Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-03-25
SAD NEWS.
Death of the Famous Poet, Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow.
Biographical Sketch Of His Past.
BosToN. March "a.

Henry W. LongfellOw, the poet, who has
| been in ill health during the past two years
| from a complication of troubles. died at bis
home in Cambridge at 3.l5 P. NJ, today.
The illness which proved fatal, peritonitis,
| set in last Saturday. He celebrated his sew
enty fifth birthday February p. The church
| bells of Cambridge are now tolling.
Not since the death of his intimate friend.
Prof. Agassez, has Longfelow been in rob
ust health Agassez's death having been a
| great shock to him from which he never fully
| recovered. For nearly two years after that
| event his health was source of anxiety to
| his intimate friends. He was unable, during
| that time, to enjoy his food owing to imper-
| feet digestion, living generally upon bread
| and milk Saturday last he was out part of
| the afternoon. walking on the piazza, and
going into the house complained of being
slightly cold At dinner he was taken suddenly
i'll and soon after went to his room and in a
short time had violent attack of vertigo. DR..
Morrill, Wyman and Dr. J. +. Ninot attend
ed him.
Sunday he complained of severe pains in
stomach and opiates were administered to
alav the trouble and induce sleep. His con-
dition seemed somewhat improved until Mon
day when the dangerous symptoms became
manifest and the family were seriously
alarmed. Tuesday morning these symptoms
assumed an aggravated form and it became
evident to the household that his death was
near. Wednesday and Thursday there was
slight improvement, there being a dispos-
tion to sleep almost continually. During
the afternoon and evening of Thursday he
talked a great deal about various topics and
seemed to recover a large portion of his usual
bright and cheerful disposition. Later in the
night he became partially unconscious and
seemed restless and uneasy. Yesterday
morning he revived, though his talk was of
a rambling nature and somewhat incoherent
This condition continued until about an hOur
before his death when he became uncOn scious
and so continued until the last, suffering but
little pain apparently.
The immediate cause of his death was
peritonitis.
All the family were present, consisting of
his three daughters Edith Mrs. r. ii. DANA ,
Alice and Anna, the sons Earnest and Charles,
his nephews William p and Wadsworth
Longfellow of Portland, his brother Alexan-
der of Portland, his sisters Mrs. Greenlef of
Cambridge and Mrs Pierce of Portland, his
brother-in-law Thomas Appleton of Boston,
Nathan Appleton of Boston and Mrs. Earnest
Longfellew.
The funeral will be held Sunday or Mon
day, and it is the desire of the family that
it shall be strictly private.
There is a universal feeling of sorrow
throughout Cambridge at the loss experienced
by his death.
The residents of Cambridge were first ap
prised of his death by the tolling of his age
(75) on the city fire alarm bells, and long
before sunset there were numerous tokens of
mourning displayed from private houses,
and probably that on the day of the funeral
the whole city will assume a funeral appear
ance.
Mr.. Longfellow, before his failing health
prevented, took active interest in municipal
affairs and attended all the public gatherings.
His last appearance in public was on the oc-
casion of the 250th anniversary of the settle
ment of Cambridge, in December, 1850,
When. at Sanders theatre he made brief
address to the children of the public schools
The news of his death was entirely unex-
pected by the public, as his dangerous svmp-
toms were not generally known until Wed.
nesday.
Henry Wadsworth Longfelow was born in
Portland. Me-, February 9th, 1907 The
old mansion where he was born being the
first erected in Portland wholly OF
brick walls is still pointed out His father.
Hon. Stephen Longfelow was leading man
| of Maine, and his grandfather was the first
| of the name to settle in the state as school
teacher. After his preliminary studies he
was sent to BowdOin College. where he grad.
uated in 1926 in the class which composed
among its members Nathaniel Hawthorne.
| Franklin Pierce and several others who won
| distinction in the various walks of life He
had intended to devote himself to the study
| of law, but his natural bent toward literature
| had been so stimulated by the reception OF
some pieces of poetry, he published during
his college course, that he dropped all
| thoughts of Blackstone and Coke.
In 1926 he was offered the professorship on
| mo1ern languages and literature in Bowdoin
| which he accepted upon the condition he might
! devote some time to preliminary foreign
| study. Early in the year he sailed for
| Europe, remaining abroad till 1929 and study
ing successfully in France, Spain. Italy and
| Germany. Upon his return he discharged
| the duties of professorship in his alma mater
| for five years. During this time he contrib
uted to the North American Review and pub
| lished his translation of the ''Copeas de Man.
| rique," and his "Outre Mer
Longfellow appointed professor of
| modern languages and literature in Harvard
| College to succeed Prot. Ticknor. Long
| fellow then made his second visit to Europe,
| passing about two wears in Denmark, Swed.
| en-, Germany. Holland and Switzerland. Dur
| ing this trip he lost his wife at Rotterdam,
| Nov. 29th 1885 He returned to America in
| 1886 and entered upon the Harvard profes
sorship, which he held seventeen wears. be-
| ing succeeded by James Russell Lowell
Many of Longfellow's best and most popu
| lar works was published during the time he
was professor of Harvard College. In 1868
| Prof Longfellow revisited Europe, where he
was received with marked honors which nat
| urally reached their climax in England where
| it was said by the Westminster Review tina,
| not one of his English contemporaries had a
| wider or greater supremacy.
In 1868. also, Longfelow was elected a
member of the Reform Club. In July. 1869.
he received the degree of d. c. L. at Oxford
and returned to this country the 3lst of Au-
gust, 1859. While Longfellow has ALWAYS
been averse to public testimonials and cele-
brations, his birthdays, especially of later
| years, has been the occasion of MANY pleas
ant demonstrations of the affection in which
he has been held. particularly was this true
| of his last birthday, the eth dav of last
month, when, to a large extent. the schools
all over the country gave the whole or part
of the day to the study of his writings. and
to essays and addresses upon his character
and life. His native city of Portland desired
to honor him with public dinner and re-
ception upon the same occasion. but failing
health and aversion to public displays, COM