St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-09
He Died Suddenly at the Mer-
chants Hotel From a
Stroke Of Apoplexy,
After Complaining for a Day
or Two That He Was
Feeling Ill.
One of the Best-KnOWn Men
In the State of Min
neSOta.
A Familiar Figure About the
Hotel Corridor - Some
thing Of His Life.

Col. Ira De Graft, of WinOna, and one
OF the best known railroad builders i'll
the United States. died suddenly of
apOplexy yesterday afternoon at the
Merchants hotel. Tuesday evening he
complained of feeling ill, and sore
across his chest. DR.. j. ii. Murphy was
summoned and prescribed proper rene
dies, and he retired and slept Soundly
until yesterday morning. Col. p. M.
Cleary, of Chicago, an old friend of the
deceased, sat by his bedside until
6 O'Clock yesterday morning, when he
left MIR. De CRAFTS room and retired to
his own apartments. About noon he
was awakened by Mr.. De Graft, who
said that he would have his bed made
up before lying down again, and he sat
for some time talking with Col. Cleary.
Subsequently DR.. Murphy arrived to
pay another visit TO his patient. Mr..
De Croft was lying in bed and he talked
freely with his physician Suddenly
he groaned heavily, and as the doctor
moved to his aid he expired instantly.
at was not more than half an hour
after he left my room, said Col. Cleary,
''befoIe was summoned to the death
bed of my old friend, whom l had known
for thirty years, i'll fact ever since he
came into the Western country. Col.
De Graft was born in Schoharie county,
New York, in 1927, and at the time of
his deceaSe was in his SiXty-firSt year.
After he left New York state he en-
gagged in the business of railroad build
ing with his brother. who summoned
him from the farm for that purpose, and
hx, of lRn ,Ntr
ing the West, his first venture being in
Ohio. When the tide of immigration
began to flow into the Northwest the
De Graft brothers transferred their
operations to this section, and the last
enterprise in which the deceased
WAS ACTIVELY ENGAGED
was the construction of the WinOna t&
st. Peter road. This was in 1872, and
since that time, owing to the condition
of his health, Col. De Graft has contented
himself with looking after his many in
tereSts, among which stock raising was
feature. His family, consisting of his
wife, daughter and four sons, reside at
WinOna, and intelligence of the
sad event was conveyed to
them last evening, and they
at once started for this city. Until their
wishes are known the arrangements for
the funeral will be deferred but it is
probable that the remains will be re-
moved to Winona this afternoon. 1t is
a singular coincidence that within the
past year another member of the same
family, Charles A. De Graft and
nephew of the deceased died at the
same hotel, and his death was also
sudden, ,Bright's disease being the cause.
All the old settlers throughout the
Northwest knew Ira De Graft, and
esteemed him highly for his sterling
qualities, both in business matters and
socially. He was conspicuous in any
assemblage, being tall and broad
shOuldered, and apparently one Of the
most robust frequenters of the Mer-
chants, which he always made his head
quarters when i'll st. Paul. A stubby
beard worn on his face was always well
trimm ed and his complexion was what
would be deneminated sandy. In fact,
it would be difficult to conceive finer
looking specimen of well-preserved
manhood, and he was the last person
that Would have been deemed likely to
fall a victim to that sudden seourge
which has snapped the cords of so
many lives.