Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-26
Death Of B. N. Haines
The WelI-known lilinoisan Ends
His Career.
A BUSY LIFE SUDDENLY CLOSED.

His Struggle for an Education and How
He Obtained One-The Balance OF
Power" In Two Legislatures and a Con-
stitutional Convention - characteristics
of the Man-Reticencc as to His Age
Historical and Other Literary Work.
WAUKEGAN, Ills, April 26-Hon. E. NJ.
Haines, member of the Illinois legislature,
died at 5 o'clock yesterday morning at his
home in this city. Mr.. Haines had been quite
thought TO be recovering up to within a few
moments of his death
Mr.. Haines had been ill ever since the cleo
ton last November, and his death, though
not a surprise to his intimate friends, will be
cause of deep regret to many. He was born
in Oneida county, New York, about Is years
ago. At the age of years he lost his
father and was then sent to live with a
farmer in the neighborhood, and re-
manned there five years. He then strarted
for the west in company with his brother,
John c. Haines, going to Chicago, which
was then place OF only 800 inhabitants.
About year afterward he went to what is
now Lake county, and worked at farming
for several years Although having but lit
tie spare time to devote to the attainment of
an education, he succeeded in securing some
textbooks, and by the Improvement of his
leisure moments managed TO acquire a fair
knowledge of the English branches and also
of the Latin and German languages. Con-
tests for lands in Lake county, which was
not at that time surveyed, turned his atten-
ton to law, and he obtained some law books
and began reading law He began the
practice of his profession in Wauke-
gan, and remained there till about
1860, when he opened an office in
Chicago In 1855 he prepared a compilation
of the laws of Illinois relating to township
organization. The value of this work was
such that the legislature ordered a copy of
1t for the public offices in every township in
the state. 1t had very large private sale
He compiled similar works for the states of
Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin and Mime
sofa. In the same year he wrote a treatise
on "The Powers and Duties of Justices of the
Peace of Illinois" which is a standard au-
thority on that subject
MIR. Haines had been conspicuous figure
in Illinois politics. He was first elected to
the house of representatives in lN5S, and with
the exception of few years had been mem
Der OF every legislature since He was speaker
of the house in 1875, and held the balance of
power, which he also held in 1855, and was
again speaker.
In 1870 he was a member of the constitu-
tlonal convention, and in that also he held
the balance of power. He welded it with an
exasperating GOODNESS and parliamentary
tact that compelled the admiration even of
those most bitterly opposed to him and his
methods In speech he was incisive and
forceful, and in the matterpf expedients he
was seldom at a loss even for moment He
could filibuster with remarkable adroitness.
his obstructing processes during the famous
debate on the question of high license having
attracted more than local notice. Originally
Democrat, he espo,.Sed the Anti Monopolist
cause when that became prominent in the
state, and after that time he acted as an in
dependent.
Among the peculiarities of Mr. Haines mi.y
be noted his retcence regarding his age. This
he kept strictly to himself, and not even his
own daughter knows the date of his birth,
but it is believed that he was about IS. He
was often beset by biographers, but he evaded
all questions, and, while perfectly willing to
talk for hours about the Indians or about
general affairs he would say absolutely
nothing about his own life
his work on the Indians was in preparation
for more than fourteen years. 1t is one of
the most ambitious and perhaps the most sat
isfactory history of the red man that has
ever been written and it certainly contains
vast fund of valuable information, the re-
suit of personal association with the various
Indian tribes of the middle west. He fire.
quently spent his summers with the red men,
and he acquired a complete knowledge of the
various Indian dialects
At the time of his death he was engaged on
history of Illinois, the materials for which
he had been collecting for many years Ii
was his unremitting literary labors that
broke him down