Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-25
A SUDDEN SUMMONS.


Career His Experience on the Missis-
sippi River.
This community was greatly shocked at
report which was spread rapidly from
mouth to mouth about o'clock yesterday
| morning, that Capt. james R. Hatcher,
| manager of the Opera house, was dead.
But few even of Capt. Hatcher's most in
innate friends knew that he was sick, and
of these, those best acquainted with his
condition hadn't a suspicion that he was
dangerously i'll and could hardly
| bring their minds to realize that death
had actually overtaken their friend when
| there was no longer chance to doubt the
| fact.
Capt. Hatcher had been confined to his
room in the Opera house block-that for
merly occupied by Col. Haines and wife
since Sunday last, his trouble being bad
| cold and attendant fever. DR.. Dorion was
| called to him at once, but could
| see no alarming symptoms, while
| his treatment seemed to afford
| relief to his cold and to check the fever.
Indeed, so we'll was he getting along that
he declined to have any attendance at
night beyond that his little son Benton,
aged thirteen years, could give him.
When DR.. Dorion visited him Friday morn
ing he found the captain in excellent spir-
its and apparently much better, but when
he called about 5 o'clock in the
afternoon, he was somewhat startled by
the rapid fall of his pulse, which had
taken place since his morning visit, a fall
from 104 to eighty with corresponding
| weakness of temperature.
Com. Davidson, who visited Capt. Hat
| cher in the morning and again at in the
afternoon, said to the GLOBE reporter, yes
terday, that he was struck with the won
derful change that had taken place be-
tween the two visits. Just what that
| change was the commodore said he could
not explain, but as soon as
he looked into the captains face
he felt that he was in the presence of
very sick man, and he Immediately had
| room in his residence prepared for his &C.
commodation, calculating to have the re-
moval made yesterday forenoon. He also
| arranged with L. n. Scott, a clerk in his
Office, to watch with Capt. Hatcher during
the night, and made every arrangement
| that time the commodore said he
death, but somehow the thought was forced
| man than he appeared, and the impression
thus created followed him through the af-
ternoon and night.
In view of the decline of pulse and fall
| of temperature as above noted, DR.. Dorion
prescribed stimulants, and left instructions
with Mr.. Scott to give him his prescrip-
tons hourly, but should he be sleeping
at the time not to arouse
him. The first part of the evening Capt.
Hatcher reclined upon sofa in the room,
retiring to the bed about 10 O'Clock, walk
ing from one to the other with scarcely
any assistance from Mr.. Scott, at the time
| remarking he felt much better than he had
for several days, and thought he should be
able to be around all right in day or two.
Shortly after he sank away into
an easy and apparently restful
sleep. The last time Mr.. Scott
gave him medicine was at 4 o'clock in the
morning, at which time he sat up in his
| bed upon his own effort, remarking as he
laid back after taking the medicine that he
was feeling all right. At about o'clock
Mr.. Scott, who was lying down and in a
| little doze on the lounge, imagined he
heard Capt. Hatcher move, and got up to
give him his medicine, but the captain not
re spending, and sHpposing him asleep, he
returned to the lounge where he went to
| SLEEP, no. waking until nearly q
O'Clock, when, upon approaching the bed,
| he was korrifed to find that the captain
| was dead.
From the app sarance of the body it is
evident that Capt. Hatcher died without
| struggle and that he himself was unaware
of the approach of the messenger OF death
his end being so noiseless that his little
son sleeping in the bed with his father
| knew nothing of the terrible bereavement
| that had befallen him until awoke by Mr..
Scott when he went to the bedside at
| o'clock and made the startling discovery.
| The captain was then found to be lying
| almost straight on his back, his face slight
| ly bent to the left, and the fingers of his
| hands partly intertwined across his breast.
| His face wore a calm and peaceful express
sion, and there was not the slightest indi-
cation that he had suffered any pain.
| Though not positively known it is prob
able that death ensued at about 5 o'clock,
the time when Mr.. Scott thought he heard
the noise, and went to the bed to give
| MIN MS meulclne, Out IOunu MIN,
as he supposed, asleep. The
immediate cause of death was paralysis Of
| the heart.
| Capt. Hatcher was born in Louisville,
| KY, in 1S35,and was therefore in the forty
eighth year of his age. At the early age
of fourteen he took service with Com. w.
F. Davidson, who was then engaged in
steamboating on the Ohio river, as assist
ant in the Office. He followed the commo-
dore when he transferred his operations
to the Mississippi river in 1856, occupying
the position of clerk of the steamer Jacob
TRADER, of which the commodore
himself was captain. In 1859 he was
promoted to the captaincy of the steamer
Franklin Steele, the first boat built by
the commodore for the Minnesota river
trade, but then plying between La Crosse
and st. Paul. Afterwards, AS thezcommodore
added to his boats and extended the line
down the river to St Louis, he was captain
of the Nose Mcclellan, City of st. Paul
and other favorite boats.
Along about 1862 he left the service of
the commodore and formed a partnership
with son of John Robinson, of Winona, in
line of tow boats. The venture was
premature and proved losing investment.
O. IL -