Daily Republican., 1881-12-05
DEATH OF SAMUEL TOWNSEND d
Tho oAppOqutnimlnk Farmer Dies
Peace fully at his Home In the
asth VsRr Of his Age.

Samuel Townsend. the widely-known
App,ouinin.ink farmer, died at ms
reslde,.ce, Townserd, Delaware, this
moriog at 40 o'clock, in the 6Sth
wear of his age. His disease vas a
dropsiral affect on to which the family
are isposed.
samuel Townsend was s"lfmade
man. the son nf poor and huruble pa
rents, ard deprived of the chance Oh
Obtaining even common school edu'
cation If be had been an educated
man !e would have been the rival q
the most learned men Of the State, and
in tepd of taking the lead as one OF
The b st agricu turists and fruit grow
ers of the State, be would have been
hrnored in the halls of National ltgls'
Iation or on the Judicial bench. What
S,nuel townsend lacked in the polis1
of education he made up of brilliant
native talent and sagacity which made
him a leader in whatever sphere he
moved.
He was born politician of Demo
cratic proclivi,ies, and ever since he
reached bis majority, he launched forth
in the broad held of politics and TOOK
an active part IN local and general po'
litical questions. Wien about thirty
Years OF age, he with a brother, bought up
large quantities of timber, and alter
wards purchased several farms, some
in Kent County ard others IN Mary
land. The Delaware Railroad found in
Mr.. Townsend firm friend, though he
was not slow in opposing 1t when he
thought it was wrong. lu the year 1871
Mr. Townsend was chosen by his peo-
ple to represent them in the Legsla'
ture. where he was known and rsspe IT.
ed for his honesty and Independence.
In 1913 he was = delegate from New
Castle County to the Democratic Ma
tional Convention which met in Balti-
more and nominated General Lewis
Cass for President. Geuerai Lachariah
Taylor was the Whig opponent and
was elected In 1860 Mr.. Townsend
broke from that wing of the Demo
cratic party that nominated john G..
Breckinridge for President, and cast in
his political lot with st phen A. Doug
lass, who was nom mated for the Presl-
dency by the War Democrats at Baltl-
more Mr. To Snsend was War
Democrat and was in favor of saving
the Union.
When President Lincoln became
Presid. mt Mr.. Tow send went to Wash
ington to urge a .edy aud etfectual
prosecution If the war, and while there
he was off red payma,ership IN the
army which he declined to accept, and
afterwards his brother lSrael a Reput-
lican, got the office. He remained an
ardent Union man until thu close of the
war, bul when tie negroes were en-
franclsed he took offence ard became
q st,ong advocate o1 the Democratic
parry because o posed neg suffrage
He always ia, oren radical reforms in
his p ,rty, advocated Representation ac-
cordlng to ,pu'a ion and the selection
of candidates for the Legislature and
Levy Courts by the opular vote OF his
parry.
Mr.. Townsend was as prominent a
peach grower as a politician and to him
the people of Delaware are indebie ed
more than to any other one man for the
facilities they enjoy for shipping, their
fruit to market.
Though apparently of rough exterior
MIR. Townsend had a sympathetic dis
position ard tender neart, as hun
dreds of the poor, both back and
white, will testify. His acts of charity
were mostly confined to his own neigh
borhood, which accounts for his un
bounded popularity in his own Hun
dred, but his ear was never deaf Il
appeals for worthy objects wherevt'
they existed. There are 'ew in Della
ware who do not know Samuel Town
send either personally or by reputation
and he has large circles facquaintanct
in Pennsylvalia and Maryland. Hi
funeral will take place al | o'clock OF
Thursday from his late residence a
Townsend, Delaware.