The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-08
The Veteran ''Autocrat" Passed Away
at His Home in Boston, the News of
His Death Being Kept Quiet.
HIS LIFE A BUSY RECORD
Andrew G. Curtin, Pennsylvania's
War Governor, Dead.
With Henry s. Lane, of Indiana, He
Swung the Chicago Convention for
Lincoln's First Nomination.

the well-known poet and author, died at
his home, No. 296 Beacon street, at 1215
p. m. to-day. Heart failure was the i'm
mediate cause Of his death, though the
Doctor has slowly been falling for the last
four or five years. An asthmatic difficulty
also assisted in the final breaking down
of the aged "Autocrat" Ten days ago DR..
Holmes returned to his Beason-street resi-
dence from his summer home at Beverly
Farms. Before that time slight symptoms
of Improvement in his condition were
noted and the removal thought adj
vlsable, 1t proved, however very fatiguing
and the Doctor did not regain his former
condition. Last Friday a sudden attack of
heart failure seized him. which. with the
long-standing asthmatic trouble, pros
trated him. but this morning he had ap-
parently recovered. After the physicians
had gone, however. the Doctor was seized
with severe spasm, and before medical
aid could be called he bad passed away.
He was unconscious for a short time
previous to his death.
Around his bedside were gathered the
members of his family, Judge Oliver Wen
dell Holmes, jr., the only surviving son,
Mrs. Oliver Wendell Holmes, jr., and Ed
ward j. Holmes. nephew of the poet. AL
though the death occurred shortly after
midday, it did not become known until a
late hour tonight. The house was dark
ened and police guarded the entrances to
prevent the household from being dis
turbed.
OF the men whose labors have given 20
Boston her literary fame, none is more
widely known than is DR.. Oliver Wendell
Holmes. He has said to US, in his quaint
ly humorous way:
Little / ask; my wants are few;
l only wish nut of stone,
"a very plain brown stone will do),
That may call my own;
And close at hand is such a one,
In yonder street that fronts the sun.
But his "hut Of stone is puilded of red
brick, albiet 1t stands In ''yonder street
that fronts the sum-" In the second story,
the uneuphonious name OF the Back bay
was the workshop of the autocrat. A
broad bay window. embracing nearly the
TO a flood of light. Heavy bookcases of
wd.nut line the walls, while above a cabi-
given a worldwide celebrity in Dorothy
O.. Upon the mantel, above the blazing
wood lire, rested a splendid specimen of
the "Chambered Nautilus" In the center
OF the room stood massive desk of wal
nut, upon which the most conspicuous fig-
ure hour glass.
His habits were methodical Indeed, he
lived almost wholly by rule He set him.
self a daily task, and diligently and scrUpu-
went at once to his study and seated himself
at mis- desk, as faithfully as the artisan at
his bench NO sooner would the author
seat himself at his desk than the hour
glass was turned. and. as the soft. red
sand streamed through the aperture and
piled itself in a little glstening heap in
to pour forth from the active brain, stream
from the pens point, and find their places
on the paper. Now and then he would rise
and walk TO the window and gaze cut
the broad expanse of water, at times
shimmering in the sunshine, at others COW
cred with a sheet of duh, blue ice. broken
by pale, yellow shoals of sand, and en-
livened with the Tapping of the sea gulls'
wings. or the lazy flight of the black duck.
cursions out Of himself and into the realm
of nature that the poet caught the inspira-
ton which formulated itself into My Av-
iary," wherein were mingled, so uncOn-
and of nature, with the beatings of the
great heart Of the man in sympathy with
the undeserved sufferings of even the sea
bird which, in another line, he pronounces
mot good for much.'' This was a handsome
house on the Back Bay lands in Boston,
ing his quiet estate at Beverly for sum-
mers.
"MY AvIARY" INSPIRATION.
'I should be afraid to say how many
towns DR.. Holmes counted for me from the
window in his library one day, and L had
faith to believe that he really knew that he
was counting towns, and not church stee-
pies, on the other side of the river.
never stand in that bay window that I do
not have certain lines from My Aviary''
waltzing through my head The poem, you
know, is a description of what Holmes sees
from this library bay, and a sort of retro
spective or metaphysical train of thought
And these are the lines that 1 recall:
Through my north window, in the wintry
weather,
My airy oriel on the river shore.
4 ot1I rl fpxxr oc fh0xy Gno tor t1or
Where late the boatman flashed his dip
ping oar
"a The gull, high floating, like sloop un-
Let's the loose water watt him as it will;
The duck. round breasted as a rustic maid
Paddles and plunges, btsy, busy STILL
"a young lady who sal. next me at din
ner the other day asked In a sort of awe
struck tone, as though she had suspicious
what faulty and irregular: rs it true
that DR.. Holmes Is brusque and rude to
people whom he meets?' And L told her
no. did not think it was exactly true.
The poet has, of course. a worldwide
reputation, and, unlike Whittier. and Long
fellow, who were as modest and free from
snobbishness as they are gifted, Holmes
shows a self-consciousness that is distress
ing. We are always willing to bow down
before genius but we do not want to have
the talent and its Accomplishments thrust
in our faces. Holmes can be genial and
full or good hum0r at times, and is so, but
| he has an unfortunate voice. a harsh
perhaps dictatorial-style that has made
more than one gentle woman say to me:
''I wish / had never met Holmes, for my
Illusion is destroyed" what business
have young scribblers to send me their
verses and ask any my opinion sJaE of, OF the STUFF
right to ask me than they have TO stop
me on the street, run out their tongues
and ask me what is the matter with their
F, stomachs and what they shall take a
remedy" And then again on another day
| he made the remark: Every body that
| writes a book must needs send me a copy.
| It's very good of them, of course. but
| they're not all successful attempts az
| book making, and most Of them are rele-
| gated to my hospital for sick books up
| stairs"
once young writer sent from California
! a sample OF his poetry and asked Holmes
| if it was worth while for him TO keep on
writing. The doctor was struck by some
| thing decidedly original in the style OF the
writer and wrote back that he should keeI
/ a gentleman called at the home of Prof
| Holmes in Boston and asked his host II
\ he remembered the incident. Holmes re-
| Piled Il do. indeed" Well" said his
visitor, II am the man. and 1t was Bret
Harte.
| The Autocrat Gas Holmes is generally
called in Boston) was somewhat reEnarsS-
| ably favored In the way OF school and col
| lege companions-R- III. Dana, the author
| or Two Years Before the Mast" and who