The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-10-13
ANoRew q. CURTIN.

BELLEFoNTE, Pa, Oct S--Andrew
| Gregg Curtin, the old war governor OF
| PENNSYLVANIA, died this morning at D,
o'clock. His death was not only PAIN
less but calm, the last vital spark going
out after a sleep of twelve hours-a
peaceful ending to the long, useful and
eventful career of this great and dis
| tinguished man. There was no harrow
ing scene to break the mystic shadow
of sorrow and gloom overhanging the
household.
His friends knew yesterday that it
was only a question of hours, and
nerved themselves to be resigned to
the inevitable. His wonderful vital
ity, however, prolonged to final disco
luton until 5 o'clock this morning,
when he breathed his last, surrounded
only by the immediate members OF his
family, consisting of his aged wife,
Mrs. Katherine Wilson Curtin; his
daughters, Mary E., wife of DR.. George
F. Harris; Marcy l., widow of Capt. X.
R. Breeze, and Kate w., wife of NJ. ID.
Burnet, of Syracuse, n. Y. and his
son, w. w. Curtin, of Philadelphia
The direct cause of the governors
death was a general breaking down OF
his nervous system. The funeral has
been set for Wednesday afternoon at
2 o'clock, the interment to be made in
the Union cemetery in this place. The
final arrangements for the obsequies
have not yet been completed and prob
ably will not be until late tomorrow.
Andrew Gregg Curtin was born at
Bellefonte, on April %, 1877. His IA
| Their, Roland Curtin, who came from
Ireland and who built one of the first
iron foundries in Pennsy lvania, mar
ried the daughter of Andrew Gregg,
who had been a United States senator,
congressman and secretary of state.
Young Curtin began his school life
in private institutions in Bellefonte
and after a term of school at Harris
burg he ended his academic education
at Milton. Curtin began the study of
law in Bellefonte with William w.
Potter. who was afterwards a on
gresham, and finished with Judge
Reed, then one of the great attorneys
of the state.
After graduating from the law de-
partment of Dickinson college at Car
lyle, he was admitted to the bar in his
native place and began practicing in
1887. lie at once took a leading posi-
ton in his profession. At the g of
23 years he made a state reputation as
an orator in the campaign OF ''Tippe-
canoe and Tyler too" He was an ar
lo-4 ,,l,, ,-l - 1914 ,no1n q, an 80
of the state for Henry Clay.
In 1s4s he was a presidential elector
and his efforts in behalf of Gen. Taylor
were everywhere recognized as con-
tributing to his election. In 1852 he
was again upon the electoral ticket and
in the forefront of the battle for the
wing party. In 1854 his party desired
him to become it's candidate for gov
ernor. He declined.
From 1854 to 1850, when the repub-
lican party was springing into life as a
result of the agitation of. the slavery
question, Mr.. Curtin took a leading po-
| sition in the stirring events which at
tended the birth of the new party, and
in 1860 was made it's candidate for gov
ernor
The election of Lincoln depended
upon the two doubtful states. Penn
sylvania and Indiana. Both of them
held their state elections in the Octo-
Der preceding the November election,
and it was essential nationally that.
these states should declare for the re-
publican candidates to insure his cleo
ton.
Simon Cameron, David Wilmot, An
drew G. Curtin, Col. A. X. Mcclure and
Thaddeus Stevens were in the Pennsyl-
vania delegation, and Curtin's efforts
helped largely in the nomination of
Lincoln. The friendship between the
martyred president and the great war
governor of the Keystone state was of
the warmest character from that time.
Curtin was elected governor by a good
majority, and was reelected for a Sec
ond term, serving during the entire
war.
1t followed close upon his first IN
auguration as chief executive of the
state, that the first gun of the civil
war was fired, and he sprang to the
duty of raising troops for the general
government, with an energy and spirit
unequaled by any other state execu-
tive. He encouraged enlistments in
every possible way, and in an eloquent.
war speech just after the fall of sum-
ter he kindled camp fires upon almost
every hearth in Pennsylvania and
called more men into service than was
asked for by the general government.
1t was the aspiration of Gov. Curtin's
friends that he should be made United
States senator at the end of his second
term, but influences which had been
hostile to him prevented.
In 1868 he was a prominent candidate,
for nomination for vice-president with.
Gen. Grant, but was defeated Soon.
after the latter's election Gov. Curtin
was nominated and confirmed as min
lister to Russia and spent nearly four
years at st. Petersburg. He returned
home in 1872 and took part in the liberal
republican movement which nominated
Horace Greedy. He was prominently
spoken of for the second place on that.
ticket and was the choice of the Penn
s~ylvania delegation in the Greedy con-
vention for president. Through his
connection with the liberal republican
movement he was carried into the