Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1889 — THOMAS NICHOL DEAD. [ARTICLE]

THOMAS NICHOL DEAD.

Tlie Earnest anil Eccentric Advocate of “ Honest Money ” Expires in New York. Thomas M. Nichol, whose connection with the “Honest Money League” of Chicago and other political associations was well known, died at the New York Columbia Institute for Chronic Diseases. He had been under treatment at the institute for several months for a disease of the spinal cord. Mr. Nichol was 44 vears old. Mr. Nichol, well known among public men throughout tho country, and despite his eccentricities, was so much respected that his death will be sincerely mourned. Ho was a most eccentric man, a genius, and had a great mind, although, as Senator Sawyer once said of him, ho “was all sail and no rudder.” Nichol w’us born in Ohio, went into the army, carried a musket for four years, and then at the close of the war lunded in Illinois, down near Belleville, whore he taught school for several winters and worked at bJaeksmilhing summors. Then he moved out to Kansas, and lived at Humboldt and Fort Scott for a time. At tho latter place ho edited a newspaper for several mouths. His hobbies always were linauco and polities, and ho would walk twenty miles to hear a political speech. The winter debating societies were his delight, aud it was said in that country that there was not a lawyer or a minister or a pedagogue in those counties who could stand up with him in a discussion.

While ho was blacksmithing, Nichol invented a plow, and was advised by dealers in agricultural implements to take it to the J. 1. Case factory at Bacine, Wis., where it was thought he could iind a purchaser. This was in 1870. Ho landed at Bacine one afternoon, and when ho went up to the hotel learned that Gen. Samuel F.Cary was to make a greenback speech in the town hall that evening. Of course Nichol went to hear him, and during the prog, ess of the speech asked Cary some questions. The speaker was very much embarrassed by the perplexing inquiries put to him by the stranger, and finally declined to answer any more of them. Mr. Nichol, an entire stranger to overybody in the room, then arose and asked permission to reply to Cary at the conclusion of the latter’s remarks, but was prevented from doing so. There was great excitement in the town, and Nioliol found himself a hero. The ltepublieans hired the hall for tlio next evening, and Nichol made a speech in which he demolished Cary in sucii a manner as to commend himself to tho Wisconsin ltepublioan Committee, by which he was employed to follow Cary about the State. When Cary finished his campaign in Wisconsin, Nichol followed him into Onio, and then to Maine, and then all over tho United States, making tho acquaintance of Sherman, Garlield, Blaine, Conkliug, Arthur, and other public men, ana gaining for himself a phenomenal reputation. Tho winter following tho campaign of 1876 Nichol was employed to organize wliat was known as "The Honest Money League,” In opposition to the inflation movement. John Sherman was the President and he was the Secretary, and he traveled from one end of tho United Statds to tho other lecturing on hard money and organizing branches of the league in all tho cities and larger towns. He was occupied at this work until the summer of 1880, when ho went to Washington to take charge of the literary bureau organized'to promote Sherman’s Presidential prospects. Ho went to Chicago as a confidential agent of Sherman, and when Garfield was nominated returned with him to Menor, where lie became his private secretary and served as such through the campaign of 1880. When Garfield was elected ho tendered Nichol the position of Private Secretary at the Whito House, but Nichol dhelinod it. and was made Commissioner of Indian Affairs, in which position he served just two days. On the evening of the second day lie went to the Whito House with his resignation in liis hand, and told tho President that he could not stand it any longer; that he had not been able to eat or sleep, and would go crazy before tho end of the week unless he was relieved from duty. Although- he was a great theorist in finance he did not have the faculty of putting his ideas into practice, and those who were associated with him in business soon discovered it to their sorrow. In the first place, it was liis habit, as ho used to say, to keep his books in his head. He never made a record of any of liis financial transactions, but depended eutirely upon his memory. His carelessness was proverbial, and a friend who knew him said that if you would lock Nichol up in a room alone with $1,004 in $1 bills he would lose half of them before he got out. While ho was at the Grand Pacific Hotel one day ho had $50,000 worth of bonds stolen from him, bonds issued by a Denver street railroad, which ho was carrying to be sold in the East, and he did not even miss them until the.y-ha<i been found among the plunder of a thief‘who had been arrested by the police. -I