The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-05
TheophiIus Cushing Hersey.

stating that his father, Mi. TheophiluS Z.
Hersey, fell from the fifth story window in
one of the corridors of the Aldine
Hotel in Philadelphia, and was instantly
killed. Mr.. John B. Coyle, the manager of
the International line of steamships, of
which corporation Mr. Jersey was re-
Gently president Immediately ordered the
flags on the company's offices and steamers
in Portland, Boston and ST. John to be
placed at half mast
A special despatch received last night gives
the following particulars of the sad affair;
Mr.. Hersey had been an invalid, and March
9th, he arrived in Philadelphia and with his
wife and son took rooms on the fifth floor of
the Aldine Hotel He went there for
medical treatment as he was suffering from
nervous prostration. He was there under
the care of DIR. S. Weir MITCHELL female
nurse was also in constant attendance on
him. Saturday afternoon he left his room
with the nurse and paced up and down the
corridor for exercise. The muse left him
for moment and when she returned he had
disappeared. AT the end of the corridor
was window looking out ON SAMSON street
and running to this and looking down to the
pavement hundred feet below she saw his
55edy lying Ell tiie fiagstone pavement A
moment before Mr.. Ebbs, sitting at the win
dow of his room ON the fourth floor saw
dark object flash by and heard the sound of
heavy body striking the pavement. He
gave the alarm and it was Immediately
responded to by Officer Coleman of the Fifth
police district and DR.. Robbins. An instant's
examination showed that the man was dead.
He had fallen on his side and his skull was
crushed in. In his fall his feet came in con-
tact with telegraph wire and the soles of
his shoes were cut off as smoothly as though
done with knife. The body was carried
into the hotel where the coroner and physi-
clans formally held post norton examin-
alton and it was found that death was caused
by fracture of the skull The inquest will
| be held to-day.
The news of Mr.. Hersey's death made a
| profound impression on our business COM
munity, with which the deceased had been
| so prominently identified for the past half
century. 1t is true that Mr.. Hersey had
been seriously out of health, and that at the
| beginning of the cold weather he went to
| Washington and Philadelphia for change of
| climate and treatment. Physically he was
thought to have been much benefited, and
| was on his return to Portland when the sad
occurrence took place which terminated his
| life.
Theophilus C. Hersey was born in Gorham
| in December, 1912, and was consequently IA
years of age at the time of his death. His
father was farmer in that town, and his
| family on both sides-the Cushing and Her.
sey-were well known, his ancestors, the
| Herseys, having settled in the town
| of bingham, Mass. Mr.. Hersey came to
| Portland when lad, and entered the store
| of Hon. Ezra Carter-who survives him
who was then engaged in the grocery bust
ness on Congress street. Here he remained
as clerk short time, and boarded, as was
not unfrequently the custom in those days,
| in his employers family. He was of very
| delicate physique, but hard worker and in
| tensely ambitious. He left Mr.. Carriers to
assume like position in Mr.. Thomas Free
mans grocery, which was located where the
| horse railroad station now stands. Mr.. Free
man was deacon in the "Old Jerusalem, p
and young Hersey devoted himself to work
while in his employ with even more ardor, if
| possible, than before.
After remaining with Mr.. Freeman few
| years Mr.. Hersey went to Boston, and there
| formed, with Mr.. John SanborH of Lining
| ton, a partnership for the transaction of the
West India business The partnership lasted
few years only, and then Mr. Hersey, who
| was passionately fond of Portland, returned
| to this city and went into the grocery bust
| ness here with his brother Thomas under
the firm name of T. G. Hersey & Co. But
Mr.. Thomas Hersey had inherited the same
| pulmonary disease, whose seeds were
| lying dormant in his brother, and died of
consumption, leaving Mr.. Hersey the sole
| surviving partner. AS he went to his store,
| the morning after his brothers funeral, Mr..
Hersey heard comments to the effect that he
was not long for this world and would soon
follow his brother to the grave. De-
termined to foil disease Mr. Hersey
went to drover and provision dealer of his
acquaintance, who kept a store on Fore
street, named Bradbury, and urged Mr..
Bradbury to accompany him to the country
and stay with him for three weeks, or, if
necessary, three months. The latter said he
could not leave his business, but finally gave
way to Mr.. Hersey's pleadings, and the two
took horse and wagon and started Mr..
Hersey said that as they crossed behring's
Bridge he looked back and thought it the
last time he should probably ever gaze on
Portland, but at the end of three weeks he
returned, evidently completely restored. 1t
was this careful attention to health that
enabled him to round out his three score
years and ten.
After the dissolution of the firm of 7. G.
Hersey & Co., Mr. Hersey formed a partner
ship with the late st. John Smith, under the
style of Smith & Hersey, and the firms
place of business was in Old City Hall,
where Kendall & Whitney are now located
Mr.. Hersey, for some time, resisted Mr.
Smiths inducements to go into business
with him because he felt that the partner
ship meant much more extended trade
than the firm had hitherto enjoyed, and he
doubted his strength, but he finally yielded
His strength held out, but his prognostica-
lions as to the greatly increased business
came true, and later Mr.. Smith retired, and
Mr.. Hersey took in his brother-in-law as
partner, Mr.. j. H. Fletcher, who after Mr..
Hersey's retirement continued under the
name of j. Fl. Fletcher & Co., which style
that house still retains. Smith & Hersey
occupied the second brick store built on
Commercial street.
At the beginning of the war Portland was
doing a very large mercantile business, and
its connections with the Provinces were
very profitable. Boston also had large
clientele with the East, and Mr.. Hersey saw
that line of steamers between Boston,
Portland, Eastport and st. John would
prove very advantageous to this city. By
his efforts the stock was taken and the Inter
national line of steamers had its inception.
Portland also from its large West India
trade received great quantities of sweets
from Cuba, and in 1867 Mr.. Hersey sue
ceeded in getting the Forest City Refinery
built and well established, and became its
treasurer and business manager, position
he retained until 1875, when he was obliged
to retire on account of i'll health. From that
time he devoted himself to the International
Steamship Company, of which corporation he
was the president, and in 1884 retired,
from that time going out of active business
altogether. The loss of two steamers, so
quickly following each other, was terrible
shock to his nervous system, and yet such
xuoc tba oraat anarov nf the man that he