The Indianapolis journal., March 14, 1901, Image 1

About The Indianapolis journal. (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904

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INBIANAEÖLI
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WEEKLY ESTA HUSHED IK ( VHT T T Yf 7
DAILY ES7A ULI SHED lä. ( Uli. Iii 1 J. J O.
INDIANAPOLIS, THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 11, 1901.
PRICK 2 CENTS EVERYWHERE.
WALo
1
1
DEATH OF GEN
The Former President's Demise Occurred After
an Illness of Only a Few Days.
Throughout the Sickness of the Distinguished Indiana
Citizen Messages of Inquiry were Received
from All Parts of the Country.
DISSOLUTION OCCURRED AT 4:45 O'CLOCK
Children of Gen. Harrison Unable to Reach
His Bedside Before Life Was Extinct.
A Stubborn Fight Made Against the Inroads of the
Grim Reaper Incidents of the Last Hour
in the Death Chamber.
General Uenjnmln llnrrliton, former
Prenldent of the United Stntes, died
at him residence, 1214 Sörth Dela
ware street, at 4i43 o'clock yesterday
afternoon. ,
Llko a child passing1 into the land of
pleasant dreams General Benjamin Harri
son crossed the Invisible border line be
tween life and death at fifteen minutes
before 5 o'clock yesterday evening. The
treat man's end was in perfect harmony
with his life- peaceful, quiet, beautiful.
There was no sign of pain, no indication of
mental worry, no hint of distress of any
kind. '
For many hours before the end came the
senses of the distinguished patient had
been enveloped in the gentle, yet impene
trable robe of unconsciousness. Had there
come Into his eyes the slightest gleam of
sentlency before the veil was finally drawn
over his life General Harrison would have
beheld around his bedside the faces and
forms of most of thosu whom he held near
and dear. Within the circle of relatives and
friends who stood about hoping against
hope that a turn for the better might occur
were the beloved wife and the cherished
and petted baby daughter Elizabeth; the
two sisters of General Harrison, Mrs. Eliza
beth Eaton, of Cincinnati, the elder, and
Mrs. Morris, of Minneapolis, the younger;
Mr. E. F. Tlbbott, the general's faithful
private secretary; XV. II. II. Miller and Mrs.
Miller; Mr. Samuel D. Miller; Mr. Clifford
A nick; Mrs. Newcomer, General Harrison's
aunt; Rev. Dr. M. L. Haines, the deceased's
pastor; Col. Daniel M. Ilar.sclell, serjeant-at-arms
of the United States Senate, al
most a lifelong friend and Intimate of Gen.
Harrison; Drs. Jameson and Dorsey, the
attending physicians, and the two trained
nurses, Miss Ella Kcene and Miss Suzanne
Paris.
THE CLOSING MOMENTS.
The closing moments of the long stru.j
go of life against death were almost de
void of incident. To the dying man it
was simply a slow, steady sinking into the
mysterious slumber from which there is
no awakening. To those who looked on
with drawn faces and tear-dlmmed eyes
It was a vigil, loving and anxious, from
which the relieving element of hope was
rapidly fading away.
Up to within a half hour before the end
came the physicians and nurses poured Into
the dying man's lungs a constant stream
of llfe-glvlng oxygen. Then came the un
mistakable signs that the air cells could
co longer receive the fluid and the cap
was withdrawn from the mouth. This wis
the beginning ot the end. Word was
quickly sent downstairs to the anxious
group !n the parlor, und they silently
wended their way to the sick room to
witness the ebbing away of a great man's
life. Colonel Ransdell, who was perhaps
as close to General Harrison in his life
time as any other man. said in speaking
of the last few moments of the dying man's
fcravo struggle for life: "It was a most
affecting scene, to see that great man lylns
there, his life ebbing away and no power
on earth to hold it back."
Mrs. Harrison's devotion to her husband
was described as wonderful by all who
witnessed It. For the last few nights, when
It was known that he must surely die.
he scarcely took an hour of physical
rest. With two skilled physicians and two
trained nuisos almost constantly at the
bedside, the devoted wife persisted In re
maining at her post of duty, as she be
lieved it to be. She was compelled to drag
out the long, weary vigil unaided by arti
ficial stimulants, for her physical condi
tion was such that she could not retain
stimulants. Thus it was that, sus
tained by her Indomitable will power alone,
she kept up the patient watch by the bed
side of her dying husband without once
betraying the slightest Indication of phys
IcaJ collapse. Naturally, when fche h iw
ihn great man breathe his last, tho gave
way for a time to the Hood tide of grief
which rusheJ In upon her being, but it was
nnly for a brief instant. She must bear
p for th siko of others who were de
pendent upon her.
LAI'S ED INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS.
At an early hour yesterday morning
General Harrison lapsed Into the state
of total unconsciousness which continued
Hroken to the very end. Hla respira
. HARRISON
tions, which at that hour were 43 every
minute, quickly increased until at noon
the patient was breathing at the rate of
CO respirations each mlnuti. This rapid
respiration continued without appreciable
change until it terminated suddenly with
death.
The first really fatal symptoms of the
case manifested their appearance a short
time after midnight Tuesday morning. At
that time General Harrison began to lapse
into a condition of semi-consciousness.
This was broken for an instant Tuesday
afternoon, when the general opened his
eyes, and with a faint smile recognized
his aunt, Mrs. Newcomer, calling her by
name. Thla was declared by Private Sec
retary Tlbbott to have been the only oc
casion when General Harrison was able to
articulate distinctly after he showed the
Ilrst signs of lapsing into unconsciousness.
An affecting Incident of the last day was
the arrival at the bedside of the dying man
of Mrs. Morrison, his younger sister, about
an hour before the end came. General Har
rison was especially fond of Mrs. Morrison,
and the pathos of her meeting with the be
loved brother, who could not recognlzo her
in any way, was exceedingly trying to the
sympathies of those who witnessed tho
scene.
During tht last hour the decline of the
patient's condition assumed an alarming
rapidity. Hitherto he had sunk steadily
but gradually, and changes could scarcely
be noted even at Intervals of an hour. The
first unmistakable token of the actual pros
ence of death was In the almost lnstantan
eous cessation of resprat!on. Drs. Jameson
and Dorsey quickly felt the pulse at the
wrist, and, rinding no sign of activity there.
applied their ears to the chest in a vain en
deavor to discover signs, even of the faint
est, showing the presence of vitality.
FELL, LIKE A KNELL.
The great man's physical organism had
been stopped and, the words of the chief
physician. "General Harrison is dead," fell
like a knell upon the ears of the watchers
standing about. For a few minutes silence
hung like a pall over the room which held
all that was mortal of him who had not so
long ago been the foremost man in all the
land. Then came the outburst of grief
from a newly-made widow, grief that had
been so long pent up that it must have an
outlet. A ray of (sunshine suddenly lit up
the awful gloom of the place. It was the
prattle of the babe whose little hand had
only a week ago been tightly clasped in
that of her father, now lying dead before
her. He would never again take the little
one down town to see "the pretty things in
the store windows," but with the Ignorance
of sorrow that happily belongs to childhood
she could know naught of this, and, there
fore, babbled artlessly on as if death had
not entered the room before her very eyes.
The child helped the mother to bear up
bravely beneath the heavy weight of sor
row laid upon her.
General Harrison's last houn of life were
marked by as unremitting care and atten
tion as was possible to human beings. For
two days and two nights his physicians,
Drs. Jameson and Dorsey, scarcely left his
bedside for an Instant. The nurses. Misses
Keen and Pari?. wereYjoth In the- room
simultaneously about half of the time. Each
attended the patient eighteen hours out of
every twenty-four, with resting spells of
live or ten minutes at intervals of two or
three hours. Ilesides the watchfulness of
the physicians and nurses, which rivaled
that of the closest relatives or friends, the
heroic wife of the sick man hovered ever
near his side, eager to find some way In
which she might afford him relief. Then,
too, friends and neighbors of the family
were at all times within the house or in
easy teach ready and willing to do all that
was possible for the man they esteemed so
highly.
LITTLE FOLKS AT DOOR.
The love of General Harrison for children
and their affection for him was beautifully
demonstrated by the scores of little folks
who came to the door of the silent mansion
during the day yesterday and made anxious
Inquiry about their great friend. Children
playing In the street In front of the Har
rison ' residence in the afternoon were
among the first to hear of the general's
death, and as quickly as their young minds
comprehended the Import of the new? they
lost their air of gayety and stole silently
away to thdr homes. Everywhere In the
city the information was received with evi
dences of the deepest sorrow. People in all
stations of life seemed to feel that in the
death of the ex-President they had lost a
genuine friend. The fire b.lls, with their
solemn clanqing. conveyed the news at 5
o'clock to many who had not heard
otherwise. The grief of citizens was gen
eral and heartfelt. The death of no man In
public life in many years has caused such
profound sorrow.
Telegrams and letters, expressing the
grief of the writers at the serious illness
of General Harrison, continued to be re
ceived by the score at the residence for
some time after the end came. In all, there
were something like three hundred such
messages received. Not until two or thre
hours had elapsed after the death did the
character of the communications change to
condolence. These telegrams and letters
showed graphically the great esteem in
which General Harrison was held by his
fellow-countrymen. A telegram expressive
of the deepest and "sineerest grief was re
ceived from Richard Mansfield, the bril
liant "actor. Mr. Mansfield and the ei.
President were personal friends, and the
latter had frequently spoken in terms of
the highest praise of the actor's ability to
portray character. Justice John M. Hai
lan, of the United States Supreme Court,
wired assurances of his profound sympathy
to General and Mrs. Harrison in the hour
of their great trial. A message of great
depth of feeling came from Gen. John XV.
Noble, who was President Harrison's secre
tary of the Interior. Ex-Postmaster Gen
eral John Wanamaker made anxious in
quiries by wire concerning the condition
of the distinguished patient at intervals
throughout the day.
GENERAL TRACY'S TELEGRAM.
Gen. Uenjamin F. Tracy, who was sec
retary of the navy in President Harrison's
Cabinet, also wired a solicitous inquiry for
information of his friend's condition. Other
dispatches were received from ex-Secretary
of State John XV. Foster, ex-Senator Thom
as W. Palmer, of Michigan, United States
Senator Charles XV. Fairbanks, United
States Senator Albert J. Reverldge, Mr. and
Mrs. Andrew Carnegie and scores of other
prominent people in all parts of the coun
try. The messages came so rapidly yester
day that it was impossible for each one of
them to be opened and examined carefully,
the attention of everybody in the Harrison
household being kept constantly confined to
the man who lay dying in a darkened
room upstairs. I
A peculiarly sad feature of the closing
hours of General Harrison's, life was the
fact that neither his son, Col. Russell R.
Harrison, nor his daughter, Mrs. Mary Har
rison McKee, was able to reach his bed
side before tho end came. Colonel Harri
son did not get to Indianapolis until a late
hour last night and Mrs. McKee will not
arrive until some time to-day from Sara
toga, N. Y. Mrs.. Revin, General Harri
son's third sister, is supiosed to be on her
way from her home in Ottumwa, la., al
though no definite word has been received
from her. The general's brother who re
sides iri Murfreesboro, Tenn., has not sent
any Information as to his intention, but it
is believed he has started for Indianapolis.
John Scott Harrison, the other brother of
the deceased, arrived at the family home
last night from Kansas City.
INCIDENTS AT THE HOUSE.
The group of watchers about the sick
man spent the greater portion of the after
noon yesterday, until they were summoned
to the bedside to witness the closing scene,
in discussing incidents in his active life and
also the marvelous struggle he made to
ward off the deadly assaults of the disease
which held him in Its grasp. "I never saw
anything like the way in which General
Harrison resisted death," said Colonel
Ransdell. "It seemed as if he just gritted
his teeth and said I will live.' " Viewed
from the standpoint of the .physician, the
case of General Harrison is almost phe
nomenal. That a man of his advanced age
(sixty-eight) should be ablo to withstand
for more than forty-eight hours the steady
assault of a disease such as pneumonia,
complicated with Intercostal rheumatism, is
almost incredible, except to those who wit
nessed the wonderful struggle. For the
last eighteen hours tho fight had to bo
waged against a weakened heart also, for
during the night of Tuesday the inflamma
tion which had previously confined Itself
to the general's left lung spread to his
heart and made a very perceptible differ
ence in its action. Ry all who observed the
case it is declared without hesitation that
General Harrison must have possessed a
constitution of really marvelous strength.
Colonel Ransdell was seen last evening,
within a hört time after he left the room
of death, and It was only with the greatest
difficulty that he could control his emotlon.s
sufficiently to speak of the tragic affair.
"General Harrison was almost a father to
me," he said, finally, with choking voice
and moist eyes. "I went into his regiment,
tho Seventieth Indiana, when I was a mere
boy, and we formed, on the sanguinary
battlefield and almost at the cannon's
mouth, a friendship, the ties of which be
came only the stronger with the passage
of years. Even at that early period Gen
eral Harrison was the greatest man with
whom I had ever come in contact, and such
he remained all through my life until death
took him from me forever a few minutes
ago. fie was Indeed a friend to me. 1
never had a friend who was near to belns
so much to me as he was."
MANY PEOPLE CALLED.
When tho condition of General Harrison
became so much worse yesterday morning
the house was practically closed to visitors
Throughout the day, however, people came
in a steady stream to the door to make
inquiry as to the distinguished man's con
dition and the prospects for his recovery
Many of the callers left baskets, bouquets
and handsome designs of flowers. These
gifts of love and friendship came In such
numbers that a .room was almost filled
with them. The telephone bell was not
muffied, for the dying man above could
not hear its sharp tones and there was
hardly an instant in the day that It was
not pealing forth an intimation that aome
one wanted to know about General Har
rison. All the newspapers in Indianap
oils had to have people stationed at their
telephones with no other duty than an
swering Inquiries concerning General Har
rison's condition. Everybody every.vh.i-,
teemed to have but one thought, and that
was of the ex-President who was slowly
passing from among his fellow-men, by
whom he was universally beloved.
Governor Durbln and his secretary. Col.
Charles E. Wilson, were the first to reach
the Harrison home after the news of the
general's death went forth. They came
to offer to Mrs. Harrison assurances of
their deep sympathy in her hour of sor
row, and to tender the State Capitol for
the lying-in-state of the body.' On behalf
of the widow and relatives of the de
ceased. Private Secretary Tlbbott accept
ed the offer to have the remains lie in
state, and the time was fixed at Satur
day. On that day, from 10 in the morn
ing until an hour In the evening not yet
determined, opportunity will be given to
tho public to view the face of the distin
guished dead.
FUN ERAL A RR A NG EM ENTS.
A meeting of the state olficers and the
officials connected with tho military de
partment of the government will be held In
tue Governor's parlors this morning to de
cide matters of ceremony connected with
the lying In state and the funeral. All mili
tary honors customary in case of the death
ot a man who held the highest office In the
(CONTINUED ON ivuTrrTToiTT)
HOMAGE IS PAID
31 KX WHO KEW GKX, HARRISON
l.MTU IX HIS 111 AISC
Rr Many Imlinnnnoli Citizens He
AVni llejcnrtled un the Great
est Living American.
HIS DEATH CAME AS A SHOCK
FHIEMJS IV THIS CITY FEEL A
SKXSK OF PERSONAL LOSS.
The Quiet Home Life of Ex-President
llarrlNun In TIiIm City Had 11 n
denred Illm to All.
EXPRESSIONS OF CITIZENS
3IIt. XV, II. II. MILLER WAS OXE OF
HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS.
Stnle, County and City OflldnlN, Law
yertt and Other Pny Tribute
to III Great Worth.
The death of former President Benjamin
Harrison, although hourly anticipated for
a brief period before its occurrence, was
a great shock to the people of Indianap
olis. Irrespective of party or other affilia
tion General Harrison was regarded as
one of the greatest living Americans, and
the fact that thlä city was his home both
before and after he served the Nation in
the highest office within its gift was a
source of pride to the citizens of this
city. His dignified, unostentatious life
among them appealed to the people as noth
ing else could do, and his death brought
with it a sense of personal loss to the
many.
The Journal has secured expressions from
men who had known and been associated
with General Harrison for years. They
will be found below:
W II. II. 3IILLEirS "WORDS. .
He Win Cienernl llnrrlnon' Friend
nnd AocIote for Thirty Yearn.
XV. H. H. Miller, one of General Harri
son's closest friends, said: "General Harri
son was a man of the highest intellec
tuality, of great will power, of tireless in
dustry, with a genius for details; and all
his faculties were under the guidance of
a conscience that never slept. He believed
in the right as a ruling principle among
nations, In statesmanship and in politics
no less than In business and private life.
He recognized the necessity and useful
ness of political parties, but as means to
an end, not as the end in themselves.
Hence in his administration as President
the first consideration was the country;
the Republican party was a consideration,
but it was because he believed its poli
cies most helpful to the country. In tho
distribution of patronage, for instance, the
first, the essential thing was fitness. With
out this qualification no appointment was
knowingly made. Legitimate party serv
ice, while not lightly esteemed was sec
ondary. As to federal judges, of whom
he appointed nearly fifty, he was wont to
say that they were no man's patronage;
that they were to continue in the service
of the country longer than Presidents or
senators.
'He bowed to the limitations of the Con
stitution and the laws as binding alike upon
President and citizen. He respected the
bounds of the three great departments of
the governmnt and neither sought undue
influence In Congress and the Judiciary,
nor suffered such undue influence to be
exercised by them in the executive de
partment. I
"I believe that General Harrison's great
est service to the country as President
when impartial history comes to be writ
ten will bo found in its illustration of
these high principles.
"Of what General Harrison was to mo
as u friend, a neighbor and associate for
nearly thirty years, I have neither the
words nor the heart now to speak.'
A LIFE-TIME FRIEND.
Daniel M. RnudellVi Tribute Fnll of
Feel I hk.
Dan M. Ransdell said: "A great man
has passed away. I have never known
a more profound thinker or greater reason
er than Renjamin Harrison. He was rich
ly endowed with a great mind, and by
study and research he was amply pre
pared to deal with the intricacies of state
craft when he became President. Not only
was he a. great thinker, but In the power
of giving expression to his thoughts he
was without a peer. With him, to in
vestigate a subject was to comprehend
every phase of It. He was a man of tho
highest Integrity. No man In private or
public life will accuse him, of deception
or duplicity. He made no promises he did
not redeem. His death comes to me as
a great bereavement. My acquaintance
with him began when, as a young soldier,
1 followed him to the cannon's mouth.
Ho was then as he has always been, un
flinching in the discharge of duty. As a
lawyer he stood In the front rank with
the greatest of the world. The historian
will truly say, 'he has left a great record
as citizen, soldier, lawyer and statesman,
and a character without spot or blem
ish.' "
, ,
JOHN IJ. E LAM'S ESTIMATE.
He Wn Lnw Partner nnd LoiiR-Tltue
Friend of the Ex-lrellent.
Mr. John R. Elam, who was for years a
law partner and close friend of General
Harrison, said: '
"When I became acquainted with Gen
eral Harrison he was not yet forty years
of age. He began practicing law some
what younger than is now the rule and
had qualities that carried him rapidly to
the front rank. Ikfore he reached his
fortieth year he was recognized by all as
one. of the foremost lawyers in the State
and many regarded him as the very first.
"liut while this high place was attained
more rapidly than is usual it was not
reached without years of the most zealous
devotion to the duties of the profession.
He had a mind singularly clear and his
mental processes were so logical that it
I was natural for him to go right and hard
to be wrong. He had not that cast of mind
usually called genius, but if genius be cor
rectly defined as 'an infinite capacity for
taking pains' then he was clearly a genius
of high order. He was honest and fearless
in every sense of those great words, but he
was particularly distinguished for intel
lectual honesty and courage. The con
clusions to which his reason led him were
accepted fully with all their consequences
and made rules of action. He did not trifle
with anything and least of all with him
self. "In his earlier years he was not thought
to have much imagination and was not
often what is popularly called an eloquent
or entertaining speaker. He Indulged but
little in anecdote or any form of humorous
discussion. What was said of a great Eng
lish lawyer well describes his discourse:
'His very statement was argument and his
Inferences were demonstration. Eater he
displayed a faculty for graceful and deli
cately humorous speech that was as sur
I rising to his friends as it was delightful
to his hearers. Publlq life was with hlra
rather an avocation than a vocation. He
was always and pre-eminently a lawyer.
QUICK AND CLEAR.
"In quickness and clearness of apprehen
sion he surpassed any man I have ever
known. In the actual contests of the pro
fession he was courageous and full of re
sources. Wo have come to the Ciy of the
speclallst, but General Harrison never be
came one. He was singula ply at home in
every department of a lawyer's work. In
the quiet office there was no better adviser
and no more efficient worker, but the next
hour might find him tho advocate in some
great cause surpassing the expectations
both of his adversaries and associates. The
whole range of the law from criminal to
equity Jurisprudence, was his field, and he
won laurels in every part of it. The repu
tation of a lawyer, however great, is
ephemeral. A great book or great action
upon a largo stage is the only approach
to immortality. Rut General Harrison's
fame as a lawyer is more than national,
and it would be difficult to name any con
temporary who reached a higher place.
"Whether the case was large or small,
no clients ever had a more devoted and
painstaking lawyer than his. He never
cared for many precedents and usually
cited only the few cases in which the prin
ciples he contended for were most clearly
stated. Rut no man ever made a more pro
found and critical study of the actual case
in hand. Ho never lost sight of the fact
that every case has its own peculiar
features and that the case he was to try
was the one he should understand above
all others. He considered every fragment
of evidence in all its bearings and the vari
ous aspects the case might present to the
Judge, Jury and opposing counsel. When
the conflict was on, he was not apt to be
taken by surprise by any accident or inci
dent. The strength and weakness of every
position was studied in advance.
EFFECTIVE PREPARATION.
"His most effective preparation for a
great trial was made while walking back
and forth in his office and further relieving
the nervous tension by occasionally rattling
a bunch of keys or some like object carried
in his hand. In his success the element of
accident played little part.
"It need hardly be said that in all his
dealings with clients, lawyers, Judges and
juries, he was honest, earnest and sincere,
as no man attains to even a moderately
good position in the legal profession with
out these qualities. General Harrison has
had few equals among lawyers of any age
or country and if the practice of the law
must cease to be a great profession and be
come tjie trade of specialists, it is certain
that we 'shall not look upon his like again.'
"His public career belongs to history and
few reputations can better afford to await
its deliberate Judgment. Of personal rela
tions and the characteristics of his inner
life, I cannot now speak further than to
say that all who knew him will feel that
no soul braver and truer when confronted
by life's duties, has gone before and crossed
the bar into the unknown."
AN OLD FUIE.ND'S TIUIIITE.
Gen. Lew Wallace's Entlmate of the
Late Ex-Prenldent.
Gen. Lew Wallace, almost a lifetime
friend of ex-President Harrison, said:
"I heard last night that General Har
rison's illness was likely to prove fatal,
something I had not dreamed of, and the
news was like a blow over my heart. Prob
ably there is not one in Indianapolis to
day whose memory of him goes farther
back than mine; and sitting now and think
ing of him, I review the good relation that
has existed between us, and It is apparent
to me that his friendship is one of my
prides of life. Rut why talk of him selfish
ly? The loss is not merely to his stricken
wife and family, nor to his friends, sorrow
as they may it is to the Nation, the great
est on the earth.
"Ten days ago Renjamin Harrison was
the foremost man in America. I make no
exception, lie had every quality of great
nessa courage that was dauntless, fore
sight almost to prophecy, a mind clear,
strong, and of breadth by nature, strength
ened by exercise and constant dealing with
subjects of national import subjects of
world-wide interest. And of these qualities
the people knew, and they drew them to
him as listeners and believers, and in the
faith they brought him there was no mix
ture of doubt or fear.
"The sorrow for him must be universal."
JlIHiE RAKER'S TRIULTE.
General Ilnrrfnon Equally Great am
Lawyer, Orntor nnd Statennian.
Judge John H. Raker, one of the close
personal friends of General Harrison, said
of him: "I regarded General Harrison as
easily one among the greatest men that this
country has ever produced. His private life
and his public services alike have recom
mended him to the considerate Judgment
of his countrymen. He was alike great in
all the relations of private life and public
duty. No public man ever brought to the
discharge of the duties of the great of
fice of President more ability or patient ef
fort to serve the interests of the Nation.
He was equally great as a lawyer, an ora
tor nnd a statesman. In private life and In
the performance of public duty an enlight
ened conscience always guided his conduct.
"In his death the Nation sustains a great
and irreparable loss. His wisdom, patriot
Ism and conservative judgment were needed
by his countrymen at this time when the
Nation Is confror.;ed by a new, untried and
dangerous problems before It. His life and
his character will ever be an exemplar and
an inspiration for the coming generations
of his countrymen."
AVAS .NOT AN ACCIDENT.
p
Jude Wood Say (Jen. llnrrlmon Wa
Greater Than III Anc.estry.
Judge William A. Woods said: "Renja
min Harrison was In no sense an accident.
Great In ancestry, he bus been greater In
himself. His eminence and success In pro
fessional and public life were deserved be
cause they were earned. They were at
" vCONTINUL'D ON" PAGE Z, COL. 1)
TRIBUTES
President McKinley to Honor Gen. Harrison's
Memory by Attending His Funeral.
He will Formally Announce the Death of the Eminent
Indianian To-Day, and Probably Leave
Washington To-Night.
ACTION OF THE GOVERNOR AND MAYOR
People of State and City Notified of Their Loss
by Mr. Durbin and Air. Taggart.
Expressions of Members of the Cabinet, Qrover Cleve
land and Former Official Advisers of
the Dead Ex-President.
WASHINGTON, Maren 13. President
McKinley will attend the funeral of Gen.
Harrison. He will leave hero probably
to-morrow night, although the exact time
of departure has not been determined defi
nitely, accompanied by Mrs. McKinley and
Secretary Cortleyou. The party will stop
at Canton for a day or more, and Mrs. Mc
Kinley will remain there while the Pres
Iden and Mr. Cortleyou proceed to Indian
apolis. The itinerary will be so arranged
as to enable the President to leave Canton
on Saturday night for Indianapolis and
return immediately after the funeral. It
is not expected any of the members of
the Cabinet will go. Although expected,
the death of General Harrison was a dis
tinct chock to the President, the two men
having seen much of each other while?
the former was in the executive office. The
President learned of General Harrison's
death from several sources and during the
evening he sent a telegram of condolence
to Mrs. Harrison.
Deep Interest was exhibited In all the ex
ecutive departments throughout the day in
the reports that came as to the condition
of General Harrison. As office hours
had closed for the day before the end
came the first official action regarding tho
death will bo deferred until to-morrow,
when, following precedents, President Mc
Kinley will issue his proclamation to tho
people, notifying them of General Hani
son's death and setting out In becoming
terms his virtues and characteristics. Ho
also wiU order salutes to be fired at the
various army posts the day of the funeral
and on shipboard when the news is re
ccived. The secretary of war and the sec
retary of tho navy will Fend out sp?cial
notices to soldiers and sailors con
veying tho President's directions in
this matter. Little more can be
done officially, as the act of March
3, 1S93, specifically forbids the draping of
public buildings In mourning or the closing
of the executive departments on the oc
casion of the death of an ex-officlal. It
I? a curious fact that two orders issued
by President Harrison himself probibly
brought about the enactment of this law.
Jan. 18, 1S93, tho President was obliged
to issue an order announcing the death
of ex-rresldent Hayes, closing the depart
ments on the day of the funeral and order
ing all public buildings to be draped In
mourning. Almost before this period of
mourning had expired ex-Secretary Blaine
died, and another funeral proclamation
Issued from the White House. The long
continuation of the exhibitions of mourn
ing was too much for Congress, which
promptly passed the act above referred to,
prohibiting mourning display and the clos
ing of the departments on the occasion
of the death of an ex-officlal.
PROCLAMATION OP GOVKHNOIl.
ßualnem to He Suspended on Day the
. ' Ilody Lie In Mate.
Last night Governor Durbln Issued tho
following proclamation:
"To the Teople of Indiana General Ben
jamin Harrison, ex-President of the United
States, and for many years past unosten
tatiously enjoying undisputed honor of be
ing Indiana's most distinguished citizen,
died at his home In Indianapolis at 4:13
o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, March 13,
VX. He met the final and Inevitable sum
mons as he had met every emergency In
his eventful life with rare tourago and
with unfaltering faith.
"As a lawyer he received generous recog
nition as one in the forefront of his profes
sion; as a poldier in the war for the preser
vation of the Union he achieved enduring
fame; a President of the United States
he maintained in full measure the dignity
pnd time-honored traditions of that office;
as a citizen he was respected or his abil
ity, his courage, his keen sense of Jus
tice and hi noble Christian life. All of
his undertakings were characterized by
ernestness of purpose and reverent regard
for principle. He met every responsibility
with firm determination and performed
every duty conscientiously, lie relied upon
his own strength and his own concep
tion ot right in the discharge of his ob
TO TIE DEAD
ligations to the State, to the Nation and
mankind, thereby marking his career wit hi
conspicuous Individuality. The greater part
of his life was given to public service, and
in every position he was called to fill
ho gave abundant proof of his ability and
integrity.
"In the death of General Harrison every
citizen of Indiana will readily realize that
the State has lost its most distinguished
citizen ono who has left the impress of
his surpassing genius upon the pages of
history, and whose name will bo forever
associated with the foremost statesmen and
patriots of the eventful age in which be
lived.
"Therefore, as a mark of respect to th
man whose world's work is done, I di
rect that all public business be suspended
on tho day the mortal remains of General
Harrison are lying in state, that the flag
of all buildings be placed Ht half-mast
during the customary period of mourning,
and that such other honors be paid ths
distinguished dead as befits the occasion.
"Done at tho Capitol of the State of
Indiana, at Indianapolis, this 13th day
of March, in the year of our Lord one
thousand nine hundred and one, of th
Independence of the United States the one
hundred twenty-fifth, and of the State th
eighty-fifth.
"WIN FI ELD T. DUHBIN, Governor.
"By the Governor:
"UNION B. HUNT. Secretary of State
MAYOR'S PItOCLAMATIOX.
A Special Meeting ot the Council Will
lie Called to Take Action.
Yesterday afternoon upon learning of tho
death of General Harrison Mayor Taggart
issued the following proclamation:
"To tho Citizens cf Indianapolis Wa
mourn the loss to-day of our most dis
tinguished citizen and the most e.nlnent man
in the city or in the Nation. The death of
Benjamin Harrison is a national bArcavc
ment. But while it will bring grief to every
part of the Republic, it is a particular af
fliction to tho people of this city, atnonj
whom he has lived from his boyhood and
to whose welfare and advancement he has
contributed so greatly. General Harrison
was a bravo soldier, a patriotic states
man and an honest man. His memory wijl
always be held in the highest honor by
bis fellow-citizens, regardless of party or
creed, who recognized his remarkable abil
ity and hia great public fcrvices, and who
respected him for the purity of his life anl
hin spotless integrity.
"I hhall call a special meeting of thd
Common Council to take appropriate ac
tion upon this sad tcnt, and I recom
mend to the citizens of Indianapolis that
they suspend their usual occupations to
far as practicable upon the occasion of
Genetal Harrison's funeral and unlto in
paying such a tribute to his memory as wdl
be worthy of 1 is long and distinguished ca
reer. THOMAS TAGGAItT, Mayor."
TimiiTHs 1'iioM Tin: caiiim:t.
President MrKlnlry'a Adrlirn Speak?
of HnrrlRou's Grrnlnr.
WASHINGTON. March 13. The laU
President Harrison was personally known
to every member of the Cabinet, and u!l its
members In the city sfxtke to-day In praba
of his magnificent intellectuality and rugged
force of character. Naturally the proclama
tion the President will lsue hettlng out the
administration's estimate of General Har
rison's character in a large measure will
include the personal views of a majority of
tne Cabinet, and consequently they did not
In moK caws care to enter into extended
analysis of the good qualltli-s of the de
ceased. Secretaries Gage and Griggs uro
out eif town.
Secretary of State Hay said: "The death
of Mr. Harrison Is a national loss. Inde
pendent of the great eifilclal position he h.id
held he was a man of extraordinary nnrvtal
capacity and activity. He was a true
-tatrman, lawyer and orator, and he has
left few men hi equals behind him. In
character as well as abilities he was a man
ox very unusual force and value."
Postmaster General Umory Smith said:
"Tho country had very great reiect for
Geiural Harrison, und his death will be
universally deplored as a great public bs.
He was one of the ablest men who Ins
tdled the presidential ehulr. In intelleetu al
force, In civic virtue, In deep and gtruiine
patriotism he ranks among the firt half
dozen In the whole lbt. Ills greatness as a
lawyer, hi thorough knowledge of affairs,
his rare administrative capacity, which en
abled him to guide any one of the execu
tive departments, hs he actually guided m v
eral at one time and another elurir-.g the
disabilities of their chiefs, have rarely been