prosperous and happy, when Gen. Barrios,
                          then President of Guatemala, the most powerful
                          of the five Central American republics,
                          went to work and spoiled it all. Barrios got
                          into his head a scheme for the union of the
                          five little republics into a United States of Central
                          America, and went to work without delay,
                          with the firm intention, of course, of being
                          boss of the union as soon as it was created.
                          President Soto says that he refused to go into
                          the scheme. A union of the republics, he says,
                          would be a grand thing, and he would approve
                          of it with all his heart if it was the right kind
                          of a union. In fact, the great problem of Central
                          America was how to bring the union about.
                          But Barrios was not the right man; there were
                          better men. and the proper thing to do would
                          be to let the people make their Constitution
                          and choose their President. Barrios would not
                          agree to that, and so Soto would not join him.

                          After his refusal the scheme was dropped for
                          the time, but Mr. Soto was made uncomfortable.
                          Gen. Bogran, who wanted to be President
                          of Honduras himself, kept doing wicked
                          things, encouraged and sustained by the moral
                          support of the powerful Barrios. By and by
                          President Soto learned that Barrios was
                          preparing to make war against him, and that was
                          the climax. Mr. Soto says that he knew that it
                          Was all a personal matter between Barrios, and
                          himself. He know that if he remained President
                          he would plunge his people into a bloody
                          and disastrous war, and he also knew that if he
                          went away there would be peace, so he resigned
                          the Presidency, packed up his things, and
                          came to this city.

                          THE CITY OF MEXICO BOUGHT TO FILIBUSTER

                          Bogran at once became President, supported
                          as he was by the army of his good friend Barrios,
                          and Soto's friends began to suffer. Mr.
                          Soto says that a revolution began to be cookod
                          up there by the leading men. Friends of Soto
                          wore especially persecuted, and they begged of
                          him to come and put himself at the head of the
                          revolution. Mr. Soto did not wish to do that,
                          but he was willing to do what he could to help
                          along. When Barrios, early in March, 1885,
                          declared himself military chief of Central
                          America, and prepared to carry out by force his
                          scheme of a union of the republics. Mr. Soto
                          Was determined that he should not succeed.
                          He got together men nnd ammunition, and
                          Was liberally devoting his fortune to making
                          things hot for Bogran, Barrios, and the union.
                          But just as he was ready to swoop down there,
                          Barrios was killed, and the idea of a union was
                          given up. Bogran promptly announcing after
                          Barrios's death that he wanted to go on in the
                          Old way.

                          Meanwhile. the revolutionary business was
                          going on steadily; the heads of the revolution
                          down in Hondurns were urging Soto to come
                          back, and Gen. Delgardo, who came up here
                          with a number of Honduranians, who were exiled
                          as Delgardo had been, urged Mr. Soto to
                          go back with him. Mr. Soto would not, but did
                          What he could in the way of furnishing ways
                          and means to help Delgardo along. The steamship
                          City of Mexico wns bought, and went
                          down to stir things up. She had on board Gen.
                          Delgardo and just twenty fighting men. Most
                          of them were Honduranians; two or three
                          were Cubans, and four were Americans. Among
                          the Americans was a man whose name Mr.
                          Soto could not exactly spell, but which sounded
                          like Tyrone. Tyrone was a friend of Mr. David
                          Wallace, the lover of Marion Ray, and Wallace
                          had an idea of going along, only he was prevented
                          by the smash up in his love affairs
                          caused by the suicide of Marion's husband and
                          his attempt to murder Marion.

                          The City of Mexico went to Progreso and unloaded
                          corn, which she had incidentally taken
                          along. Then she went to British Honduras,
                          where all the revolutionists hang out, and
                          Where the chiefs of the revolution stay and plot.
                          But at Belize, the port to which the City of
                          Mexico sailed, things were made very uncomfortable
                          for her. The Consul of Honduras did
                          all he could to be ugly, and so did the
                          Consul of Spain, a much more important
                          individual, who got it into his head
                          that that was another dreadful plot
                          to free Cuba. So the City of Mexico took on
                          board seventeen of the revolutionists who had
                          the best fighting blood and made for Bluefields,
                          on the Mosquito coast. A bad opinion was
                          formed of the City of Mexico's crowd. and they
                          were not allowed to land. It was intended to
                          make Bluefields a sort of general headquarters,
                          to prepare everythlng, and start from there
                          when things were more ripe to overthrow the
                          government of Honduras. Unable to land, the
                          City of Mexico went away, and just where she
                          is now neither Mr. Soto nor any one but those
                          on board knows.

                          REINFORCEMENTS FROM THE FOURTH WARD.

                          As it was impossible to make a headquarters
                          at Bluefields for the purpose of getting men
                          together, and as Delgardo had not enough men
                          Under him to do very much, it was thought advisable
                          to ship to his aid the cargo of Fourth
                          Warders and other New Yorkers which was
                          sent away on Thursday by the San Domingo
                          and told about yesterday in THE SUN. Mr.
                          Soto did not care to say very much about the
                          young men who went away, nor did he desire
                          to state that it was he who had sent them
                          or paid their expenses. Agents or friends
                          of Gen. Delgardo, he supposed, had attended
                          to that part ot the business; he
                          was a friend of Delgardo's, of course. Mr.
                          David Wallace was one of the men most anxious
                          to go. Shortly after the departure of the
                          City of Mexico he called upon Mr. Smith, the
                          young man who looked after things a little for
                          Mr. Soto and told him that he was in an awful
                          fix, and wanted to get away somewhere on
                          some sort of An expedition. The affair with
                          Mrs. Ray was making him uncomfortable, and
                          he wanted a change of air. Mr. Smith, who
                          had been introduced to Wallace by the man
                          Tyrone, who sailed on the City of Mexico, told
                          him he thought he could fix him out, and so
                          Wallace joined the expedition one of the very
                          first, James Halliday, an experienced man
                          with a cool, fearless head, who had been down
                          in that part of the country before, was to be
                          the boss of the expedition. Wallace was to
                          rank next to him.

                          Just where this expedition of gallant Fourth
                          Warders would find the City of Mexico and
                          Gen. Delgardo, Mr. Soto did not know. They
                          would have to go down there and look around
                          for the General until they found him. Mr.
                          Soto said the statement that those men were
                          going down there with the idea of assassinating
                          some Predisent to make room for himself
                          was all nonsense. He had not sent them on
                          any such errand, nor were they going to make
                          any attack on Guatemala.

                          WHAT THE FOURTH WARDERS ARE TO DO,

                          Honduras and the wicked Bogran were all that
                          they were after. And neither Halliday nor any
                          of the rest would do anything illegal. They
                          would go there in a quiet way, get as many as
                          possible of Soto's friends to Join them, and
                          overthrow the govenrment if they could. This
                          would probably include the killing of President
                          Bogran, who. it appears, is a fighter from a
                          long distance back, and is likely to make a
                          tough struggle. but this, as an intimate friend
                          of Mr. Soto's remarked, was not at all the same
                          thing as going deliberately to work to assaassinate
                          a man. If It should be the fate'of Gen.
                          Bogran to meet the Fourth warders and fall at
                          the head of his army. It was a glorlous and
                          perfectly legitimate death that no one could
                          complaln of.

                          Once the Government overthrown, Mr, Soto
                          said. the next step would be to learn the sentiment
                          of the people. The object of the expedition
                          was not to make Mr. Soto or any other
                          man President. The expedition was simply
                          sent out with the unselfish intention of restoring
                          to the poople of Honduras their rights and
                          privileges. They would then be summoned
                          to vote, and elect a President for
                          themselves. Mr, Soto's friends say that he is
                          very popular In Honduras; that he is, In fact,
                          the big man in the eyes of Central Americans,
                          and that they would want him to be President
                          beyond all doubt. But Mr. Soto chides them
                          for talking so. He says that that may not be
                          true at all. The people may not choose him
                          for President, and even if they do, it will be
                          necessary for him to think the matter over
                          calmly before making up his mind to accept
                          the proffered honor. Mr. Soto is fond of a quiet
                          literary life, and is not at all sure that he cares
                          to be President of Honduras or any other
                          country.

                          Friends of Mr. Soto had asserted to THE
                          SUN's reporter that Mr. Soto's plan included
                          the possible overthrow of the Government
                          of Guatemala, and insinuated that to be President
                          of that republic, which is a much finer
                          republic than Honduras, would suit Mr. Soto
                          quite as well. But this Mr. Soto altogether
                          denies. He says that the actual President of
                          Guatemala, Gen. Barillas, is a warm friend of
                          his; they belong to the same, the Liberal party,
                          and Guatemala is altogether out of
                          the question. Mr. Sato thought that the great
                          mass of Honduranians would hasten to join
                          Gen. Delgardo and the Fourth warders as
                          soon as they made a landing, and he had no
                          doubt of the success of the expedition, although
                          an armed vessel of Honduras is now
                          cruising to catch the City of Mexico before she
                          can land. Mr. Soto did not care to say anything
                          about the ship load of arms reported to
                          have left Brooklyn on Friday. In fact, he did
                          not know anything about such a ship load.

                          [...]

                          THE MISSING FOURTH WARDERS.

                          Every inhabitant of the Fourth ward had a
                          copy of THE SUN yesterday reading about his
                          acquaintances who had gone filibustering. The
                          departure of the San Domingo with Fourth
                          ward boys to do fighting with Gatllng guns
                          among the South American republics was the
                          topic that occupied everybody's mind. The
                          crowd around Case's liquor store, James and
                          Madison streets, was laughing over a recital
                          by Charles Connors, who didn't go, of the antics
                          on board ship by Chris Dunegan. the
                          undertaker's assistant, who had with him a shaving
                          mug, a razor, and a pair of scissors, and
                          declared himself the ship's barber. Chris used
                          to shave corpses for Undertaker Moran. His
                          mother, the Widow Dunegan of 33 James street,
                          is weeping over Chris and his chances of getting
                          shot. The companions of Jerry Daly of 80
                          Madison street, who kidnapped him from the
                          steamer just as she was about to sail, guyed
                          him all day about his having pawned his overcoat
                          because he was going to a hot country and
                          wouldn't need it, and having spent the money
                          for a flask of whiskey and cigars to comfort
                          himself with on the trip. A young citizen who
                          was set on going to Honduras was James Gleason,
                          called "Dutchy," of 98 Monroe street.
                          Dutchy's mother and sister bewailed his loss
                          yesterday,

                          "Jamie hadn't been doing anything for four
                          months," Mrs. Gleason said. "he came home
                          on Wednesday night, threw up his hat, and
                          said he'd struck a soft job at last. He was going
                          to Central America on the San Domingo,
                          he told us, to pick rubber for $30 a month. I
                          begged him not to go so far off in such cold
                          weather but he tied a suit of underclothes and
                          a pair of socks into a bundle and said they'd
                          be all he'd want. He borrowed fifty cents of
                          me to buy some tobacco and note paper to
                          write home on. Jamie was up early on Thursday
                          mornlng, and went out. He came in at
                          2 P. M. and bid us good-by. 'Don't fret,
                          mother,' he said to me. 'I'm going to boss
                          [...] and survey a canal. jay Gould's
                          nephew is hiring me. (This was a current
                          statement among all the men,
                          but they were mistaken or deceived.)
                          He says he's glad be'a got such a
                          lot of fine young fellows to go down there, and
                          that when we come back he'll see that we get
                          good jobs.'

                          "I didn't understand Jamie at all." continued
                          Mrs. Gleason, "and I got worried thinking
                          about his going off in cold weather without
                          warm clothes. I went down to the foot of Market
                          street and stood awhile on the sidewalk
                          looking at the steamer, and saw a man creep
                          over her side and let himself quickly down a
                          rope to the pier. Then he ran. crouched down,
                          until he was out of sight in South street. I
                          wondered if he was running away from $30 a
                          month and his board, which Jamie was going
                          to get. I went back to the house with a heavy
                          heart for Jamie."

                          Interpreter Tom Loftus's sister, Mrs. Samuel
                          Bond, who lives at 141 Cherry street, said:
                          "Tom brought a well-dressed man here on
                          Thursday and introduced him to me as Mr.
                          Halliday. He said Halliday was his Captain.
                          l asked Capt. Hallidav if there wasn't danger
                          of Tom being killed, 'No.' he said; 'do you
                          think I would go into danger myself? No; it's
                          perfectly safe.' Tom talked at first of going to
                          pick rubber at $30 a mouth, but a few days
                          afterward he said he was going to be an officer,
                          and would be paid $60 a month, because he
                          could speak Spanish. If he didn't like it in
                          Guatemala, he said, he'd jump across to Callao,
                          where his wife was, and make her a visit. He
                          wasn't going to let slip a chance to go to Guatemala
                          free."

                          Phil Loftus, Tom's younger brother, was the
                          first one signed, but he didn't go because, he
                          says, his brother-in-law, Sam Bond, gave him
                          the tip that a man who signed to sail in a ship
                          without his articles, stating what he was going
                          to do. was not far from a greenhorn. Phil told
                          Tom about Bond's misgivings, and Tom told
                          him, after some reflection, that perhaps he'd
                          better not go. one out of the Loftus family being
                          enough.

                          Young Loftus tells the same story as all the
                          others about the way the crew were engaged
                          in Jones & William's office. They were
                          all assured, he said, that when they came back
                          from Central America Jay Gould's nephew
                          would get them all good jobs for life, and Jones
                          & Williams told them they were willing to give
                          them a written guarantee that the promise
                          would be fulfilled.

                          Tom Loftus's friends want to correct the
                          statement that he is a Spaniard. He was born
                          and brought up in James street, and is a
                          genuine Fouith warder, but he has been to Panama,
                          and speaks Spanish like a native.

                          Tommy Nestor of Oliver street signed to go
                          and wanted to go, but his parents kept him
                          away from the steamer. He is glad now that
                          they did.

                          CONGRESSMAN TIM CAMPBELL APPEALED TO.

                          Billy Bogan. brother of Jim Bogan, who went
                          on the expedition, consulted some friends in
                          Alderman Pat Divver's place yesterday, and
                          acting on somebody's advice he hunted up
                          Congressman Tim Campbell, and told him, as
                          a Seventh ward constituent, that he wanted
                          the matter Drought up in Washington right
                          away and the San Domingo stopped before she
                          landed any of her passengers.

                          There is a rumor current In the Fourth ward
                          that another ship with ammunition and filibusters
                          aboard is to sail for Honduras this
                          week. The report that such an expedition
                          had sailed from Martin's stores, Brooklyn, on
                          Saturday, is apparently incorrect. Seventy
                          days ago the Miranda, an English steamer of
                          the Red Cross line, loaded guns and ammunition
                          at Harbeck's stores, and when she sailed
                          no one along the docks knew her destination.
                          The Quartermaster of the New York and Brazil
                          steamship Finance, now at the Brooklyn stores,
                          went aboard the Miranda as second mate. The
                          crew of the Finance tried to talk him out of going,
                          because he did not know why implements
                          were put aboard the Miranda, or where she was
                          going with them.

                          THAT CARGO OF ARMS.

                          The steamer Albano. with 740 packages of
                          arms, ordered back to New York by the
                          Nicaraguan Government, was lightered in New
                          York harbor last week by tho steam lighter Admiral.
                          Consul General Baiz was advised, by
                          telegraph that the owners of the steam ship
                          City of Mexico, which first took the arms out
                          from this city and from which the arms were
                          transferred to the Albano, had entered into a
                          bond of $2,000 to return the arms. The Consul
                          sent messengers to watch the lighter and see
                          that the arms were landed. The messengers
                          reported to the Consul that the men on board
                          the lighter said the lighter was to proceed
                          to the Eric Basin, and that there the
                          arms would be taken out and placed for
                          safe keeping in a storehouse until the
                          owner should prove his claim to them. Mr.
                          Baiz sent messengers to the Eric Basin, but the
                          lighter did not appear. She had disappeared
                          between Thursday night and Friday morning.
                          Mr. Baiz says that she transferred the arms to
                          the Norwegian steamer Fram, which sailed on
                          Friday for St. Andrews. The owners of the Admiral
                          are Shortland Brothers, 108 Wall street.
                          At the office of Shortland Brothers on Friday
                          and Saturday it was said by a member of the
                          firm that the lighter's whereabouts had not been
                          known for four or five days. Mr. Thomas F.
                          Shortland, a member of the firm, said yesterday
                          at his residence, 316 Clifton place, Brooklyn,
                          that the lighter was still missing. It was
                          not unusual, Mr. Shortland said, for a lighter's
                          whereabouts to be unknown to the firm for a
                          week or two. Mr. Shortland denied all knowledge
                          of the lightering of arms by the Admiral.

                          GLOOMY PREDICTIONS FOR THE FILIBUSTERS.

                          Mr, Baiz, the Consul of Honduras, said
                          that he had received a letter from Washington
                          which announced to him on the part of
                          the Government that the Fourth warders
                          would not be allowed to terrify Central America.
                          They would be sat down upon probably
                          by an American cruiser, which would be sent
                          after the City of Mexico, as a Hondurns cruiser
                          has already been sent. Mr. Baiz said, though,
                          that he did not think that Honduras was in any
                          very great danger. Mr. Soto, he thought, made
                          a mistake in measuring himself with Gen.
                          Bogran. who was much the best man. He said
                          that of course the entire expedition was
                          planned and carried out by Mr. Soto, who
                          owned the City of Mexico, and had put up all
                          the money. The City of Mexico, Mr. Baiz said,
                          was a very nice ship for passengers to travel
                          in, being very nicely fixed up, but was not very
                          useful as a privateer, as she burned a great deal
                          of coal, about twenty-five tons a day, and coal
                          was hard to get. As for the enterprising young
                          men who went to pull rubber. Mr. Baiz was
                          very sorry for them. If they succeeded
                          in joining Gen. Delgardo and landing,
                          which was doubtful, they would
                          all be shot, and if they failed to
                          find him and went ashore starvation and fever
                          threatened them. The interior of Central
                          America is healthy enough, but unacclimated
                          white men, Mr. Baiz says, cannot live on the
                          coast, and the Fourth warders would find it impossible
                          to get into the interior on account of
                          the expense. There is, however. plenty to be
                          had to drink at very reasonable rates. Mr.
                          Baiz is not going to complain against Mr. Soto,
                          or any one connected with the affair, but
                          declares himself quite satisfied with things as
                          they are.

                          The Republic of Honduras, which the New
                          York boys have gone to conquer, is about as big
                          as Ohio. It covets 17,090 square miles, and has
                          about 100,000 people.

                          CRUISING AFTER THE CITY OF MEXICO.

                          NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 7.-- The steamer E. B.
                          Ward, which arrived here today from Puerto
                          Cortez and Rustan, Honduras, reports profound
                          excitement in that country over the departure
                          of filibusters from New York and other
                          American ports for the purpose of overthrowing
                          the Bogran Government in the interest of
                          Soto. The Ward herself was impressed
                          by the Honduras Government to
                          transport troops from Puerto Cortez to Rustan.
                          The American bark Cofalu, from Bluefields,
                          Nicaragua, was seized by the Honduras Government
                          because she was not provided with
                          the proper papers, and was released only upon
                          the American Consul's furnishing a bond to a
                          considerable amount, American vessels are
                          watched with great suspicion, and are in danger
                          of detention unless, all their papers are in
                          perfect condition. The brigantine Walkua has
                          just been purchased by the Government, thoroughly
                          armed and equipped, and sent on a
                          cruise in search of the steamer City of Mexico,
                          on which are the followers of Soto.

                          ----end

                          Comment


                          • I checked Wikipedia, and Soto, Bogron, and Barrios all have biographies that basically back up the story about what is going on in Honduras and Guatamala. There was an attempt at unification of the Central American Republics at the time in the early 1880s, but it came apart because the elites that ruled the five republics (British Honduras - the "Mosquito Coast" referred to here - was not independent, and Panama would be part of Colombia until 1903) did not want to lose their separate strangle-holds on power. Actually such a union makes some sense, but it probably is too late by now.

                            "Filibustering" is an activity in U.S. - Latin American history since the 1840s. In the wake of the Mexican War's success in gaining territory for the U.S., and the growing slavery problem, many Southerners dreamed of seizing all of Latin America (especially the Caribbean area) and turning the lands and islands into Slave states). The most notable filibusterer was William Walker, "the Grey Eyed Man of Destiny" who did succeed in taking over Nicaragua from 1855 - 1857, ruling it as a despot. Walker (I believe from Alabama) hoped to use it for further expansion plans, but in 1857 he was overthrown - not by the U.S. government (under the pro-Southern Pierce and Buchanan administrations, Walker had little to fear from the Federal Government) but through the machinations of "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had property in Nicaragua (a railroad, to be exact) that Walker had appropriated. Vanderbilt backed the anti-Walker forces with cash and supplies, forcing Walker to flee - though not before he torched the capital of the country to show his fury. In 1860 Walker tried to repeat his actions in Honduras, but with far less success, ending up being shot by a firing squad.

                            The Civil War prevented further foolishness, but after it ended it returned in the 1870s. Cuba was the main drawer to expansionist freebooters. The island had long been coveted in Washington, and in 1854 Pierce's ministers to England, France, and Spain, met at Ostend in Belgium, and issued the "Ostend Manifesto" suggesting a policy of trying to convince Spain to sell the island to us, but if they did not to grab it by force. The stupidity of this public demand that the U.S. rob a neighbor of it's legal government did not enhance the U.S.'s image in Europe much. In 1873 a vessel, the "Virginius" sailed from the U.S. to Cuba with a full crew of freebooters, but it was captured in Cuban waters by a Spanish warship. The crew was imprisoned, and then some 23 or so were executed by firing squad without any real trial.
                            The British consul convinced the Cuban authorities to stop the slaughter, but there was real damage done due to this. Our Minister to Spain in 1873 was General Daniel Sickels, the "hero" of the Peach Orchard fight at Gettysburg, and a former New York Congressman who was best known for killing the District Attorney of Washington, D.C., Philip Barton Keyes, for having an adulterous affair with Sickels' young wife (Sickels was defended at his trial by future Secretary of War, Edward M. Stanton, and won acquittal with the so-called, "unwritten law" about killing adulterers). Sickels had been the chief secretary and assistant to James Buchanan in 1854 when Buchanan was the Minister to London who helped draft (no doubt with Sickels' assistance) that stupid "Manifesto". So he was gung-ho with the idea of seizing Cuba. As Spain was in the midst of the Carlist Wars, it might have been worth considering, except that the U.S. army and navy had been reduced from their tremendous fighting strength in the Civil War period in the post-war austerity budgets (especially our navy under Secretary of the Navy George Robeson).

                            Secretary of State Hamilton Fish was a former Governor of New York, and (great rarity here) an actually intelligent and competent member of the Grant Administration's Cabinet. He actually lasted for most of Grant's 8 years in office. He had just had the glory of seeing the "Alabama Claims" arbitration with Great Britain (regarding English built raiders damaging U.S. commerce in the Civil War) settled successfully. Now he had the "Virginius Affair" heating up, not helped by the bellicosity of Grant's choice for Minister to Spain, General Sickels. Fortunately, the British stepped in again, in the person of their Minister to Spain, Sir Austen Layard (the archeologist who found the site of the capital of Assyria, "Nineveh"). Layard and Fish worked hard to defuse the touchy situation with Cuba before idiots like Sickels forced us into a rather stupid war over Cuba. In the end Sickels did a grand stand approach of saying, "Either do it my way or I resign!" Fish informed him, he regretfully accepted Sickels' resignation. Once the General left Spain, the good work of Layard and Fish paid dividends. A small indemnity to the families of Captain Fry of the Virginius and the other victims of the firing squads was paid, and Spain and the U.S. had a breather of a quarter century before we had the war over Cuba.

                            In that period other filibustering expeditions were tried, and failed. Walker's attempt in Nicaragua was the only really successful one in U.S. history, and it too eventually collapsed. The idea of filibustering never died in the 19th Century. Much of the fiction of newspaper reporter Richard Harding Davis involves U.S. - Latin American situations regarding adventurers and revolutions in the republics. Same thing in some of the stories of William Sydney Porter ("O. Henry") such as "Cabbages and Kings", but Porter actually spent time hiding in Central America in the 1880s to avoid arrest and possible imprisonment for bank embezzlement in the U.S. (eventually he did return when his wife was dying, and after her death spent a term in prison - after he left he began to write his short stories).

                            In the coming events of the 1898 Spanish-American War over Cuba, filibustering expeditions were sent financed by Joseph Pulitzer's "New York World" and William Randolph Hearst's "New York Journal - American". These actually were to arm the Cuban freedom fighters, under figures like Calisto Garcia (later the titular figure referred to in Elbert Hubbard's essay classic, "A Message to Garcia"). The most notable filibustering event in the lead-up to the Spanish-American War was the chartering of the boat "Commodore" in late 1896. An old and leaky vessel, she sank on the voyage (Hearst and Pulitzer insisted it was scuttled by treachery, but it was an old vessel). On board was reporter Stephen Crane, working for Hearst's papers at the time. He managed to get into a lifeboat with three other men, and they were at sea for a number of days (the experience certainly was not good for the weak lunged Crane, and probably helped to shorten his life when he died in 1900 at age 29. But he turned the experience into his excellent novella, "The Open Boat".

                            After the "splendid little war" there are no further private "filibustering" expeditions that I know of. However the creation of the nation of Panama in 1903 has "filibustering" coloring at times. The Panamanians actually did want independence, and our interest in the scheme to build a trans-oceanic canal in their country actually gave them some hope. Then, when Columbia (after apparently being willing to accept the initial amount we offered to build the canal) insisted on more money, President Theodore Roosevelt okayed the actions of the Frenchman, Philippe Bunau-Varilla, who was representing the interests of French bond-holders on the failed 1881-89 canal that was under the company headed by Fernand de Lesseps, to move ahead. With a bunch of Panamanians in New York City, Bunau-Varilla got a constitution for Panama written, a flag created, and a signed agreement to accept American building of the canal, with a strip known as the "Canal Zone" to be controlled by the U.S. government. Arms were sent to Panama, and a revolt in Panama City overthrew the local Columbian Governor. Then the U.S.S. Nashville was sent to train it's guns on the only path the Columbian Army could use to invade and retake Panama. The Columbians had no choice but to recognize their former province as a new country.

                            Years later President Woodrow Wilson (who was also high-handed with Latin America, as witness his handling of Mexico during it's revolution from 1913 to 1920) got a briefly Democratic controlled Congress to pass a treaty paying an additional $21 million dollars "conscience money" to Colombia for that battleship business in 1903. Wilson had no great love for his rival Roosevelt, and the latter died in 1919, so Wilson got a posthumous vengeance on his rival. But in any event the interference with Panama is a turning point - from then on the U.S. imposes itself into Latin American government affairs like the filibusterers did in the 19th Century. I may add that most Latin Americans resent these actions, and wish we'd mind our own business.

                            Jeff

                            Comment


                            • Thanks, Jeff. Here are a few more articles about the attempted Soto expedition.

                              New York Sun, February 9, 1886, Page 1, Column 7

                              Our New York Filibusters

                              A Little Steel Propeller is Running the Wodden Steamer

                              Will the City of Mexico Make for New
                              Orleans?--The Gatling Guns and Ammunition
                              Bound for an Island of Nicaragua.

                              The brigrantine Waikna, which has been
                              purchased and thoroughly armed and equipped
                              by the Honduras Government to hunt down
                              the filibustering steamship City of Mexico of
                              New York, is doubtless the little 95-ton
                              brigantne-rigged propeller Waikna. She belonged
                              to A. T. S. Clarke and S. L. Cauldwell, brokers
                              of 50 Pine street. She is described as a very
                              swift and stanch new craft, built in Sunderland,
                              England, by B. Thompson & Sons. She is
                              104 feet long. 23 feet wide, and 8 1/2 feet deep.
                              Messrs. Clarke & Cauldwell had her built for
                              cruising in southern waters and doing a
                              little business at the same time. She
                              took on a miscellaneous cargo an4
                              cleared from New York for Brewster's
                              Lagoon, Spanish Honduras on Dec. 12.
                              Her owners, Messrs. Cauldwell & Clarke. Capt.
                              H. Ells, and a crew of seven or eight men were
                              onboard. The intention of the owners of the
                              Waikna was to anchor her at the mouth of the
                              river and have a good time cruising in the
                              shoal water on a steam launch they took along.
                              They probably sold her to the Honduras Government
                              for a big price.

                              The City of Mexico, which the Waikna is
                              hunting for, is twice as long as the Waikna
                              and seven times as big. What armament she
                              carries is a matter of surmise. She Is a wooden
                              vessel. The Waikna is built of steel.

                              The arms taken from the City of Mexico and
                              brought back to New York in the Atlas steamship
                              Albano have undoubtedly gone their way
                              to Gen. Delgardo in the Norwegian steamer
                              Fram, Capt. Berneldson, which sailed on Friday.
                              When the Fram cleared, her manifest entered
                              at the Custom House was only for a
                              small quantity of coal. By the law, which allows
                              a supplementary manifest to be entered within
                              four days, however, a document was presented
                              on Saturday, after the vessel had sailed, stating
                              that she had on board arms and ammunition
                              worth $26,989. On the list are 8 cases of tripods
                              for Gatllng guns, 55 cases of rifles, 42 cases of
                              shot, 4 cases of wheels and feed cases
                              for the Gatlings, 1 case of fuses,
                              20 cases of shells, 616 cases of cartridges,
                              and 38 bags of bugles and swords.
                              The Fram's destination is put down
                              on the supplementary clearance papers
                              as St. Andrews, West Indies. Mr. Sutton
                              of the Custom House, who holds the Fram's
                              clearance papers, said he knew no such place
                              as St. Andrews in the West Indies, and
                              considered the reported destination a bluff to conceal
                              the real destination. St. Andrew, however,
                              is a tolerably well-known island off the
                              Nicaragua coast. Lord & Austin of 6 Bowling
                              Green, who cleared the Fram, say that her destination
                              is St. Andrew. They say that they did
                              not know who held the bill of lading for the
                              arms and ammunition. There was nothing irregular
                              in the Fram's getting away with implements
                              of war. Her supplementary clearance
                              paper was a policy they chose to pursue.

                              The agents for the steamer Fram at this port
                              are Funch, Edye & Co. Mr. Edye said yesterday
                              that the Fram sailed under a time charter
                              for forty days. There was no specified port or
                              cargo in the charter party. Funch, Edye & Co.
                              had nothing to do with loading her, and did not
                              know anything about the cargo until they saw
                              the story of the Honduras expedition in THE
                              SUN. She will get to St. Andrew about next
                              Sunday.

                              The promoters of the expedtion were
                              anxious to buy one of the light steam fruiters
                              trading to the West India Islands, and began
                              negotiations for the Pomona, one of G. Wessels
                              & Co.'s steamers. Mr. Wessels said yesterday
                              that a merchant who was well acquainted with
                              the backers of the filibusters, as well as with
                              himself, tried to buy the Pomona secretly. There
                              was no difficulty about the price, but Mr.
                              Wessels, knowing the character of the expedition
                              for which the vessel was intended, refused
                              to sell unless public announcement of her sale
                              were made. Thereupon the negotiations fell
                              through.

                              Assistant United States District Attorney
                              Foster said yesterday that if Mr. Soto had fitted
                              out an expedition against Honduras, section
                              5.286 of the revised Statutes would be applicable
                              to his case. The section runs thus:

                              Every person who within the territory or jurisdiction
                              of the United States begins, or sets on foot, or provides
                              or prepares the means for any military expedition or enterprise
                              to be carried on from thence against the territory
                              or dominions of any foreign prince or State, or of
                              any colony, district or people, with whom the United
                              States are at peace, shall be deemed guilty of a high
                              misdemeanor and shall be fined not exceeding $3.000, and
                              imprisoned not more than three years.

                              Gen. Foster said that no communication or
                              information of any kind relating to the filibustering
                              expedition had, as far as he knew, been sent
                              to the United States District Attorney's office.

                              ----end

                              New York Sun, February 16, 1886, Page 1, Column 6

                              News of Our Filibusters

                              They Are Tourists of Turk's Island at
                              Present--Stranded Without Money


                              The Fourth ward filibusters who sailed
                              from New York on the steamship San Domingo
                              to help kick up a revolution in Honduras were,
                              at last accounts, the terrors of Turk's Island.
                              They landed there an hour or two before the
                              steamer G. W. Clyde, which got here yesterday,
                              sailed from Turk's Island for New York. They
                              filled the natives with alarm, for they said they
                              were not going to sail away again on the San
                              Domingo, but had come to stay a while.

                              It isn't much of an Island, It's a little coral
                              reef, so small that if a man will stand up on a
                              soap box he can see almost all over it. It
                              grows nothing but [...], and now and then
                              a goat. Great Britain rules it at a great distance,
                              and by way of Jamaica. There are just
                              two policemen there, both black. Only two
                              dozen white folks llve there. The twenty filibusters
                              landed without baggage, and with
                              nothing to recommend them to the solitary
                              hotel keeper.

                              There was about the majority of them that
                              hard, unmistakable look peculiar to the New
                              York tough. Some of them were asked what
                              they wanted, what brought them so far away
                              from the Bowery.

                              "Oh. I kim out for me healt'," one of them
                              said. "I dunno," said most of them. If It had
                              been summer time a New Yorker on Turk's
                              Island might have thought that it was one of
                              those gangs of young men who join picnlc
                              parties uninvited and make things agreeable
                              that had mistaken the steamer for a picnic
                              barge and had got carried off.

                              They acted as if they really did not know
                              how long they were going to stay or what they
                              were going to do. There was only $11 cash
                              among them. Halliday, the leader, had that.
                              He also had what he seemed to suppose to be a
                              bill of exchange or letter of credit, signed Lord
                              & Austin. He tried to raise money on it from
                              one of the merchants, and was informed that it
                              wasn't what he thought It was, snd that it
                              wss not good for money.

                              One good thing about Turk's Island is that it
                              is warm there in February, and sleeping out of
                              doors is not prohibited by the two black policemen.
                              There are no orchards to rob or turnips
                              to steal. There is no game to shoot except a
                              tame goat or two. Rum can be had if
                              you can pay for it. What troubles the
                              Turk's Island folks most is that there is
                              $15,000 In specie in the Government House,
                              a little insecure building of coral rock.
                              There are no safe vaults for the treasure. No
                              Turk's Islander would dream of steallng it, but
                              almost any Turk's Islander would dream that
                              it wss In danger after gazing upon the filibusters
                              from New York. When the G. W. Clyde
                              sailed nobody had an idea how long the New
                              Yorkers intended to linger on Turk's Island.

                              ----end

                              New York Sun, February 21, 1886, Page 1, Column 7

                              THE FILIBUSTERS NABBED.

                              ARE THE FOUTH WARDERS PRISONERS
                              ON THE CITY OF MEXICO?

                              Uncle Sam's Navy Captures that Piratical
                              Craft, and it is Just Possible that the San
                              Domingo's Passengers were Aboard

                              The capture of the filibustering steamship
                              City of Mexico by the United States man-of-war
                              Galena has revived interest in the Fourth
                              ward in the probable fate of its tough citizens,
                              who were last reported on Turk's Island,
                              awaiting a chance to join the filibusters on the
                              City of Mexico. According to Rear Admiral
                              Jouett's despatch from Aspinwall to the
                              Secretary of the Navy, the Galena is
                              now on her way to KeY West with
                              the City of Mexico as a prize. Consul Jacob
                              Baiz of Honduras says he thinks it is likely
                              that the martial Fourth warders were taken
                              aboard the City of Mexico on Sunday last. The
                              little brlgantine-rigged steel propeller Waikna,
                              filled with Gatling guns and loyal Honduranians,
                              has also been hunting for the filibustering
                              steamship, which is about seven times
                              as big aS the Waikna. Whether the little
                              propeller encountered the big boat and got licked
                              must be a matter of conjecture until the Galena
                              turns up.

                              The City of Mexico left this port on December
                              last with a dozen filibusters under Oen.
                              Delgardo. She stopped at Progreso to discharge
                              a cargo of corn, and sailed for Belize,
                              arriving there on Jan. 6. She took on twenty-seven
                              more men at Belize. and started for Bluefields,
                              on the Mosquito coast. The people there
                              refused to let the filibusters land, and the
                              steamship cruised along the coast. There is little
                              doubt that within the last ten days she fell in
                              with the Norwegian steamship Fram, and got
                              from her the ammunition and arms with which
                              the Fram was secretly loaded while she lay off
                              Staten Island on Feb. 5.

                              The City of Mexlco was owned originally by
                              the Alexander line. The Provincial Steamship
                              Company bought her. and. according to the
                              records of the Custom House, sold her on Dec
                              14 to Christian Barthold Hollander, a clerk
                              who mortgaged her for $30,000 (as much
                              as she was worth) to Shipping Agent
                              A. D. Straus. Mr. Siraus assigned the mortgage
                              to Ladislao Perea. a Cuban cigar
                              manufacturer of 124 East Fourteenth
                              street, just opposite the Academy of Music.
                              Mr. Perea refused yesterday to say anything
                              about the assignment of the mortage, otherwise
                              than it was a private business matter.
                              He is said to be of revolutionary tendencies,
                              and to be acquainted with ex-President
                              Soto, who is supposed to be the promoter of all
                              filibustering expeditions against Honduras,
                              and the present owner of the City of Mexico.
                              If the Fourth warders who sailed on the San
                              Domingo to join the City of Mexico really
                              succeeded in getting aboard her, much more
                              arduous work than pulling rubber may become
                              their lot. Sections S.2S3 and S.286. United
                              States Revised Statutes, may apply to their
                              case and the case of their distinguished chiefs:

                              Every person who, within the limits of the United
                              States, fits out and arms, or attempts, to fit out and arm,
                              or procures to be fitted out and armed, or knowingly is
                              concerned in the furnishing, fitting out, or armlng of
                              any vessel, with Intent that such vessel shall be
                              employed in the service of any foreign prince or
                              State, or of any colony. district, or people, to cruise
                              or commit hostilities against the subjects, cltizens, or
                              property of any foreign prlnce or State, or of any colony,
                              district, or people, with which the United States
                              are at peace, or who issues or delivers a commission
                              within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States,
                              for any vessel, to the intent that she may be so emploved,
                              shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor,
                              and shall be fined not more than $10,000 and imprisoned
                              not more than three years.

                              Every person who within ihe territory or jurisdiction
                              of the united States, begins or sets out on foot, or provides
                              or prepares the means for, any military expedition or
                              enterprise, to be carried on from thence against the
                              territory or dominions of any foreign prince or state,
                              or of any colony, district, or people with whom the
                              United States are at peace, shall be deemed guilty of a
                              high misdemeanor, and shall be fined not exceeding
                              $3,000 and imprisoned not more than three years.

                              ----end

                              New York Sun, March 9, 1886, Page 1, Column 5

                              Filibusters Straggle Back.

                              Picked Up on Turk's Island by the Fram--
                              Halliday One of Them

                              The little steamship Fram, which sailed
                              from New York on Feb 5 with Gatllng guns
                              and ammunition bound for San Andres, a
                              Nicaraguan Island, got back to this port at 9
                              o'clock yesterday morning. She had not succeeded
                              in conveying the arms to the filibusters
                              on the now captive City of Mexico. She brought
                              back with her as cabin passengers five of the
                              New Yorkers who went filibustering on the San
                              Domingo, were left on Turk's Island, and have
                              since been unable to upset the Government of
                              Honduras to oblige Mr. Marco Aurelio Soto of
                              Fifth avenue.

                              Seven of the gang were picked up by the
                              Fram at Turk's Island, where the steamer stopped
                              for a couple of hours on her way south.
                              The Fram didn't find the City of Mexico at San
                              Andres, and went to Kingston, Jamaica. where
                              she left two of the adventurers, Tommy Loftus
                              and David Wallace, the lover of Marion Ray.
                              She left the arms there. too, with the assistance
                              of the British Government, which had heard of
                              them before. The five filibusters who remained
                              on her were landed yesterday on Funch,
                              Edye & Co.'s pier foot of West Twenty-third
                              street wbere the Fram now lies.

                              THE SUN reporter could not get the list from
                              Capt. Berneldson or the agents. Aboard the
                              steamer Mate Peter Gunnison, who speaks a
                              little less Norwegian than the rest of the ship's
                              company, said that Tommy Loftus and David
                              Wallace were the two left at Kingston. The
                              mate had learned Wallace's name from reading
                              it in THE SUN at Kingston, and Tommy Loftus
                              was an old acquaintance. Loftus, the mate
                              said, shipped at Kingston on a brigantine
                              bound to Cape Haytien. Halliday was the only
                              name among the five filibusters that the Fram
                              brought back that the mate could remember.
                              He got to know Halliday because Halliday was
                              a sort of boss over the others. The filibusters,
                              be sald. occupied the cabin, and did not go
                              about with the crew, They did no work, and
                              none of them was a sailor man.

                              The filibusters who arrived on the Fram do
                              not belong in the Fourth ward. The boys who
                              left their homes there to descend on Honduras
                              are still missing. None of them has written
                              home. Halliday could not be found at any of
                              his old haunts in the ward last night. He is
                              not very popular there just now.

                              ----end

                              Comment


                              • A really fascinating find TradeName. Now I know why this story is totally unknown to written history or to me - it got nowhere fast in two months, with the party of filibusters ending up returning with nothing to show for all their efforts. I especially like how the dozen or so citizens of that island they landed on off Nicaragua did not know what to make or do about these Gringos from Brooklyn, and worried about the $15,000.00 in specie (coin) in a relatively unsecured shed. The Norwegian craft involved has an historic name, "Fram", which is the same name as the craft that in the 1890s would be used by polar explorer Frijold Nansen to make his historic "drift of the "Fram" along the coast of Greenland (1893 - 1896). The craft used by Nansen was later used by Roald Amundsen (with Nansen's permission) for the 1911 - 1912 Antarctic Expedition that beat the unfortunate Scott Party to the South Pole. It still exists as a museum in Norway to both explorers, but I don't think it is the craft involved in this fiasco.

                                Jeff
                                Last edited by Mayerling; 02-08-2016, 11:14 PM.

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