The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-29
Nicholas Walter Cummings.

Drsp.-At the resid nos OF his parents In
La Sale, ILLINOIS, UPON the 25ih day Of
September. 1888, OF typhoid FEVER and
pleurisy. Nicholas Walter Cumming, son
Of Michael and Catherine Cumming aged
% years, 8 months and IL days.
Since tho desease Of Charles Lewis Brad.
lord two years since, no death has occurred
n or near Ottawa that has called forth so
many expressions Of regret - that Of Nicho-
~ Walter Cummings. The sorrow at his
vntimely taking of has not been more form
slty. but that which 6nds its birth and lodg.
nent in the heart. He WAS born and spent
Ne days Of his boyhood and earlier young
manhood In the neighboring city Of L. Sale.
Later hs came TO Ottawa 10 better ht himself
br,lise work he had determined upon the and
from here went to the city Of Mendoza, and
ron thence 70 the city Of streator, where
h Va fairly settled for the so.ivs practice
Of ths Law when the sickness, that ahsr .
long struggle delivered him aver into 'he
hAads Of death, came upon him.
Mr.. Cummings had prepared himself most
thoroughly for . successful legal career.
After having graduated at the high school
n La Sale, he entered in 1879 upon col
lssiass course ct Niagara College, New York,
Aom which he was graduated in 1882, re-
ssiving ct his graduation the degree Of Mas
tsr Of Arts. On his return to LaSalle he en-.
tered the office Of Duncan 3 OConor, as .
! law student, remaining there until September
1884, when no came to the Ottawa Office ofthe
same firm. During the same month he WAS
granted by the Supreme Count, Of Illinois.
license Is practicing attorney. after passing
most satisfactory examination. 1t happened
that Mr.. Duncan was absent, attending to his
duties % State Senator at Springfield .
largo portion Of the time. MIR. Cummings
was in Ottawa and the result was that upon
him was placed a great many duties and re.
sponsibilities ell Of which were fully met
and discharged. At the formati on of the
Arm Of Duncan, O'Conor s. Gilbert in Fsbu
ary, 1887, he removed to Mendoza, and aft
arwards to Strestor.
Little more ON be said Of him in the way
Of biography. When death came he was
fast entering upon that fuller Ii for which
he had used his past years IS preparation.
The past had brought to him the achieve
nents of the student in the schools Of chol.
arly learning; the future promised him
full measure of success in the office, In the
court and upon the platform. While he lay
PROSTATE upon bed of sickness great po'
litieal party named him for an honorable
public place in the line Of his profession, and
had life and strength been given him his
friends looked for his induction into the Of
fee for which he had been named, and with
his hope Of political and professional success
he coupled the confident belief that all the
duties Of the new position would b per-
formed In such manner a. to reflect credit
lpon his party and himself and to work
cut good for the people Of La Sale county.
His was . strong and vigorous mind. In
every sense Of tho word he was thorough
student. He always went 70 tho bottom Of
things and reasoned with ksenest logic from
cause to effect, and from effect back to cause.
His friends who knew him best and had
J watched him the most closely, predicted that
he would at An early period rank high in
his profession, for. they saw in him that spti'
tude of comprehension and clearness Of in
sight which are essential to the success Of the
lawyer who works his way to the front 1t
would hardly be true to say that his mind
VAS brilliant, using the word as denoting
seintilstion in idea and sentence, but it was
brilliant In the sense that it was we'll stored
With knowledge. both legal and classical and
that that knowledge was always we'll in hand.
He read many books and remembered we'll
what he read. He was not mere skinner.
but went beneath the surface and looked into
the Why and wherefor Of this or that.
He was 80 much Of q student that he forgot
70 be q man of the world. He was not un'
social quite the reverse, but he let people
seek him-he seldom sought people. His
friends sometimes thought this was fault
but it was but the result and effect Of too
close application to the books His friend
ships were many though, and in them all
he was intensely true He IVES contented in
disposition and congenill with those who
came to know him. No one can truly say
he was selfish in his ways aud requirements
,Or vain in his kno wledge. Even in his am
'bitioa for professional and political prefer
ment he was modest to degree that made
him far from being strong advocate Of his
Town interests.
He had tried some cases in the courts of
,scordi of La Sale county and tried them veil,
and for the higher courts had assisted in the
preparation of causes that requireda thorough
acquaintance with many principles and max.
inns of the law and wide reading Of court
decisions. Everything that he did he did
we'll and in each new case he showed further
progress.
Ill Az antr