Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-03-28
DEATH OF WALT WHITMAN.

The s'Goed, Gray Poeto Expires nj
Ris Home In Camden-His End
Peaceful and Conscious Until the
Last-A Short Biography of His
Life.
CAMDEN, N. j., March 27.-Walt Whit.
man, the ''good, gray poet" died at his
home at 6:43 last evening. His end was
peaceful and he was conscious until the
last. The aged bard had been struggling
with death since December II, when he
was taken down with pneumonia. His
death was looked for daily. His vitality
was 80 great that he rallied from the at
tack, although his physicians said he was
very weak and liable to expire at any time.
| Five days ago a change was noticed in
| Whitman's condition, and for the last three
days he took no nourishment at all. At 4
l O'Clock yesterday afternoon his attendants
| noticed he was growing worse, and DR..
Alexander McAllister was sent for. He
| saw the poet was dying and remained until
| the end. DR.. McAllister asked Whitman
| if he was in pain and the dying poet an
swered ono" Whitman's last words were
a request to his nurse to shift him in bed
Then, reaching for his handkerchief, res
piration ceased although his heart beat for
ten minutes afterward. He died a poor
man, his only possessions being his house,
library and copyrights. He disposed of
these by will three months ago, leaving his
property to those who nursed him in his
last illness. Few literary men, while yet
living, have been the subject of such lively
controversy as Walt Whitman.
Walter, or Walt, Whitman. was born at West
Hills Long Island, May 81, 1919 His father,
whose name he bore, vas a farmer, and the boy,
aII of fhn xrtfI
slight knowledge or even the few ref1uements
obtainable In the country sixty years ago. What
schools of New York city and Brooklyn It was
not much, for when only sixteen he was back in
the country teaching others and |. arning from
them rather than from books. After year or
SO of teaching he became a carpenter for a
time; then he |. armed printing. working
at the case in New York city and Brook
Ign, aud editing papers in New Orleans and in
Huntington. Long Island. In 1915, with his
pedestrian tour of the country, working his way
along by. doing carpent RS obs tramping it, one
might almost say; For two years the brothers
wandered about, dewn the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers in louisiana and Texas during the Mexi-
can war, along the lakes, into Canada and down
the Hudson back to Long Island, where Walt
Whit betook himself once more to the print
ers case.
Up to 1855 he had been known, SO far as he was
known, simply as a CARPENTER printer of no espe
cial steadiness. In 1s55 however app AIRED his
first and most famous book, Leaves of Grass" q
volume of rhapsodical poems, always without
rhyme. generally without rhythm. dealing espe-
cialy with the interests involved in Amarl, an
life and progress of the time. The book called
forth a great amount of praise and a still grearer
amount of blame The first edition of this book
Within IN set up and printed himself and for
thirty years he has been revising and adding to
the book
At the beginning of the war Whitman was lir-
wounded at Fredericksburg in 1869 and the poet
went to the front to nur y him. He remained
with the army until the close Of the war after
Drum Taps GS65) ami Memoranda During
the War" Gs67). His most conventional poem is
in Drum Taps''-"Captain, My Captain in
In 1864 he had been compelled to give up for a
time his work AS nurse BECAUSE of fever caught
effects OF t,is fev-r VIII tman never recovered
as he was able to be about.
At the close of the war he obtained a clerkship
in the interior department, from which he was
diSmiSSei when his super or officer learned that
he was the author of Leaves of Grass " He OBJ
tanned a clerkship in the att rney general Office
1873, he had stroke of paralysis resulting from
his fever of 1864 and the exposures of his army
ing rapidly when in May his mother die sudden
ly in his presence The shock caused = relapse.
and ne was lnSapaei6ated Tor any worf Tor many
ship and settled in Camden. where he resided the
rest of his life.
Passages to India" (is70). After All Not to
Create Only'), AS Strong Bird on Pinions
ocratic Vistas (Is7o repubiished in 1873 aud 1851
In 1881 new edition of 81 Leaves OF Grass" was
published in Boston, to the sale of which he |
Massachusetts authorities objected, the |
ground of immortality. In 1883 Whitman pub. |
lished specimen Days and Collect" in 1885 |
November Boughs." and IN 1888 Sands at |
Seventy" |
OF late years the bitter attacks on Whitman |
have ceased, and he has been admitted to be in |
deed pc t. Emerson in 1855 found beauties in |
"Leaves of Grass" even though he diSapproved
of the book, and since then, especially from
England, came commemorative.
Whitman was dependent entirely on the sale |
of his books, while never rich, of late years
has been absolutely poor. He steadily refused |
TO accept charity, however.
HIS Funeral.