Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-12
THE GREAT DESTROY Err.
HOW THE VICE PRESIDENTS OF THE
UNITED STATES DIED.
The Deaths aud Funerals of George Clin.
ton and Eibridgs Gerry Many Years
Ago William Il. Rings Death
Henry Wilson.
r"Carp" in Cleveland I-aIrr1

I"Carp'' in Cleveland Ira Ter
The first vice presidential death vas that
of George Clinton. 1t took place here at
Washington and his death was the first "c-
raSiun of the great dp>troy"r'> entering the
high offices of the government He had
been the vice president for nearly eight
wears. serving one term under Madison and
Dne under Thomas jefferson.
BEGINNING life as a sailor in a privateer,
he had been brigadlrr general of
the revolution, a member of the prov
incial congress, and for eighteen years
governor of New York He died at
Washington on the arh anG was buried here
in the Congressional cemetery ON the 2lSt Of
November. In lsl2 such thing keep
ing a COrlpSe for weeks was unknown in this
.ountrv. and both TERRY and Clinton were
buried the next day after their death.
The time Clinton died Washington city con
tanned under lO.WD people, and the funeral
could not have been II very grand one. The
body was taken on its way to the grave
from the city tn the capitol. and here rest
of half an hour was taken. Thence it
marched onward in u martial parade. A
company of militia preceded the heaTSe, and
the eight pail bearers whe carried the coffin
from the hears. to the grave We're all
Revolutionary soldiers The senate at
tended in body, and on their return to the
capitol they resolved that the vice prcSi-
dents chair in the senate chamber he
shrOuded in black during the session ut con
gress then assembled. and that each senator
should wear mourning in the shape of
band of Grape on the arm for thirty days
DEATH OF EiBRID,ie GERRY.
The second vice presidential death o.
rurred two years later and MadiSon's ad-
ministration showed the curious Coinci-
dence Of two vice presidents dying during
its continuance Mr.. Gerry had presided
over the senate on the day preceding his
death, and he ate breakfast at Mrs. Wilson ;
boarding house that morning a. usual, say
ing he felt well but had slight oppression
of the chest After breakfast he walked out
to do some business at one of the govern
ment departments He had gone but Il short
distance when he became indiSpnSed. and
took carriage TO return. When the car
oge reached his boarding houSe he was
found to be insensihl,. and on heing taken
from it he expired without II
groan or sigh. This was be
tween 10 and II o'clock in the morning. The
senate at once adjourned, but the houSr con
tinued it, session, though it adjourned for
the funeral next day. The funeral took
place at 3 o clock, and from The lnrelhgencer
Of that date | see that the Rev Obrdiah
Brown pronounced the funeral service.
Gerry was buried like Clinton in the con
sressional cemetery, and though i'll his day
he was one of the greatest men. not a dozen
statesmen in this Capital city have seen his
monument, or know that he lives here. He
was a graduate of Harvard college, dele
cate to the continental congress IA Slgner Of
the Declaration and one OF the makers of
our constitution, though he refused TO sign
it, He had been several times in congress.
once governor of Massa chuSetts, and also
minister TO France before he was elected
vice president, and his whole career had
been a most stirring one.
During his early days in congress he mar
rowly escaped from the British by hiding in
a cOrntield, when body of troops captured
the house where he was staying and were
searching for him He was the first to in
augurate as governor of MASSACHUSETTS the
present political system of redistriCting
states congressional district for political
purposes, and it is from Elhridge Gerry that
the term 'gerrymandering' comes.
VICE PRESIDENT W. R. KING.
Vice President King did not die in CuLa,
as some papers state. He was in Cula for
his health at the time of his election, and
had resigned from the senate SOME time La
fore on account Of ill-health He had con
sumption, and at the time he was sworn in
before a consul in Cuba he did not expect To
live, and had TO h., prevailed upon to take
the oath He was too feeble to stand alone
at the time, and had Ia be supported while
il was administered He sailed for America
and grew worse during the voyage. When
he landed in Alabama it was evident that
he would never get TO Washington. He
died the day after he landed The depart
ments were not closed here in honor of his
death, and he did not have public funeral
He was the first bachelor ever elected To
one of the two highest offices of the nation,
and he had long been a senator, having
served for more than ten years president
pro TEN. of the senate before he was elected
vice president Like Hendricks, he had
been a member of Il constitutional cOnven-
ton OF his state, and he was elected TO his
first term in the senate during the year in
which Vice president Hendricks was born.
He WAS for thirty years a United States
senator. and had twenty-four years of con-
tinuOuS service there In addition to this
he served five years i'll the lower house, and
two years as minister 10 France. He was
six feet tall, and very erect He was a
good talker, and was probably the great
"Reminiscences man of his latter days
HENRY WILSON'S LAST HOURS
The last vice presidential death before
that OF Hendricks was that of Vice PreSi-
dent Wilson, who died here in Washington
just about ten years ago. He had been sick
for some time. and at New York had had all
operation performed in which his spine was
scared Returning to Washington after the
operation he indlscTeetly took a warm bath
in the senate bathroom This weakened
him. and his system did not recover from it.
He WAS taken down sick at his boarding
house, and shortly afterward died His
death occurred at >.,6 o'clock Monday
morning, Nov -, ls15. The cause was set
down as apopleXy.
The death of Ferry had occurred the
day or night before, and his friends
had deferred telling him of it until the
last moment As morning went on and
the time for the newspapers 10 come
approached il was seen that il would be i'm
possible 10 keep the news from him longer.
He was told of it and was greatly shocked
to hear it. Fifteen minutes later he was
dead
Some Things Hard to Understand,
II a man preteuds to raise spirits from
the dead OF to read the thoughts of the
living he can not only do 80 with i'm
punity but he may mix in the best society
and make money out Of those he victim
izes On the other hand. should poor
woman, when importuned by a lot Of
foolish members of her own seY, shuttle a
pack Of cards and pretend to tell them
their fortune the law comes down upon