Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1911 — Senator Stephen B. Elkins Died at His Washington Home [ARTICLE]

Senator Stephen B. Elkins Died at His Washington Home

Senator Stephen B. Elkins, of West Virginia, died at midnight Wednesday night at his home in Washington, D. C. He became ill in the summer at his home in Elkins, W. Va., but when he was removed to Washington ou Nov. 9, he was reported considerably Improved. Blood poisoning was the cause of death.

Senator Elkins was himself a railroad builder and was the chairman for a number of years of the interstate commerce committee of the U. jL senate. As the head of this committee he had charge of the Hepburn rate regulation bill of 1907, and of the administration bill of 1910. He had intimate knowledge of the questions affected by this legislation, and shpmeasure so roundly opposed by democrats and insurgent republicans. Alter the passage of the bill the late Senator Dolliver warmly complimented Senator Elkins. „ Senator Elkins was a genial man who liked practical things and notwithstanding his extensive business affairs outside the senate, he gave every care to his legislative duties and looked after the interests of his constituency very carefully. He was born in Ohio in 1841. He moved witn his father to Missouri, where he graduated from the Missouri university and then settled in New Mexico. There he served as attorney-general, U. S. district attorney, territorial senator and delegate in congress. He married the eldest daughter of Henry Gassaway Davis, who was the democratic candidate for vice-president in 1904. Mr. Davis was then a senator from West Virginia and Mr. Elkins moved fils residence to that state. He was chairman of the republican na tional committee in the campaign that elected Benjamin Harrison president He was elected to the senate in 1895. While residing in Missouri Mr. Elkins taught school and to this circumstance owed his escape from one of the most thrilling situations of his eventful life. Riding one day toward the close of the civil war along a lonely road in the western part of the state, he was seized by a squad from the band of the confederate guerilla Quantrill. -He was charged with being a spy and the penalty was death. Fortunately for Elkins, he was placed in the care of two brothers, who recognized the young man as their former teacher.

Appreciating his peril they contrived his escape. The senator’s new found friends were Jim and Cole Younger, who afterwards became notorious as the most daring of the band of outlaws led by the James brothers. When, after the close of the war, the Youngers were captured and went to prison on a life sentence for robbing a bank in Minnesota, Mr. Elkins recalled their kindness to him. He exerted his influence to procure their release and ultimately succeeded.