Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1891 — DEATH OF WM. WINDOM. [ARTICLE]

DEATH OF WM. WINDOM.

Bu<fd«n Demise While Attending • New Fork Banquet. < The Hon. William Windom, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, died Thursday night at 10:05 o’clock in the banquet hall at Delmonico’s, where he was a guostof the New York Bo >rd <Mt Trad* and. Transportation. His had been the first toast of the evening. He finished his response, had seated himself, swooned at once, and died almost immediately. Every effort toresterehirn was mad ', but in vain. He died of heart d'sease. The great assemblage at once dissolved. Mr. Windom had been the only speaken and the sentiment to which he responded was “Our country’> prosperity dependent upon its instruments of commerce.”

This was to have been anight of feast* ing and flow of soul at Delmonico’s. The New York Board of Trade and Tr (asportation was to sit at its nineteenth annual dinner and the great gold hall was bright with light and color. And feasting there was, happy and unrestrained, but death sat, too, at the board and the only that flowed out was that of the nation’s financial head. His spirit fled away at the close of his speaking, which was the firs* of the night and the last. The unseen guest had silently followed the feasters’ shadow, darkened all the brightness of the place, and those who came to speak went away hushed and grave. The dinner, which began at 6 o’clock, was completed shortly after 9 o’clock' Mr. Windom,introduced by Judge Arnou>’ who acted as toastmaster, arose to speaa. being the first speaker of the evening. He responded to the toast: “Our country’s prosperity dependent upon its instruments of commerce.” He finished his speech at 9:55 o’clock p. m. It has been remarked that he was reading it off hurriedly from the printed copy, going faster and faster as he neared the end, and at the last he had requested the audience not to applaud. - Then the Secretary sat down quietly,too quietly, many thought, in his seat, and Toastmaster Judge Arnoux arose to intros duoe ex~Secretary of State Bayard as the next speaker. He began a short speech, but had not proceeded far when Mr. Win, dom gave a sh irt, sharp moan of anguish and fell back in his chair. His.face grew purple. His lower limbs stiffened and stretched out of their own accord, appare ntly, under the table. His eyelids opened and shut, spasmodically, but there was no gleam of intelligerice In the eyes, Which were rapidly losing the luster of life. A cry went up from those sitting near theguests’s table, and every eye was turned toward the man whose voice had jus* aeased upon the air. Mr. Windom had col' .apsod in his chair and was falling to the door. His face was ghastly and a cry of horror arose from the late festive banquet*, its. There was an immediate rush upon the part of all toward Mr. Windom's chair out several doctors, who were present at. 4he dinner, gut there first and drove the, ithers back. i

Dr. Robinson bent down, thus making' t close examination of the prostrate form, liscovered that the beart’was yet beating,, tnd with the assistance of Judge Truax, 'Japtain Snow and one or two others lifted aim to bis feet deathly pale. He was car« tied into the room behind the banquet ball ind everything was done to resuscitate Jim. Messengers were hastily dispatched 'or electric batteries, and as many us four were applied to bis body, which was rap-' .dly growing cold. For six minutes the alectric shocks were applied incessantly, >ut without succees. ; Judge Arnoux on retiring with the un conscious man bad announced that MrWindom baa < nly fainted and it. was not .bought by those remaining that it was so ■erious as it proved to be. Wt.e« it was jfficially announced that the Secretary was dead Secretary Tracy at once went to the nearest telegraph office and s nt a message to Pressdeut Harrison informing aim of tfienunHmely"evenTancTrequestin g jhn to communicate with Mrs; Windom. The news caused a shock to the President and members of the Cabinet, and the widow and daughter of the dead Secretary were completely prostrated. AU the members of the Cabinet, tbe r wives and the President were attending a musicaj entertainment at the home of Mr.Wunamaker, wh-re the news was received. By a ruie the Windom family were induced to eturn home, when the sad news was conveyed to them. William Windom was born in Belmon' county, Ohio, May 10, 185. He received an academic education; afterward be studied law at Mt. Vernon, O.,and was admitted to the bar in 1-SJ. He was made prosecuting attorney in 1552, which position he held until 185.., wnen ho removed to Minnesota. Soon after bis arrival in that State Ue became identified witn politics and in a short time became a very prominent figure in the ranks of tbe Republicans. In 1859 he was elected to tbe House of Representatives. Ha serv-id as a member of the comm it' ee on public lands. In the Thirty-seventh Congress be served on the committee on public expenditures; in the Thirty-eighth as chairman of the committee on Indian affairs and of tbe special committee to visit the Indian tribes Of the West in 186 i»; in the Thirtyninth he was one of the comini't-e ou the death of President Line tin; was again chairman of tbe committee on Indian affairs qud chairman of a special committee on the conduct of the commissioner of Indian affairs. He was also a delegate to the Philadelphia “Loyalist convention” in 1866. He was re-elected to tiie Fortieth Congress, in K 0 he was appoint'd Senator from Minnesota to fill an unexpired term ana Was subsequently elected to the Senate for the term that ended in 18,7. in 1817 he was re-elected for tbe term ending in 1881, but re .igned in March, ISsS io accept tho portfolio of tho Secretary of the Treasury in President Garfield's cabinet, On the acces ion of President Arthur ho retired from the cab net and was re-elect-ed to the Senate to till 'he vacancy caused by his own rest, uat’o i. For the ’ive years after he hud left tie Senate Mr. Windom made New York bis headqu irters, giving hisatlention tohis law prac: ice and other busines <, having little or nettling to do with Minnesota politics. In IN-9, niter Senator Allison had dec ined the post of Secretary of tho Tn asnr.v, tendered him by President elect Harris m, Mr. Windom, was broirirht forward as a prominent Western man ac.p,aintt'd with finances. and was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by President Harrison, in which capacity be lias curved -■ver since.