Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-02-03
TO-DAY'S TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
Death OF Geo. w. Childs.

Death Of Geo. w. ChildS.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 3. George W.
Childs, proprietor of the Public Ledger,
died this morning at 3:01 o'clock at his
residence, at the southeast corner of
22nd and Walnut streets, from the Ell
fects stroke of paralysis sustained by
him on the 18th of January. For some
time previous to the day he was strick
en- Mr.. Childs was overrun. with work.
Thursday afternoon Mr.. Childs was sit
ting in his Office talking with William
T. Steele, his private secretary, and |.
F. Sheppard, night editor of the paper.
Suddenly Mr.. Childs began to slip for
ward in his chair and would have fallen
to the floor if the two gentlemen had
not sprung forward and raised him up.
Mr.. Sheppard and Mr.. Steele and Mr..
Childs himself believed that the attack
WAS nothing more than vertigo, and
Mr.. Childs laid down and DR.. ]. NJ. Da-
Costa, his family physician, was sent for.
When DR.. DaCosta arrived he found
that Mr.. Childs had had slight stroke
of paralysis, due, as the physicians
have since learned, to the breaking of
blood vessel in the head and the
formation on the brain Of a small clot
of blood. Mr.. Childs was removed to
his residence after DR.. Da Costa had
completed his examination and anoth-
er physician was called in. The two
doctors at the time did not apprehend
any fatal result, as the paralysis was
slight and did not greatly affect his
limbs and they had a good basis to
work upon in Mr.. Childs's splen-
did constitution and orderly life.
The clot of blood on the brain, however,
was not absorbed, as often happens in
similar cases, and after a week the
paralysis began to progress slowly.
Then Dir. Childs's physicians began
battle against hope. On last Friday
night week ago Mr.. Childs's condi-
ton changed for the worse and became
critical. Throughout the past week he
has remained in much the same condi-
ton, but Thursday and yesterday Mr..
Childs showed some Improvement and
there was faint hope he might ulti-
mately rally. Shortly before ten o'clock
last night Mr.. Childs's respiration be-
came embarrassed and his pulse began
to flag. His physicians recognized the
signs Of approaching dissolution and al
though everything that medical science
and skill could do to prolong life was
done, Mr.. Childs sank rapidly and at
$40 o'clock his heart was stilled in
death. Except his wife, Alr. Childs had
no immediate family. The Drexel es-
tate will now purchase Mr.. Childs's
interest in the Ledger from his wife and
it will be conducted with but few
changes in the former management.
Mr.. Childs was born in Baltimore in
1929, and began life dependent solely
upon his own industry and business
tact, and assembled one after another Of
the rungs of the ladder Of prosperity
until he finally became owner of one of
the finest newspaper properties in the
country. He purchased the Philadel-
phia Ledger in 1864, when it was any
thing but paying concern, and by his
thorough knowledge of the publishing
business soon made it the best paying
newspaper in Philadelphia. Through
out his long life of prosperity his phil
antrophy was celebrated, and consid-
cradle amount of his large income was
devoted to ameliorating the condition
of his fellow creatures.