Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-21
PLUMB IS NO MORE,
The Senior Kansas Senator
Suddenly Stricken Down
With Apoplexy.
OH, GOD, ,MYHEAD, MY HEAD!
The Last Words Uttered by States
man Killed by 0verwork.
LAPSES INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS,
And in Five Hours the Indefatigable Public
Servant Dies.
OH, GOD, ,MYHEAD, MYHEAD!
LAPSEs INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS,
SKETCH OF A SELF-MADE MANS LIFE

Senator Preston b. Plumb, who, as repre-
sentative of the State of Kansas in the
United States Senate, ever since 1876, has
occupied prominent place in the councils
of the Republican party, few minutes
later fell unconscious never to regain
knowledge of what was going on about him.
1t was 6:45 o'clock this morning when he
uttered this exclamation. A little more
than five hours later the broad-framed,
powerful-looking Kansas Senator was
stretched out dead in his modest apartments
on Fourteenth street. His physician, DR..
Philip S. Wales his clerk, B. w. Flenniken,
and his landlord, Mr.. Jennings, were with
him st the end. His wife and two children
are in Kansas.
Death came from apoplexy, the result of
exhaustion of the brain. 1t was a clear
case of overwork and inattention to the
laws of nature. The Senator has been
known for years as the most pushing, ener-
getic, hard-w orking member of the Senate.
He Had Been Ill for Year.
A year ago he began to fail. His brain
became affected and throbbing headaches
became more and more frequent. His ply
sicians warned him that continuance of his
labors meant death, but he refused to heed
their warning. He continued to work with
the energy of steam engine, and to-day,
when still apparently in full vigor and with
many years of life before him, he died.
He complained of the persistent pains in
his head, impairment of memory and grow
ing inability to clothe his ideas in proper
and appropriate words The Senator had
previously been remarkably fluent of speech,
and his words came so freely, copiously and
rapidly that he was the terror of stenog
raphers.
1t was not until two weeks ago, however,
that DR.. Philip S. Wales was called in and
asked for advice as to the trouble. The
doctor, after careful study of the case, in
formed the Senator that his symptoms indi-
Gated apoplexy, and that he must quit work
and take rest, but Mr.. Plumb was incred-
ulous and thought the doctor had become
undulv alarmed.
Impossible to Keep Him From Work.
He kept up his labors except when severe
headaches forced him temporarily to aban
don his work. He had a desk in the front
room of his apartments and another in his
committee room at the Capitol. He worked
on his immense personal business in the
morning and night after doing hard days
work on public affairs at the Capitol His
eyes troubled him, and skillful oculist e1-
amined them. His kidneys were also exam
ined by specialist Each of these persons
reported that trouble lay not in the eyes or
the kidneys, and by their report that
there was some other organic trouble, con-
hrmed the diagnosis of DR.. Wales.
A few days ago Senator Plumb went to
Philadelphia with Senator QUAY, for the
purpose of consulting DR.. Pepper. He
returned to Washington last night, at
o'clock, complaining of a violent headache,
but went to dinner at Chamberlsn's given
by ex-senator Malone to few friends. 1t
must have been l o'clock or later this
morning when he returned to his quarters,
for his landlord, Linson d. Jennings, said
to-day that he did not retire until nearly
O'Clock and the Senator had not yet re-
turned.
The Beginning of the End.
Shortly before o'clock Mr. Jennings
was awakened by knock at his bedroom
door. Senator Plumb told Mr.. Jennings he
was very sick, and requested him to come
downstairs and sit up with him. Mr.. Jen-
nings saw that the Senator's condition was
serious and at . o'clock DIR. Wales was sum-
moned. The doctor al1eviated the pain and
administered the proper medicines He
STAYED with Mr.. Plumb from 2 until $50
o'clock, and then left his patient sleeping
quietly.
AT Gas o'clock Senator Plumb awoke, and
with q spring bounded out of bed to a slop
jar and began to vomit. His head was ach-
ing violently. The vomiting ceased after
time. Then the Senator tossed his hands to
his head and exclaimed: ''Oh, my God, my
head, my head" the last words ever ut
tered.
Mr.. Jennings stroked his head to relieve
the pain, and in few minutes later Mr..
Plumb lapsed into slumber, and later into
Inconsistencies.
About 10 o'clock, b. W. Flenniken,
clerk to the Committee on Public Lands, of
which Senator Plumb was Chairman. and
his private secretary for some wears, called |
as was his custom to assist the Senator with |
his correspondence.
A Fatal Stroke of Apoplexy,
Mr.. Flenniken noticed that he was breath |
ing heavily and stentoriouslv DR.. Wales |
was again summoned. He saw at once that |
the patient had been stricken with |
apoplexy. Mr.. Plumb was unconscious |
and his tongue was paralyzed. The doctor,
Mr. FlenniRen and Mr.. Jennings remained |
with him until the end came at 11:3O
DR.. Wales said this afternoon that the |
immediate cause of death was apoplexy |
brought on by fatty degeneration of the |
brain from overwork and fatigue.
''It was a clear case of overwork," said |
the doctor. ''If he had given up, in all |
probability it would have been different.
He did not consult with me until two weeks |
ago He had a strong frame, but he kept |
an enormous amount of work to carry, and |
no man could keep doing what he was do
ing"
Senator Plumb lived for the last four |
wears at 612 Fourteenth street, in plain, |
roomy three-story- and basement pressed !
brick house. He occupied the first two |
rooms on the main floor. The front room |
he used as an Office and reception room, and |
the room in the rear as bedroom. In this |
room he had desk, and to-day it was piled |
high with correspondence, personal, bust |
ness and political, showing the great amount |
of work the Senator was accustomed to carry |
on.
A Great shock 70 His Friends.
The news of his sudden death shocked and |
startled his friends and acquaintances, of /
whom he had a great number in and out of
public life. 1t being Sunday, many persons
were al church at the time of death, and |
none save those at his bedside knew that he
had been taken ILL., Many persons who
heard it were almost incredulous of the ac-
curacy OF the report. But all acquainted
with the Senator, as with intuitive knowl-
edge, asked the question whether or not ap-
ople,y was the cause of death
A few ot Mr.. Plumb's most intimate
friends knew thai he had been ailing for
scme time, but none were prepared for the
worst lie had been in the Senate last
week, and appeared to be as well as ever
Je attended 30 his duties with his usual
briskness and vigor. A few davs ago he
said to a Senate employe who congratulated
him OF Lis appearance that he was younger