The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-10-19
EDGAR HALL MCNEIL.

Edgar III. MCNEIL was born IN But
Ter county, o., i'm 1868. At the age of
twelve years he removed with his
fathers family to Springfield, ILL.,, re-
naming there for four years then going
to S"dalia, Mo, near which place the
family lived for nine years when they
came to Kansas. locating on farm
near lola. In 1881, while the family
were stilfon the farm, Ed. entered
the office of THE lola REGISTER to
learn the printers trade. With few
brief vacations he continued to work
i'm this office until Thursday, October
A, when he went home suffering with
an acute attack of erysipelas. In just
a week no was dead.
In all the world, outside of his own
family, there could have been no
death which The writer of these lines
would have regarded as so great a
personal loss. +, fourteen years Ed.
McNiel has been not only our en-
ployec, but our friend and brother.
In all those years of the most intimate
association and of the closest relation
ship there has never been an hour of
enlargement. not a moment of bitter
feeling, not - harsh or unkind word
between us. 1t might be said that we
grew up togei her i'm the Office, for he
had been employed here but few
months " hen we acquired an interest
i'm the paper. AS soon as we became
tho sole owner of the paper, he was
made foreman of the composing room,
and he remained in that capacity till
the day of his death. He became a
splendid printer, artistic and rapid
and accurate, because he loved the
trade and took pride in it. He was a
good manager. There was no idling
about the office, 10 carelessness i'm the
use Of material, no work neglected or
done badly, no fsilHre ever to carry
out to the letter the wishes of the pro-
prietOr. AS the business increased
and outs ide matters claimed more of
our attention, We feared more and
more upon him, trusting him during
frequent and sometimes protracted
absences with the entire business of
the office. And The trust was never
betrayed. If he had Ow ned the paper
he could not have worked harder nor
guarded its interests more faithfully.
He had the true printers pride in the
"office"-meaning thereby always
the room where the mechanical work
is done. lie had selected, or helped
to select, every machine, every piece
of furniture, every font of type in it..
He carried it all in his minds eye,
and he could go the darkest night and
lay his finger upon any letter in it.
His whole soul seemed wrapped up
i'm his work, and he never needed any
ORDERS He knew that there was
certain work to he done, and if there
was not daylight enough for it. ne
saw to it that it was done at night,
and did it without waiting to be ask
ed to do il. In the delirium of his
last illness he was still in the "office"
and nearly all his talk was about the
work that was SO near his heart. To
the boys who were associated with
him he was always kind and consider
ate, and they all loved him like bro
ther. To the patrons with whom he
did business, he was courteous and
attentive. To his employer he was
the very soul of honor and truth and
faithfulness and loyalty. We may
find other men to do the work that he
did. But his place will never be filled,
and the REGISTER office, to those who
live in it, will be very lonesome for a
long, long time.
The funeral services were held at
the residence on Sunday afternoon,
Oct. IA. Rev. w. l.. Squier preached
an appropriate discourse, after which
the editor of the REGISTER spoke a
brief word of personal tribute. The
order Of Odd Fellows, of which the de-
ceased was member, then took the
remains in charge and conveyed them
to the cemetery where they were in
TERED, by the side of those of his
mother, with the touching and i'm
pressive ceremonial of the [. o. o. +.
Members of the order were here from
Yates Center, Humboldt and Moran,
and the general attendance was very
large. The casket was covered with
beautiful flowers, the loving tribute of
friends who had loved and admired
Ed. McNiel, and to whom bis death
came as a personal and irreparable
loss.
And so, with flowers and tears aud
tender, loving words, was laid to rest
as filial son, as loving brother, as
gentle man, a. loyal aud faithful a
friend as ever made earth brighter by
bis presence and left it lonely, lonely
when he went away.
Ezz,s.z.zdrN1EEusrE1
CARD OF THINKS
We desire to express our heartfelt
4. 4. ~ 4 4