The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-12
o b / L u A r Y.
GIDEON wEIIrs

sdminarstiou Of Pr.sden; Lincoln, died In Hartford.
rens.. a. qaarter before seven o'clock last night
Ne ~as with one excsption tho last Surviving men,
Der 81 me Csblast " the great War President The
dece1se of tbs venerAbie ex.secretary Is shock 10
me eoeary. lor As tiness knswn 10 eompara-
uvely outsae Of as family circle. and no refer
sscs 10 hsa bssa made ~ the Hartford news
yspcrs II 10 uas ttai he had been missed Tor
sons uns pssa mom hrs customary promenade
90 asin street. Hartford. where hia ssai~art form
ssa sno~ .hlts beard ssa har oversasdowsd oy
mesd bummsa hat q black ielt 80 iamiisr In WASH
rgsen aarlng tns ~ar. had a.ny suracssa aiieD,oa;
yes 81. sa.psciea aBseacs sas Hecsssitsiea
o. hta. dlsssss siacs rssireDent nom the
c.bsast he haa Hartford bis home and had heed
very ae,sy. appsansg before the paee only through
90 snseresfas aeres oi sriclss cenirituted 70 me
Gaiays. Aisanns aaa other psbheAiions on Mr. Lia-
eolas ssalsistFaloa aad ,As sssais grow
isg eat 81 Tee %. The last Of these
ar,s.es sppsarsa a ne Gassry lev
moalas 40 asd ne Auirhe Tor
nsrcb appears To- deal fTom bs bano, The proofs
Of ~hscs he revised osiy l.e -ssks aso, eurlng Ms
lnssss nis heaan his rssurn froHs Washington
bsa bees annornly sooa saspsle ri. advanced years.
saa he asd rsFey tcsn cordaec 30 hts room excrpag
by az staek 81 selaiica .hion pFostfased him three
Years a.. sreng consrtsitss carried him through
ana hls risnas astecssd iaihns untii lev mcnshs
sa whsa sviasncs u growng iseDiesess
sssams apparont IA hs -eakensa loot
nsps and 70 soms extent 70 hR general
lppsarsBoo u waa gradual wasting Of
the system. and somsshinx mere 1AAn month ago
sarbunes q uuu-uaiiy malignant tyPe appeared 90
the back Of heat the nsas ear The ordinary
usstuest Of lsneius yurssse, but no permanently
beacBclsl effects resulted ana eventually tns sros'h
reaehsa me ss1e Of ave inches diameter Noseneus
rcsglls spprelsraea tor . une add lis physi-
Clans bensved thai a possible The poisoned
oood was, ho~eser slo~iy spreading as Gay through
ne STEM aRd saturday sst genuine s-f IA vas &C
ea.sohed ~ the appearances Of Inflammation IN the
thruat winch nlersrsd botH arscsi-sioa aud lhe
laksase oil esen iquld iosd. 20 winch ne DAD prstiy
medlc.l sgni Ia uar,i0rl secured ana every
effort made ~ cheek the iurtbsr fsF@gcs, ~neA NE
nay sieans Snes ~oa'a most nSey prove i.t- at his
advanced ags. HIS symptoms rapidiy grew worse
during sunday, ana yesterday sitefhoon ~ VAS an-
nouscea ~ nis rcialIyes thai death VAS matter Of
onsy lew hours Al quarter Beofs seven he quietly
passed away without sslTaggle Osly hs ~iis aud Two
soGs present ne suffered htie paia aud retained
consciousness the iasi. o1t the inflammation % his
throat mad eDcckea speech and eii indicale
the wishes OF hs dyng nonents " NE eye of ieebie
spread beyond the household yet ~as Known 10 com.
parauvey lev Hartford Iast pigni ether thsn rc4s-
lives or immeaiate inends No arransemeols nave
YET been Tor the funeral. but ~il De gsoeraiy
under the direction oi tnc lauaiy and ~ William
Fsxon who Assstsbt secretary OF tue Nsyy under
the deceased and ~ho residing IA Hartford, has ecen IA
lose relation vain retirement from The
Cabinet Tue interment wiii Oe IA tho Csdsr hiii
Cemetery, beautiful cay of Tie dead IA The south
western part OF Hartford The occeased leaves no
surviving brothers OF sisters The last OF the amy,
his brother Ihaddeus, having died al 0iss.snbaf,,
Conn, about one ear aso ne leaves vile aud
family OF nine Children, only tbrce sons, hdssr who
was chief clerk OF tue Navy Department during hs
iatner's administration, Thomas g. PRACTISING law
YER and yohB CASHIER Of state bans, all OF Hart.
lord The eldest Aon, Ldgar. has been IN Europe re-
Gently and started Tor home on last SATURDAY re-
sponse a Telegram advising hin OF his fathers dan
gerous illness
Gideon weies was born IN the village Of Glas,en.
bury, Hartford county, Conn.,. on july l. 1907 lilo
was hncal descendant OF Thomas Nelles, the hfst
treasurer ana ailerwara Governor OF The colony OF
Connecticut, aud wno settled IA Hartford IN 1850 Mr..
Welles received his rudlmcntary education Of the
Episcopal Academy, In Cheshire. Conn. ana regu
larry admitted 10 ihe Nor~ieh University, Yer
mont Without competing hs course at eoiiese
he began the study OF Law In the Office
OF Chiei Justice Williams and subsequently
pursued IL under the direction OF William ".
Ellsworth, since one OF the caisi Judges OF the
supreme Court OF the state OF Connecticut.
does not seem to have practicsa bic pro.
les sion In 1876 Mr.. Wcles became editor aud part
owner Of tho Hartford 1tmss, whica became the
organ oil Tho democratic parry IN INA, state. TINS
pager that advocated the election OF ten
ersl Jackson TO tbe Presidency and upon oia HEX
orys" elevation TO that dignity Mr. welles became,
through the editorial columns OF the Inns. one 81
bis eiicien anu ardent supporters he wrote double
leaded leading article, brimiui OF EMULATION, wnen
Jackson toppied the United States Bank and MS
Joy knew no bounds wnen the hero OF New Orleans
stamped The traces OF nullincst,on 1881 -
and threatened TO hang John e. Calhoun. Mr.. Meles
was a member OF the state Legislature from 1877 10
1885 when he received the appointment OF state
Comptroller. Free, himself. IRON all Digotry and
can't he sought while in the Legislature, 10 cleanse
the Connecicut statute book OF the remains OF the
.blue laws, and he attacked with great severity,
both ia the House and through the columns oil ms
paper, proposed measure 10 exclude witnesses whs
did not believe future state OF rewards and pun
ishmonts from testiying Ia the courts. Ito also
endeavored for many years, aud with nnal sue
cess, to procure the abolition oil imprisonment
tor dcDt He assailed. with coesnt reasoning n "a
mastery ability, the practice, at that time much Ia
vogue his native state OF special legislation, and he
succeeded IN securing the passage o general system.
atc laws for tho organization OF banking and other
business corporations al the same tme and long before
the subject mad excited general attention he CON-
mommenced an agitation for the establishment Of
lower postal rates. Al the close Of General Jscxsons
administration Mr. Wees relinqushed the manage
ment OF the Times, but still continued TO DO one OF ITS
principal contributors iii the repeal Of the Missouri
compromise, in 1854. In 1886 he was appoiaied
Postmaster OF Hartford which Office he held
ill 1S4l. In 1872 he was again elected
State Comptroller. Being. ia ls4t, unexpect.
edly rendered by Presiaent Polk the Office Of
chief OF OF the bureaus oil the Navy Depar mept,
he accepted and retained 1t till the summer OF 1s49.
sonian scnoo and as such opposed 10 the spread OF
slavery into new territory. When tho Nortn deter
mned TO resist by all constitutional means the iur-
Their spread OF slavery and to confinc II TO It's own do
mnIon the republican party was organized IN 1855.
and with Mr.. Wcllcs became Immediately identified,
running as its candidate Tor Governor Connecticut
10 1856 AT the National Republican Convention held
IN Philadelphia no was appointed member oil tho
National Committee Tor Connecticut lc was also
chairman OF the Connecticut delegation TO the
Chicago Convention which nominated Abfa-
ham Lincoln Tor the Presidency Ia 1850.
He threw himself earnestly ana onergcucaliy
into the exciting and heated canvass OF 1860.
aud PROBABLY 70 no single mans excrons DID the re-
publican party owe its success In that eventu cam
paIgn more than 10 the laDors of Gideon WeleS
When the success had been achieved Mr.. Lincoln
had been inaugurated the cx-chiei vi the Navy bu-
was summoned INTO the historic Cabinet Q! isoi
and invested with tue secretaryship OF the Navy
Department Upon taking possession oil hts
portfolio Mr. Weles found he was TO
occupy sinecure. Everything was Ia
iusion. Confusion con founded relgned Ia every
bureau. The few ships lett undIsmantled had been
despatched to foreign shores, and as Mr. Wees some
what patbetcaly remarked at the time, 81 have u.
tered from my illustrous predecessor single soop,
wIth five spiked annon TINS vessel constitutes Tue
now available American navy" Hut uuaisma yed by
the difficulties before him. he Instantly carried his
energetic habits into his new work. orders de-
spatcned Tor vessels on foreign service to return
home. Agents were appointed to purchase Tor
the department appropriate ships from the
mad ALI