Daily Republican., 1886-02-19

Temperance Orator.
John b. GouRh died at 4.4O yesterday
afternoon at the house Of DIR. r. Bruce
Burns, whittier he was removed after
his apopleotic seizure on Monday night.
Anthony J. Comstock, long friend OF
Mr.. Cough, arriEad yesterday and will
eske charge OF All Arrangements for the
funeral. The body will be embalmed
by Undertaker j. 8, Stanger, of Frank
ford, and, after brief services mt the
house, will be shipped TO Worcester,
Mass, probably by the @ 80 train this
evening. There the funeral services
will be held. The body will be Inferred
In lot purchased by tine family.
John b. Cough was born in q little
cottage at Sandgate, England, on
August %, 1917. his father beinga com. !.
mon soldier In the British army and
very poor. When he reached the age
Of twelve, a family about emigrating to
this country agreed in consideration of
the sum Of ten guiDeas to take him with
them, teach him trade, and provide
for him until he came Of age. They ar.
rived at New York on August 3, 1929,
and he was soon afterward taken to q
farm In Oneida county. His early life
In this country was one of poverty and
hardship, and when bis mother, who
had Joined him here with his sister in
1888. died, he ran behind the pauper's
hearse that bore her body to Potter's
Field.
Finally learning the trade of book
binding, he worked at 1t for very low
wages In New York and elsewhere, but
gradually fell into the habit of drunk
enness. About this time he had brief
career upon the stage, commencing with
the singing OF comic song at a Chat
ham street theatre and terminating
with ., small part In blood and thun.
der molodrama In Boston. Settling in
Newburyport, he went from bad tn
woree, and finally found himself az
Worcester, where he made the ac-
lquaintance Of Joel Stratton, worthy
shoemaker. through whose influence he
was In October, 1912, rescued from the
degrading habit of Drunkenness into
which he bad fallen. He signed the
pledge and solemniy determined not to
bleak 1t, but soon relapsed into his old
habits. A second time did he sign the
pledge, an then kept 1t.
Soon after Mr.. Coughs reformation
he began to lecture in behalf Of total
abstinence. At first he spoke in
country BchOol.houses and churches,
and then went to Boston, where, after
800 public addresses, he could draw
larger audiences than any other man.
One OF his early benefactors was Deacon
Grant. For many years MI. Cough was
. mem Der of Rev. DR.. Kinks church,
but OF late had been connected with the
Congregational Church of Boylston,
Mass. He married Mary Wbitcomb, Of
Worcester county, Mass, on November
"a, 1843 She took him on trust, for he
was still rather " "shaky" and in danger
of falling, and stood by him until he
rose into worldwide fame as an orator
and philapthropist.
His first appearance in this city was
In May, 1874, when he spoke in n rid
ing school 70 q very small audience, and
on the following night he had still
smaller audience IN the large room of
the Chinese Museum. Leonard Jewell,
Of the State Temperance Society, be-
came interested in his address, and se
CURED the Presbyterian Church, of
which Rev. A Rood was pastor for him
for the next night. He afterwards be-
came warmly attached to this city.
Mr.. Cough first went TO England In
1883, lectnrinR there for two years;
again in 1857, returning in 1860, and
again IN 1878, returning the following
year. During his three visits he made
$50 speeches in England. On his re-
turn from his first trip to Europe he
began his lecturing tour in Philadel-
phia. Up to 1860 he spoke exclusively
upon temperance, but In that year ha
was persuaded to deliver In New Haven
a lecture ON "Street Life in London" "
This was followed by Lights and
Shadows of London Life. . "Eloquence
and Orators, Peculiar People, ,"'Fact
and Fiction" "Habit, Curiosity
and others.
Up to the beginning of the present
year he had lectured s, ,567 times,
spoken before 9, ,O0O, 900 people and trav.
eled over $50, ,00J miles in meeting his
appointments, To him belonged the
distinction of having addressed more
human beings than any man now liv-
ing.