The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-28

hitiiaii, tIlc Rouu Hiay puct, ulcu
last evening, ut his homo in Camden,
N. j., at G:43 o'clock. His end was
peaceful and he was conscious. until
the last.
Tho aged bard has boon struggling
with death since December II, when he
was seized with pneumonia His death
was looked for daily, but svitality was
so great that he rallied from tho attack,
although his physicians said ho was
very weak and Liable to expire ut any
time.
DR.. McAllistcr asked Whitman il he
was in pain, but the dying poet answer,
cd "No." Whitman's last words were Il
request to his nurse to shift him in bed
Then, reaching for his handkerchief,
respiration ceased, although his heart
beat for ten minutes afterward.
a SKETCH OF THE POETS LIFE.
Walter, or Walt. Whitman was born
Mt Westhills, Long Island, May 81, 1919.
His father, whose name no bore, was II
farmer; and the boy, the eldest Of the
family. was brought up with slight
knowledge Of even the few retincments
obtainablc in the country 10 years ago.
He was strong and sturdy, 4 good rider
and swimmer, fond of outdoor exercise,
and impatient OF all tho amenities OF
life. What book education he had he
received in the public schools OF New
York and Brooklyn. 1t was not much,
Tor when only IL he was back in the
country teaching others and learning
from them rather than from books. Al
ter year or so OF teaching he became
carpenter for time. Then he learned
printing, working ut the case in New
York and Brooklyn and editing papers
in New Orleans and Huntington, Long
Island.
In 1S47-S with his brother, jefferson
Whitman, he went OH q long pedestrian
tour OF the country, working his way
along by doing carpenters jobs-tranp-
ing it, one might say. For two years
the brothers wandered about, down the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers, in Louis
lana and Texas during the Mexican war,
along thu lakes, into Canada and down
the Hudson back to Long Island, where
Walt Whitman betool himself once
more to the printers case.
wHlTMAN's FIRST AND GREATEST WORK.
Up to 1855 he had been known, so far
as he was known, simply as 4 carpen.
ter-printer OF no special steadiness. In
1855, however, appeared his first and
most famous book, LEAVES of Grass" a
volume OF rhapsodical poems, always
without rhyme, generally without
rhythrl, dealing especially with the in
tereSts involved i'll American life and
the progress OF tho time. The book
called forth great amount OF praise
and still greater amount OF blame.
No subject was too small for Whit
man; nothing, however secret convcn.
tionalism made it, but was revealed.
Those who did not object to the nudity
OF the poems were offended at thcuncon-
ventional form in which they we're cast,
and some were shocked honestly at tho
poems themselves. The first edition OF
this book Whitman set up and printed
himself, and for thirty years he has
been revising and adding to the book,
looking upon it as something never to
fail nor to triumph perhaps in even
century.
At the beginning OF the war Whitman
was living in New York, but his brother
George was woundedat fredericksburg,
in 1862, and the poet went 10 the front
to nurse him. He remained with the
army until the close OF the war, after
ward giving his experiences in two vol
umes, "Drum Taps" (lS65) and "NJcmo-
randa During the War; (lS67). His first
conventional pocmisin "Drum Taps
Captain, My Captain"-a poem in
memory OF Lincoln.
a FEvRR THAT WAS NEVER DowNED.
in 1864 he had been compelled to
give up ior time his work as nurse,
because fever caught in the hos.
pital camps among the sick. From the
effects OF this fever Whitman never re-
covered fully, though he returned to his
nursing rs soon as he was able to be
about. At the close OF the war he OBJ
tanned ccrkship in the interior de-
par!mcnt, from which he was dismissed
when his superior officer learned that
he was the author OF "T.cavcs OF Grass"
He obtained clerkship i'll the attorney
generals office, however, which he kept
until 1851. In February, 1878, he had Il
stroke OF paralysis, resulting from his
fever OF 1861 and the exposures OF his
ARM life, and went to Camden, n. j.
lie was recovering rapidly when, in
: May, his mothe- died suddenly in his
presence. The shock caused relapse,
and he was incapable OF any work for
many months. On his recovery he re-
signed his clerkship and settled in CAM
den, where he rested tho remainder OF
his life.
ADMITTED TO TIE RANKS OF THE POETS.
OF late years the bitter attacks OF
Whitman have ceased, and he has been
admitted to be indeed poet. Emerson,
in 1855, found beauties in "Leavcs OF
Grass" even though he disapproved OF
the book, and since thcn, especially
from England, came communication,
William Rossetti published a selection
OF the poems in lS6S, and Walter Scott
has published two further selections,
while Edward Dowden, a gentle critic,
has made still a. fourth selection. Ten
nyson and George Eliot have ranked
Whitman high among American poets.
and the poet has spoken gratefully OF
tho "Friendly-mouthed, just opportunc
English action" which confronted him
4 in his troubles.
Whitman was dependent entirely on
the salo OF his books, and while never
rich, OF late years has been absolutely
poor. Ho steadily refused to accept
charity, however. Whitman was des.
cribed BY tho admirer who gave him
the tito by which no ismost widely
known, that OF ''thc good gray poet,n rs