St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-01
One of the Oldest Settlers of st. Paul
And in Business Here
Since 1849.
Captain and Chief in the Volunteer Fire De-
partment-Public Spirited and
Kind Hearted.
Death From Blood Poisoning, Resulting
From Heart Disease.

ly to die. But it seems that his health was
far less rugged than it was supposed to be,
and at $3.50 yesterday afternoon he expired
at his residence on the corner of Summit
| and Dayton avenues.
The immediate cause of his death was
heart failure. That is to say, his heart
ceased to operate, owing to his blood being
thin and in poor condition. It is well
known that about two years ego, Mr.. Presley,
while out riding, was thrown from carriage
and had one of his legs broken below the
knee. From this accident he fully recov-
cred, and was as well as ever, apparently.
For many years Mr.. Presley has been in the
habit of going south to spend the winter, re-
turning in May or June. Last fall as usual,
he migrated to the south. Some time during
the winter one of his legs, that had troubled
him some here in st. Paul, began to give seri-
GUS cause for alarm. This was not the leg,
however, that was broken, as many have er-
roneously supposed, but it was the other.
The first indications of trouble were produced
by the appearance of a hard lump on the leg
above the knee. Though somewhat
painful it was not sufficiently so to arrest
immediate attention, and the deceased did
not allow it to interfere with the ordinary en-
joyments to be found in the south during the
winter months. As time wore along the
lump assumed larger proportions until it be-
came necessary to do something. The limb
by this time had swelled to nearly twice the
ordinary size. He consulted eminent ply
sicians but they could do nothing for him.
He then went to Chicago and submitted the
limb to the inspection of specialists. None
of them helped him. Most of them did not
know what to make of it, and putting lit
tie iodine on the swelled part of the limb the
specialist sent him away saying that the swell
ing would come down. 1t did not decrease
but kept growing worse. He then went to
st. Louis where the iodine remedy was again
recommended and applied with no better re-
suits than at Chicago. The deceased then
went to the Hot springs which proved as use
less as all other efforts. He then, thinking
that possibly it might be cancer, went to
Rome, New York, where he was examined
with care, and was informed that the trouble
was not cancer but something else. Getting
especially none from specialists, and the
spring time coming on the deceased re-
turned to st. Paul about the 1st of May. The
limb at this time was very much swollen and
had been for several weeks. Doctors Murphy
and Hand were called in and
very thorough examination was
made, and the conclusion was arrived at
that there was gathering of matter beneath
the surface. An incision was made and
large quantity of matter was removed. After
this the swelling went down good deal and
Mr.. Presley appeared to improve. Sunday
he was up and yesterday morning he was APP
parently better and lay down on the lounge.
About noon he began to fail and died at 80
in the afternoon, of what is called blood
poisoning.
PERSONAL DESCRIPTION.
The following description of the deceased
was prepared and published by Mr.. 7. NJ.
Newson, in his open Pictures," in the
GLOBE of March 16, 1884:
"That short, chunky man, talking slowly,
is the gentleman whose name heads this par
agraph. He is a little different from the Or
binary cut of men; has solid, Emphatic
characteristic, but pensiveness which marks
the man of thought and the man of business.
He was born in Germany in the year 1923;
was raised in st. Louis; married in 1913;
moved to Galena in 1649, and from thence
came to st. Paul the same year. He com
menced with nothing forty years ago, dealing
in fruits, etc., and from this he drifted into
the retail and wholesale grocery business,
but of late years he has made fruits his
specially, dealing largely in them, and buy
ing directly from the points where they are
raised, eastern California and other places.
He was the original fruit dealer in this city,
and to-day is by far the heaviest merchant in
this line. Mr.. Presley was member of the
common council three continuous years.
and chief engineer Of our fire department for
three years. He purchased the first steam
fire engine brought to st. Paul. He took the
position of chief engineer at time when the
department was in bad odor, and left it in an
elevated and efficient condition. What is
remarkable, he is the only merchant in st.
Paul, or in the state, who has been continu-
ously in business forty years. He is living
illustration Of fact, that legitimate bust
ness closely adhered to for a series of years,
will prove triumphant in the end. In person
Mr.. Presley represents the German type of
man, with heavy features and a slow and
cautious movement. He speaks a little
broken and somewhat thick, owing to a
throat difficulty, yet expresses himself in q
clear and terse manner. He is never idle;
never has been. Always attends to his own
business and plods on day after day with
renewed determination to add something
more to his financial gains. When chief
of the fire department, who does not
remember the kindly acts Of his departed
wife, who, in the coolest of weather, when
the faded firemen were almost ready to give
out, she replenished them with hot coffee,
not once but many times; Of her presenta-
ton of flags to the gallant boys; of her con-
slant efforts to encourage and sustain them?
And who was kinder to the fremen than B.
Presley? Many once young man, now
growing gray, will remember these kindly
acts-these sweet memories Of by-gonc day
Mr.. Presley erected yearsago, various tenement
houses on Eighth street, and among the
number was one known as the Club house.
Only few years ago he built an elegant bus
mess block on the site Of his old stand, and
to-day he is estimated to be worth 5000, 900.
Quiet, unobtrusive, industrious, solid, yet pub
lie spirited and enterprising, Mr.. Presley
ought to be satisfied with his success, and
from what we know of the man, we guess
he is"
HIS FAMILY. a
Mr.. Presley was twice married. His first
wife died about three years ago. Subse-
ouently he was married TO Mrs. Wingfeld,
the daughter of Capt. John Martin, who sur
wives him.
THE FUNERAL.
The funeral will take place from his late
residence on the corner of Summit and Day
ton avenues, at 2 p. m. tomorrow, under
the auspices of the knights Templar, OF
which he was prominent member.