River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-02-05

MN
WILLIAM WINDOW.
Transportation was to sit at its nine
teenth annual dinner, and the great
hall was bright with light and color.
The dinner, which began at 8 o'clock,
was completed shortly after o o'clock,
and Mr.. Window, introduced by
Judge ArnouX. who acted as
POSTMASTER, arose to speak, being the
first speaker of the evening. lie re-
sponded to the toast: ''Our Countrys
Prosperity Dependent Upon Its Instru-
ments of Commerce" Iie finished his
speech at $3.50 o'clock. 1t had been re-
marked that he was reading it off hur-
riedly from the printed copy, going fast
er and faster as he .neared the end, and
at the last he had requested the audi
ence not to applaud. a culver of fear
shot through the assemblage like an
electric shock as the speaker finished.
Mr.. Window was standing erect
under the glare of the gas lights, while
the faces of the most famous body of
men in the country were turned to-
ward him. Something was the matter.
They knew not what. For moment
the Secretary of the Treasury stood
silent while the banqueters. equally
silent, watched him. Ii was a moment
that no one who was present will ever
forget. Then Mr. Window sat down
quietly, too quietly many thought, in
his seat, and Toastmaster Judge
Arnoux arose to introduce eX-
Secretary of State Bayard as
the next speaker. lie began short
speech, but had not proceeded far when
Mr.. Window gave short, sharp moan
of anguish and fell back in his chair.
His face grew purple. His lower limbs
stiffened and stretched out of their
own accord, apparently, under the
table. His eyelids opened and
shut spasmodically, but there was no
CLEAN of intelligence in the eyes,
which were rapidly losing the luster of
life. The cigar which he had been
smoking was held in the grim clinch of
the teeth. For only moment he APP
peared thus a cry went up from those
sitting near the guests table:
Look, look at Mr.. Windomv'
Every eye was turned toward the
man whose voice had just ceased. At
the rear of the hall many stood, and
many echoed the cry as Mr.. Window
collapsed in his chair and was falling
to the floor. His face was CHASTITY
and a cry of horror arose from
the late festive banqueters. There
was an immediate rush on the
part of all toward Mr.. WINDOWS
chair, but several doctors who were
present at the dinner got there first and
l. 4 l.
S. A. Robinson, Durant. Whitney,
Fisher and Bishop. DIR. Robinson bent
down, and, making a close examina-
ton of the PROSTATE form, discovered
that the heart was yet beating, and,
with the assistance of Judge
Truax, Captain Snow and one
or two others, lifted him to his feet,
deathly pale. He was carried into the
room behind the banquet hall and every
thing was done to resuscitate him.
Messengers were hastily dispatched for
electric batteries, and as many as four
were applied to his body, which was
rapidly growing cold. This was ex-
actly 1905 p. IN. For six minutes the
electric shocks were applied incessant-
ly. but without success.
He was pronounced dead by Drs.
Robinson and Durant. Il would say
that the cause of his death was apo
plexy," said DIR. Robinson, IF it was
not for the history of heart dis
ease. | am inclined TO think that heart
disease killed him. Mr.. Window was sub
ject to fits of heart failure. Tuesday
last he was seized with an attack while
on the steps of the Treasury at. Wash
ington, but he did not lose conscious
ness and was able to take care of him
SELF
When 1t was officially announced that
the Secretary was dead Secretary Tracy
at once went to the nearest telegraph
Office and sent message to President
Harrison informing him of the untimely
event and requesting him to commune
cate with Mrs. Window.
The following death certificate was
issued:
we hereby certify that Hon. William Win
dom, Secretary OF the United States Treasury,
died at Demonieo's, corner Of Twenty sixth
street and Fifth avenue, at New York City,
about 10 O'Clock and II minutes p. m. on Jan
uary 90, 1891, and we further certify that the
cause Of his death was, first, cerebral hemor-
rhage, and second coma.
''E j. WHITNEY, NJ D.,
100 Lafayette avenue, Brooklyn.
IS. a Rob NsOS, NJ. D..
West Brighton. L. l."
Undertaken Huyler, of Grace Church,
was summoned and was put in charge
of the remains. The body was taken
To room 25 of the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
Secretary Tracy and Acknowledgement
Miller awaited at the hotel to receive
the remains.
President Snow telegraphed to Presi-
dent Harrison that the body would be
sent on to Washington on a special
train in the morning. He appointed as
a committee to escort the remains: Am
brose Snow, Darwin Il. James, +. b.
Thurber, w. Ii. Wiley, Seth Thomas
and Norman ;. Bentley.
THE NEWS AT THE CAPITAL
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-The an
nouncement of the sudden death of Sec
rotary Window in New York gave al
most as great a shock to his official
friends and associates here as did the
shooting of President Garfield to the
members of his official household. 1t
was so terribly sudden and unexpected
that all who heard the news were pro-
foundly shocked and so overcome as to
be unable to express the grief they felt.
As soon as the telegram bearing the
sad intelligence was received by the
Associated Press ITS contents were i'm
mediately communicated to President
Harrison at the White House
He was in the library at the
time, talking with Mrs. Harrison.
and when the message was read to
him he was greatly distressed and |
almost completely overcome. He inn