Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-05
IN THE ELowER oF YoUru.
! sad Death of n. jennings Crute, a.
Brilliant Young Journalist.

brilliant hOunR JOGlrhatRst.
Though not entirely unexpected, the,
news received in this city, Tuesday night Of
she death of F. Jennings Crate, formerly
Of EVERY EVENINGS STAFF, but for several
years past valued reporter Of the Phils-
deiphia Press, was sad announcement
to his panny friends here. Since be WAS
| stricken with his unfortunate and fatal
maladT, some months ago, no hopes OF
his ultimate recovery We're entertained,
but still his early demise was not looked
for and the sudden announcement OF the
end of his sufferlngs YVES painful shock.
hr. Crutes death occurred last evening,
in private apartments at the University
Of Pennsylvania Hospital, where he had
been sent in order to secure the best pos
sible attention aud ia the hope of pro.
longing his life to the utmost limit that
his fatal mslsdy-rapid consumption
wonld permit.
The following sketch OF Mr.. crute'a
life work Is taken tsoGa the Philadelphia
PrGss, on which paper no rounded out
and signalizsd a journalistic career that
begun so auspicioualy in the Office Of
| EVERY EVENING: -.
"MF. Crute WAS an ATkansan by birth,
his father having held commission as
surgeon in @ regiment from that stat in
tho Confederate army. The father die
in Louisiaps aoon after tGe war, and hi
| children, who vera notherless. cSme tc
the care of northern relatives, in vii
nipgton, Del. Here MIR. Orute went &c
school, and while yet eArly in his tseus
was engaged on the local STAFF of EyER2
EVENING. In 1855 MIR. Crute made his
fret essay in metropolitan newspaper
work by taking service with the 1,1nss.
The ability he displayed IS bright and
sympathetic writer attracted wide attsn-
tiou, and in December OF that year bs
accepted position on the local steT Of
the Press. Zero he rapidly gained an
equsl footing with men OF twice his
experience and his hand soon cams
| to be recognized as one best fitted
fer the most intensely human news of
4 all kinds, criminal or otherwise. Great
criminal "storias," such as the Taswhll
snd Gaines murder case, tie exposure OF
the dives and tho prosecution OF their
proprieEors, seemed to belong to him
naturally. All the pathetic stories which
unrayel themselves in the daily routine
Of the station houses, the hospitals and
the charitable institutions Of great city
were handled by hin with q touch that
was never morbid and never pathetic. Oa
days Of great military or civil pascants
Mr. Cruts's Land was always needed 10
introduce the heavier details OF the nc
count with his conprGhoEsiVe general
iza.jon and vivid description. Unlike
many writer's Of descriptive ability, Mr..
Cr1te was tirsless investigator. When
evidence was first discovered tending 10
SHOW that Samuel Joanson, though con,
victod of the murdas OF John Skar nlecs,
YES guiltless OF the crime. MIR. Crute we!
pat GU the case, and the weeks OF WORT
he put on il and the columns of matter
ne wtote were acknowledged atgerward
by Di6tcict.attorney Baker t. have beenI
n lending factor in the CREATION CT q atstei
OF public opinion which LED 20 the scrr I
mutation of tho death sentence. The
arrest OF Dennis Bradley, who was sen.
fenced to 80 yea-s' imprisonment by
Judge Gordon last winter, was directly
due to the life-like description Of the
criminal given by Mr.. Orute in his story
of the crime.
"His last summer of life was crowded
from beginning TO end with some Of bis
most brilliant aud certainly most import
ant work. His vacation was Just ever on
the day after the YOUNGSTOWN flood, and
he was the first staff correspondent Of the
Press TO get dispatch out of the stricken
valley. For the week following, during
which he remained In Johustown, his
name was always appended to those dis-
patches which gave the most graphic pic
lures Of the incidents following the disas-
ter. Mr.: Cruie, Whoae health was always
poor, felt some i'll effects of his tour OF
duty, but these seemed to be transient,
and when the eneampment of the First
brigade began he entered into the descFip-
tive work OF life in the field with all the
2eat that ne had ever shown. II WAS
characteristic of his conscien.iousness
thst when the Third Regiment, to which
ne was assigned, marched to Fort Id film,
the frail lad, who YVES then within fort
night OF his death stroke, marched
with them at dsybreGk, instead
OF joining his colleagues on the 10 O'clock
boat to the fort. It was lesson he early
learned and praoticed that whichever y
san's imaginative powers are, he de-
scribes best the things he sees. The
cavalry camp following OF Mt. Gresna in
the middle Of August was MIR. Crute's
last assignment. As a united camp of
Federal and state troops it wss this m ost
important military experiment since tho
wer, and Mr. Orute, despite an inherent
dislike OF detail, displayed in Ills dis
patches most extraordinary ability for
uniting technical and general interest.
J Ia the Middle Of the week he was 5ei2ed
with the pfemonitory chill OF pneunoniR,
bnt thought it merely a malsrial attack
and stuck 20 his post. With the disease
strengthening hougly its hold on him, he
returned TO the Office on Saturday night,
wrote an intensely interesting thrae-
column review Of tue work snd then laid
down the pen which ne never was so saka
up again. On the following day he took
to bis bed, which he never LETT sgsin
until his removal from his apartments On
North Twelfth street to private room ct
tho University Hospital. There Dr..
Pepper, the provost OF the university,
though knowing the case hopeless one
from the first, gave it lis personal stleR-
rion and ayerted for months the insvita-
bic END which came last night.
MIR. Cr1te leaves married sister, Mira.
q. D. Smith of Cape CHARLES, Va, and a
younger brother in Laurel, Del. His
oaly Other living relative in the north is
hi FORMER Eusrdian John s.. Wise, now
Of Nov Yosx and e&.congressmen from
Virginia."
Mr. Orute's funeral will take place in
Wilmington tomorrow afternoon, at
the Wilmington and Brandywine ceme-
tery. IntaTment WILL be private.