Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-02-04
MR.. CHILDS DEAD.
His Passing Away Tranquil, Like Els
Career.
SCENES AT THE BEDSIDE.
How Friends and Relatives Waited FOR
tho End. which Was Entirely
Calm and Peaceful.

l. o,nlng at sol o'clock.
Al 10 o'clock last night his respiration
(l.ms embarrassed. and the physicians
=. thc bedside saw that the end was close
4. hand. At midnight tho patients pulse
u.s. tagging. and he sank gradually but
,..ellly until death came to put an end
g. the long struggle for life, Mrs. Childs
,rl prs. Ia Costa, Leidy, md Mills were
& he sick-ro0m az the end.
The cud Of great Publisher and world
frn.ss phlanthropist came With the Same
trfuq1iiity with which his remarkable ca
trer has been marked AZ his bedsine
- the physicians who had carsiuiIy
watched his every symptom since the cay
! was stricken. and Mrs Childs' the
+, mpfrion Of his years Of usefulness.
Present at the bedside ~ the time oil
- Death. IN addition 90 the physician''
were Mrs Chills. Colond -. D"N. MOT
j.. and james w. Paul Jr, son-in-law
=. tre Iatc 4. j. DrexcI. George W tnilds
,r,N,L and Us. T.. S,ccl, Mr.. ChildsS
private secretary.
one Of the physicians io attendance
tim Mr. Chllds made the following State
sa.rt.
"Nr. Chilas suffered no pain. and his end
s.. pca,cful Ito had been UNCONSCIOUS
I1r the past three days except at inter-
u.s. Ths change for the worse became
manifest about $50 o'clock last evening.
s.s rulse fslterci. and no grew rapidly
~.rsr 1t Was than apparent that the
.. was near md that his death was
Wv hc question OF few hours. Mr..
TUIa's lower limbs were not paralyzed'
. l4s been stated. The stroke only AZ
.'tI ls right side ho having lost the
/. q both his right nTm and leg.
.ffr Chlds. during his last hours. lay
! .o ID child asleep and when ne grew so
I l.h worse about miin.ght every at-
r.rt was made 70 rouse HIM, but with
Ct atau
.Ila scarcely spoke a word from the
T., be- was stricken. over two weeks
} until his death"
IUTTERS OF SYMPATHY.
Nous u ar Childss illness spread very
frn.I.y and a food Of kilograms Of In
r., and letters 81 sympathy began pour
| o. Iu va the day he Was stricken down,
trl continued up u The time Of his
c 3D. ~ uo time. however had there
ea confidence In his recovery, and the
fn.rk % The great philonthropist's death
MS .mcwhat BROKEN boy his long Illness
Tho title group % friends and physi-
Z ...N VI tf atfhAfA 0i'..tt fit' N'eiAiA' a
1 Air ,hids simply awaited the end.
e. DO @ known for several hours that
{ ath Ws coming Nlr. Chilis grew
N-akc ana weaker untn "a Su o'clock
!. ceased breathing Tie dN not show
sIy signs 81 consciousness during the
! .eh;. ana his end was entirely calm and
bsecefIl
At the beginning OF Mr.. Childs's III
- City-Ldior McWad- of the Ledger.
D., tho request Of Mrs. Childs placed n
. porter I'm the house and the physicians
b4llctius. os they were prepared from
tme O. time. were given out through
tho Ledger representative.
Consequently there was IN absence Of
Re huryius to ana fro Of carriages con-
Naming reporters. which usually attends
Re last DAYS Of great public man.
The Chlld7 residence is located in the
aristocratic quarter Of west walnut street.
bad tho presence of Grape on tho door
fls morning oppriscd the passcrs-by that
bhe great philanthr0pist had passed away.
Excepting occasional gatherings OF
groups Of men "a discuss the sad event.
there was nothing Observable outside the
louse g. indicate that anything unusual
Id happened
At tho Ledger building. az Sixth and
Chestnut streets, "a knot " black ribbon
~s- attached to the knob or each door.
q each knot was pinned one Of Mr..
Childs's engraved visitiug-cards. Writ
tn under his name was tho announce
L.cnt. Died February g. lS9f
SIR. Chidss private secretary. by d.
rcction Of Mrs. Childs. telcgraphed TO
her husbands hundreds 81 friends In this
country ana abroad the sad news OF his
Death.
Az carly as 10 o'clock kilograms OF
: Violence began 20 pour into the Ledger
p0.c These as fast as they were re-
k,y,l were sent t. Mrs. Chllas.
MIR CulLDS'S CAREER.
GcorSs ". Childs was born in Balti-
T orc In $50 Ills first work was as an
erran1-hoy at s. per week, when l. years
pG Soon afterwards ne removed 10 Phil
l.lrhia ana entered a bookstore ~
t.erk end errand-boy. When be became
a axe he hecane a partner IN the book
publishing firm of r. T.. Peterson * Co,
ind Tho firm prospercd.
Ia laB Mr. Chllds purchased The Public
(cJgcr At that time the paper though
having large circulation. was losing
money Mr. Chllis raised the price Of tho
pGper from a penny 10 two cents, raised
tho price Of advortis wcuts, and yet the
business OF Tho Ledger wa. such that he
ways held ~. and made a large fortune
f,r himself. while paying the most liberal
Narrs T. an employees.
Mr.. Ch.ljG made u great many in ne
o oriam" presents. \ few years ago
EIDtfori-up0n-Avon Wa clothed in holi-
c. attire while It's people were inaugu-
tvt.rg q fountain which me Philadelphia
millionaire had presented 90 the birth
pace Of Shakespeare. poem by Oliver
y cniel Holmes was real ana tho Queen
toefuphed, through her private secTo-
Gp Tier Majesty IS much gTatliied by
s'ur Kind and loyal expressions, and Is
hu.a pleased to hear Of the handsome
g.ft .f Sir. Chilis o. Stanford"
year later Archdeacon Farrar preach
2, sermon on the occasion Of the un-
NeI.nr 90 memorial window placed In
+. Narsrcrs church. Westminster Lon
uon. rs Mr Ctilds IN memory OF John
hilton. Besides these gifts Mr.. Childs has
eoHrrh ut.d % mark the graves Of the
Ameri van poets. Paul Hamilton Nayne
trl Richard Henry Wilde. lie also helped
l. mark the ndNe OF Leigh Hunt lie
vas the largest subscriber TO the Edgar
= Poe monument IA Baltimore, and to
memorial Wir3 IA the church at Bron-
y BOO. England 40 the memory OF the poet.
= 1uuas Moore. lie was large sub
: lt.r 20 Mr. Stephens's monument fund.
Cf Mr. Childs's more practical Ameri-
g. @ charities. even those which are known
y e too numerous 20 be- catalOgued To
btthc iiin ~ MS employ was sure 10 DIluS
Re employee u pension when worn out,
Gii during his term Of service a certainty
Z, being cared for in case OF any misfor-
time But doubtless the unknown chart
It's surpassed those which were manifest.
lie gave away fortune every year. One
y 30 once saw private record Of his char
lDCs has said that. though the period
covered was only a month, the total
AMOUNT given was s2Soo0.
Mr.. ~Chndss private sanctum in the
Philadelphia Ledger office was at once a
reception room and a gathering place FOR
{ rios and objects OF art from every part
" the globe. The walls were almost an
tirely covered with the portraits OF the
q TORS friends, while the cabinets and
l. bles were loaded with relies.
Mr.. Childs's late residence is OF course
a. keeping with so splendid an Office. The
library is particularly rich 81 rare books.
D. glnsl letters. and manuscripts There
AS autograph letters from al tho Presi-
{ ents OF the United States and from nearly
sl eminent foreign and American writer's
~ all ages.
Lord Byron's writing-desk Is another In
relic. aS well as the Black
Book OF plymouth" in a rich binding OF
black calf. with the tooling in clear gold.
HIS was presented 10 Mr.. Childs by the
Duke OF buckingham. The shelves OF the
Ia, -. -. ~. tsina fFaaputafiOn copies