The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-21

little exhausted from tho climb up the
steep flight of steps leading from the street
to the house, which is on high terrace.
He sat down and chatted with his wife
about the women at tho convention, tell
ingof various things that had been said
and done. Suddenly he gasped, clapped
his hand to his heart and fell back uncon-
sclous. A doctor was hastily summoned,
and arrived within very few moments,
but his efforts to revive Mr.. Douglass
were hopeless from tho first. Within
twenty minutes after the attack the faint
motion of the heart ceased entirely, and
the great ex-slave statesman was dead
Mr.. Douglass leaves two sons and
daughter, the children of his first wife.
His second wife, who was white woman,
survives him.
The story OF this second marriage was n
romantic one Miss Helen Pitts, whom
he married, was Now England woman,
of middle ago, a clerk in the office of tho
recorder of deeds OF the District of Column
bia when Mr.. Douglass was appointed to
that Office She was also u member of %
literary society to which he belonged.
They were thrown much together, and
finally became engaged. Her relatives op-
posed the match bitterly on account of his
color, but finally yielded to force OF cir
cumstances. Some of them have for some
time been living near tho Douglass home,
on Anacostia Heights.
Frederick Douglass was born near
Easton, Talbot county Md, in February,
1917 His mother was negro slave and
his father white man. At the age of 10
he was sent to Baltimore, where he learned
to read and write. His master allowed
him to hire his own time for So week,
and l,,r. ii In. nl,
In September, 1898, he fled from Baltl-
more and made his way to New York.
Hence he went to New Bedford, Mass,
where he married and lived for two or
three years, supporting himself by day
labor on the wharves and in various work
shops. While there he changed his name
to Douglass. He had previously been called
Lloyd, from the name of his old master.
He was aided in his efforts for self educa-
ton by William Lloyd Garrison. In the
summer Of 1871 he attended an anti-slav-
cry convention at Nantucket and made q
speech which was So wcll received that he
was offered the agency of the Massachu-
setts Anti Slavery society. In this ca
pacity he travelled and lectured through
the New England states for four years.
Largo audiences were attracted by his
graphic descriptions of slavery and his
eloquent appeals. At this time he pub
lished his first book, entitled Narrative
of My Experience in Slavery"
In 1915 he went to Europe and lecturcd
on slavery to enthusiastic audiences in
nearly all of the large towns of Great
Britain. In 1916 his friends in England
raised a purse OF $3.50 to purchase his FREQ.
dom in due form of law He remained
two years in Great Britain, and in 1917
began at Rochester, n. Y, the publication
of Frederick Douglass Paper, whose title
was afterwards changed to The North
Star In 1S55 he published My Bondage
and My Freedom.
In 1859 the John Brown riots took place
in Virginia He was supposed to he inn
plicated in these and Governor Wise, OF
Virginia, made requisiti0n for his arrest
upon the governor of Michigan, in which
state he then WAS To avoid difficulty Mr.
Douglass went to England. where he re-
maincd for six or eight months. He then
returned to Rochester and continued the
publication of his paper. When the civil
war began in 1861 he urged upon President
Lincoln the employment of colored troops
and the Issuance of a proclamation of
emancipation. In 1863 when it was at last
decided to employ such troops, he gave his
assistance in enlistingmen for such regi-
Fifty-fifth Massachusetts.
After the abolition of slavery he discon-
tiuued the publication of his paper and
applied himself to the preparation and de-
livery of lyceuln lectures. In September,
1870 he became editor of The New Ma
tional Era, in Washington. This WAS af
forwards continued by his sons Lewis and
Frederick. In 1871 he was appointed as
sistant secretary to the commission TO san
Domingo. On his return President Grant
appointed him one of the territorial coun-
Gil of the District of Columbia In 1872 he
was elected presidential elector-at large
for the state of New York, and was APP
pointed to carry the electoral vote of the
state to Washington.
In 1876 he was appointed United States
marshal for the District of Columbia,
After this he became recorder of deeds for
the District of Columbia, from which
office he was removed by President Cleye-
land in 1885. In the autumn of that year
he revisited England to inform the friends
whom he had madc while fugitive slave
of the progress of the African race in the
United States. After his return to tho
United States he was appointed minister
to Hayti by President Harrison, In 1889.
The Haytan ministry was the last posi-
tion in the gift OF the United States held
by Mr.. Douglass. In 1892 Hayti made an
appropriation of money for the Colun-
bian exposition at Chicago and appointed
Mr.. Douglass the senior of her two COM
missioners to the exposition, Since the
close of the exposition Mr.. Douglass has
lived quietly in Washington, without en-
gaging in any special business. His wealth
Is variously estimated at from Sl0U, 900 to
taO1, 900