Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-09-01
THE ARGUS.
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 1. 1892
CURTIS is NO MORE.
The Distinguished Editor and
Citizen Drops Asleep.
CONSCIOUS ALMOST TO THE LAST

He Dies as He Sits in His Chair with Only
His Son at His Side-A sudden Ending
to IA Long Life of Activity as Journalist,
Author and Orator-A Politician
Whose Ideals Were High and Who
Never Held Omce-His Sterling In-
teGrity Illustrated - Notes of His
Career.
NEW YORK, Sept. l.-George William
Curtis, the distinguished author and edi
tor of Harper's Weekly, is dead He
breathed his last at 2:3O O'Clock yesterday
morning at his home in West New
Brighton. AT the time he was seated in
his bis, easy chair with his son. DIR. F. G.
Curtis, of West Newton, Mass, standing
by his side. Death was painless. Mr..
Curtis was conscious up to within a few
minutes of the end. Then he sank into
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Just as he died he
muttered something unintelligible, and
his head fell over on his breast. Mrs.
Curtis and his only living daughter,
Elizabeth, We're in the house at the time,
but DIR. Curtis did not summon them to
the side of the dying man. He said he be-
lieved his father knew that he was about
to die.
His Illness Puzzle.
Mr.. Curtis had not been out of the chair
in which he died for the last six weeks
His illness had all along been a puzzle to
the physicians, and it is not now known
exactly W hat was the cause OF death. AS
the family have decided that no post NOR
tenn shall be held it will probably remain
a mystery always. DR.. Curtis, his son,
said yesterday that it might have been
cancer of the stomach, tuberculosis or
chronic peritonitis. He has maintained
all along that the disease was not cancs :.
DIR. Fannie Donovan, of New Brighton
S. l., who was the attending physician at
the time of death, is also of this opinion.
DIR. Walser, of Staten Island, who for a
while attended MIR. Curtis, has said that
the trouble was cancer of the stomach.
1t Was Death Either Way.
DR.. John Curtis. brother of the dead
man, and DR.. Janeway, of this city, tue
famous cancer specialist, were called into
consultation not long ago by DIR. Walser,
and, it is alleged, they were unanimously
of the opinion that u cancer WIS taking
the life of Mr.. Curtis. They wanted him
to submit to n surgical operation, saying
that the knife alone would save him, but
Mr.. Curtis believed, it is said, that the
operation would kill him if the cancer did
not, and he refused.
Stopped Work in July Last.
DR. Frank Curtis said yesterday that
observations he had made since the death
OF his father convinced him more than
ever that the trouble was not cancer. Mr.
Curtis became i'll the latter part of last
June. He managed to keep up, however,
and did his work for Harper's Weekly and
Harper's Monthly. About the middle of
July, however, his sickness became so
serious that he had to stop work. His
friends wanted him to take to his bed, but
he steadfastly refused, and insisted on
sitting in the easy chair in which he died.
The Funeral to BE Private.
Mr. Curtis will be buried in Moravian
cemetery on Staten Island. The funeral
will be private and none of his friends
Dr. Frank Curtis said, will be expected to
attend unless they are invited. The fam
lily has not yet decided certainl on what
day and hour the ceremony will take
place. DIR. Curtis said he did not want
the general public to know, anyhow. DIR.
Curtis would not state where the services
xyOuld be held