The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-28
KILLED BY WORRY.
Remarkable Story of the Death of
Edward Zs1lers.
SEQUEL TO THE SANTA FL STRIKE.
Mr.. ZeIIers Passed Away Last Might
mt N :3O-His Long SuHer1nEs-


at Il =3O-His Long SuRerinEs-
Edward zellers died of Bright's disease
and brain trouble at his home at AIS Blu
chanan street, last night at 1880 o'clock,
after illness covering a period of
about three months. Mr.. Zellers was AZ
years of age He came to Topeka from
Iowa and has been in the employ of the
Santa Fe for the past eight or ten years.
He was at the time of his death foreman
of the blaclemlthing department of the
shops. He was a plain man, Christian,
a member of the Methodist church, and
a good citizen; a member of the Masonic
order and of Irwin lodge No. so A o. U.
W., and stood high in the estimation of
his friends. The funeral arrangements
have not yet been decided on, further
than that he will be buried here, proba-
bly, tomorrow afternoon. The obsequies
at the home will necessarily be private,
because of the presence of scarlet fever
in the house.
Mr. Zellers, it is said by an intimate
friend of the family, has for about a year
been the victim of mental worry which
is one of the Immediate causes of his
death.
At the time of the Santa Fe strike a
year ago, Mr.. Zellers was employed in
the Santa Fee blacksmith shop and was
in charge of the sbig fire." kHe was not
a member of the union and when the I'M
ion men walked out he told the Santa
Fe officials that he had a wife and ba
bies to care for and while he did not
want to be considered as opposing the
action of the strikers. still he could not
afford to quit work when he could just
as well be earning living for himself
and family.
Mr.. Zellers worked through the troub-
lous times and when the strike was over he
was promoted to the position of foreman
of the blacKSmithinO donarmont.
Some of the strikers when they re-
turned to work objected to working un-
der "a non union man" and he had
trouble at times with some of the men
under him, although the trouble was not
always open.
AT one time it is stated Mr.. Zellers
was directed to discharge a man in his
department who had been with the strik-
ers and the officials who ordered him to
discharge this man told him he must
find his own reason for getting the man
out of the company's employ.
Mr.. Zellers ordered this man to do a
piece of work certain way and the man
objected This objection led to hot words
between the two men, and finally to the
discharge of the Objectionable emplOye.
This action of Mr.. Zellers made him
more obnoxious than ever to the old men,
who were still retained in the shop, al
though the new men who came in after
the strike never had any trouble with
the foreman, who appears to have been
ordinarily good boss.
Frequent incidents like this worried
Mr.. Zellers, and he was taken sick few
months ago. He went back to work be-
fore his friends thought it advisable,
and Master Mechanic Smith advised him
to take vacation and go to Las Vegas
hot springs, but he insisted on going
back to the shops.
About ten days ago he was again taken
sickand was forced to leave the shops. He
gradually grew worse, and as the disease
obtained a firmer hold him, it was
more apparent than ever to his friends
that his mind was affected. This sad
story of Mr.. Zellers' trouble was given
to STATE JOURNAL reporter from an in
innate friend of the deceased, who OBJ
tanned it from his own lips.
This friend, Mr.. G. E. Gault, says there
can be no doubt but that the worry about
his work at the shops is directly respon-
sible for the death of Mr.. Zellers.