Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-01

The nature of Gen. Spinner's disease-cancer
| OF the face-required the constant attendance
| of physicians and nurses for many weeks past
When the end came there were present at the
bedside: Gen. Spinners daughter. Mrs. James
NJ. Schumacher, the wife of the president Of
the First National Bank OF Jacksonville (who is
the only child now living; her husband and
young son. Rudolph Spinner Schumacher; two
great grandchildren. Mr.. Thomas Claiming
Mooreand Master Roy Z. Moore, besides mem
bers of the household and attendants. Gen Spin
ner leaves several grandchildren in New York
state. children of Mrs. Daniel A. Clark of Mohawk
and of Mrs. I. B. Harvey OF Buffalo, both de-
ceased.
A short service of prayer will be held at the
house thiS afternoon by Rev. V. W. Shields
rector of st. Johns Episcopal Church. and to-
morrow morning the remains viii be taken to
Mohawk. y. Y. for interment. Mr.. schumacher
accompanying them.
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.
francis Elias Spinner born in German
Flats lnUw Mohawk. NY. January u. 1902
His father. PetCr,wA native of Werbach
Eadcn. was a Roman Ga Ioilc priest for twelve
years. then embraced Protest lnism. married
emigra,ed to the United STATES i'll 1901 and was
pastor OF reformed churches at Hcrhimer and
German Flats until his death. preaching IA first
III German alone and afterBard alternately in
German and English. The was carefully
educated by his father. who required him to
learn a trade and a0prenticed him at first to
ccntectioner in Albany and afterward TO q
sa,.dler in Amsterdam. NY. He engaged in
trade at HeTklmer in 1924 and became deputy
sheriff Of the county in 1899 He was active in
the militia organization and by 1884 had reached
the grade of major general.
ELECTED To CONGRESS.
In 1851 he was sheriff. and in 1638-39 COM
missioner for building the state lunatie asylum
at Utica. When he was removed from this post
ON political grounds alone, he became cashier
of bank at Mohawk, of which he was after
wa-d president for many years. He held
various local offices. was auditor and deputy
naval officer in the naval Office at New York in
lSi5-i9 and in 1854 was elected to Congress as
an ntl-siayery democrat. He served on the
committee ON privileges and elections, on a
special committee to investigate the assault
made by Preston Brooks on Charles Sumner
and on conference committee of both Houses
on the army appropriation bill, which the
| Senate had rejected on account of clause that
| forbade the Use OF the military against Kansas
| settlers.
| APPOINTED UNITED STATES TREASURER.
Gen. Spinner was an active republican from
| the formation of the party. He was twice re-
elected to Congress. serving altogether from
| December g. 1855, till March 8, 1861. During
his last term he was the chairman OF the COM
/ mittee on accounts. When the Lincoln admin
| istration organized Secretary Salmon p
Chase selected him for the post of treasurer
which he filed under successive Presidents
| from March IS, 1861, till June 30. 1875. When,
during the war. many of the clerks joined the
army. Gen. Spinner suggested to Secretary
Chase the ACCESSIBILITY of employing women in
I the government Offices and carried into effect
this innovation. though not without much op-
| position. He signed the different series of
paper money IN u singular handwriting. which
he cultivated in order to prevent counterfeit
/ ing. When he resigned his Office the money in
| the treasury was counted. and when the result
showed snail discrepancy many days were
| spent In recounting and examining the books of
/ accounts until finally the mistake wasdiscoyered
On retiring from Office he went to the south for
the benefit Of his health and for some years he
has lived in camp at Pablo Beach, Fla.
HIS CURIOUS SIGNATURE.
Gen Spinner's name was known to the masses
of the people Of this country chiefly through
the remarkable signature, already referred TO,
| which appeared on the paper money. Few
/ people could decipher the name without ex-
| traneous aid. The general was very well known
in Washington, where he lived for a long period
and where he had large number of friends.
AN INCIDENT IN sPINSER's LIFE.
Under Gen. Spinners direction the treasury
of the United States became the greatest of
American financial institutions which it is to-
day. Hundreds Of millions passed through
Gen. Spinner's hands during the war. and
nothing was ever lost He was a man of
energy and fertile in resources. This incident
| is related of him when it became known that a
confederate army was likely to capture the
defenseless capital:
when il became known that Breckinridge
was approaching CONSERVATION seized MANY Of
the inhabitants, for the citys utter lack Of de
| Tense was known to every one. Gen. Spinner
however. was too much of a veteran to be
frightened. The watch dog proclivity came
to the front. At the critical moment he came
quietly to lie Roy Trttle and me and gave us
his plans for saving the money in the vaults Of
| the treasury. We acted without delay send-
ing to the Post Office Department for all the
leather mail bags At it'd disposal. The plan was
TO pack the money into them, and should the
! outer line of forts be captured. tan, lie bags to
| a tug which was TO be held in readiness and at
| once steam down the Potomac. There was no
other way out OF the city, as Breckenridge had
destroyed the railways and telegraph lines run
| ming north.
Never shall forget the all-night's work bv
Mr. Tuttle and myself to carry out the gem
erals plan. We were obliged to work in the
sitting heat of closed iron vaults; bag after
| bag filed with crisp greenbacks until at
break Of day, our task was ended. Upon emery
ing from our voluntary confinement almost the
first thing We heard was that Gen. Wright, with
his sixth corps, who had been ordered from
New Orleans to Join Mcclellan by the way of
Fortress Monroe, had been directed TO CON
Time up the Potomac to drive Breckinridge
from before the gates Of Washington. When
the clerical force Of the Treasury Department
assembled the next morning Ii was amusing to
see the looks Of inquiry and hear the express
sions Of establishment to which the condition Of
the vaults and their contents gave rise"
This incident is also characteristic of the
general: The news Of the fall of Richmond
was flashed over the wires, reaching Washing
ton about IL o'clock in the morning and lust
after the days business in the treasurer's ofhce
had fairly begun The general hastily came TO
voice fairly tremulous with repressed excite
inent called out so that all could hear the per-
emptory command:
:" Put that cash into the vault boys, and get
out from here as soon as you can! want you
all TO yell We've go. Richmondr
mo order was ever obeyed more quickly OF
perfectly, and in the tremendous shouts Of
excitement and exultation, Gen. Spinner'l
voice vas heard loud and clear every tms."