The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-09-03
Death of ::sena .cr.Rusk.

The Washington Star, in noticing The
death Of Senator Rusk, of Texas, says:
"SENAToR RUsK IS DEAD!"-All II in Wash
ington were horror. stricken this morning by
the announcement, per telegraph; Of the sui.
eide OF Senator Thomas ]. Rusk, of a'eZas
by shooting himself through the head with
a rifle, which occurred at his home on the
29th Of July, last. AS yet no particulars o.
the circumstance under which this aw
ful circumstance took place, are known tc
the public of the Atlan:isj States. Those
who knew him intimate y--and none knew
him thus except to love and revere him
will alone fail to be surprised at tie event
Previous to his advent in the United States
Senate in 1916, he was distinguished almost
alone as pioneer soldier, in which capacity
his courage, good sense and unvarying ur
banity won him universal popularity in Tex.
as, where the remarkable powers of his ex.
pansiVe mind were then as unknown to the
public as elsewhere, except TO the few who
witnessed the proceedings of the (Texas)
Convention Of 1916 to form State Coasti.
tuition. IN the Senate Of the United States
his acquisition of great fame as a statesman
was as slow and as regular as sure. Dan.
iel Webster, shortly before his death, re.
peatedly pronounced his to be the greatest
intellect among the members of that body
and such was the opinion OF him held y the
leading minds of this city from thet day to
this. He had great antiquity to orator.
cal display as to partisan politics, which in
duced him, at all times, to eschew oratorcal
demonstrations upon mere political subjects,
though always firm and faithful as the most
faithful, to The principles and measures ofthe
Democratic party. Among the leading po.
liticians of the party, more especially in pub
lie life, it was generally conceded that in
case of protracted contest in the next De.
mocratic National Convention over the Pre-.
sidentiol nomination, the choice would have
been most likely to fall upon him. rs being
obnoxious to no interest in the party, and
most confded in by all.
"We knew him we'll throughout the last
nineteen years, and never knew any other
public man to be m re entirely unselfish, so
conscientious in all his thoughts and acts,
public and private, or to possess more traits
Of character such so won for their possessor
the confidence and esteem, and, indeed, the
ardent affection of men Of mind and abiding
personal char" cter. As a father, husband
and neighbor, he was loved as few men
are.
'In early life he frequently gave way to
ungovernable temporary spells Of diss!pa.
ton, wherein he lost his usual command over
himself. Later, however, he gradually gain
ed control over his passions for such oct
bursts, until they had become very rare with
him. While in them, his friends often fear
ed he would njure himself with weapons, and
were careful, as far os possible, to keep them
out of his reach. :
"His wife died some eighteen months ago,
and thus the strongest chord binding him to
life was snapped He grev ed over her death
like q child for its mother. 1t preYed upon
him at all times, affecting him daily mere and
more, though few, indeed, were aware chat the
sharer of all his earthly toiIs--the best and
truest friend he ever had, the soother of all
his troubled moments, the object of his pur-
est and most devoted affections fer twenty.
yfve years or more-had broken his heart;
for he loathed pa nde in such matters, as in
all things else. That in aft of undue ex
citement, under such circumstances, he
should have committed suicide, does not sur
prise US. He leaves no ADLER American
statesman behind him, and the world will
never behold more conscientious and up
right bile man."