St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-02-05
Death of Gen. John w. Phelps.
A Prominent vermonter Gone.


Cen John w. Phelps, 20 years old
and till recently resident of Brattle
bOrO, VT, was found dead in bed at
his Guilford tVt.t nome Monday morn
ing. For several months he had led
practically retired life with his wife
and nine months old child, and at the
time of his death was alone, his wife
having gone with her baby to visit her
parents at NOrthtield, while the house
keeper was absent for the night. He
was last seen Sunday afternoon i'll his
shirt sleeves shOveling snow near his
house, and a light was burning in his
window about 9 o'clock in the evening.
On going to the house early Monday
morning the hOuscf<eeper failed to get
Il response from repeated knocks and
called her brother, Frank Mcclure,
who entered the house through win
dow. The General lay with his hand
to his head. where he had evidently
died without IL struggle soon after re
firing for the night. DIR. IOltOn of
Brattleboro pronounced his death
probably due to heart disease or some
other natural cause and no postmortem
examination will be held unless de
sired by his family.
Gen. Phelps was a son of Lawyer
John Phelps of GuilfOrd, where he was
born November 10, 1913. He was grad
uated from West Point in 1896 and
entered the artillery. He served in the
Florida and Mexican wars and at the
close of the latter was brevetted cap
tain for gallantry at Contreras and
CherubuscO, but declined the honor.
He served in Texas from 1851 to 1857,
breaking up filibustering party at
one time, and was in the Utah eXpedi
tian of 1857 q. He resigned his com
| mission November ., 1859, but when
the late war broke out he entered the
field as colonel of the LIST Vermont reg
iment. Soon after he was appointed
brigadier- general aud his first act was
to take possession of Newport News.
La November, 1861, he accompanied
! Gen. Butler to the Gulf of Mexico, took
possession of Ship Island, Miss, and
cO-Operated with the navy in the cap
ture of the forts below New Orleans,
and of the city. Afterward he was
stationed above New Orleans, where
| he was the first to organize and arm
the negroes as soldiers. He also pro-
mulgated his celebrated emancipation
proclamation, both of which acts led
| the conIeueIttLe government W ucCldlC
| him an outlaw. His. actions not being
approved by the war department, he
resigned his commission August II,
| 1862, and returned tn BrattleborO.
| The General was the anti Masonic
candidate for president in 1890, POme-
roy having the second place. He CON
tribnted the Century and other maya
zines and papers, writing generally in
| opposition to secret. societies and was
| the author of ''Secret Societies, Ancient
and Modern He has been vice-pres-
| idest of the state teachers association
as we'll as the leader i'll ali anti Ma
sonic gatherings III Vermont. He was a
kind hearted, scholarly man but ex-
tremeiy eccentric. Since his removal
to Guiiford lie has written considerable
! pertaining to agriculture aud has in
| terested the school children of late III
his talks on weights aud measures. He
| WAS first married two years ago 10 Mrs.
| Davis (nee Mattoon) OF Sortitieid.
+. II. Thorpe oil Middlebury has not
connected himself with the Free Press,
] as reported.