Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-04
"Gene" Fields Career.

Eugene Field was born in st. Louis Sep
tember 3. 1850. and was therefore. Nrty-five
years old at the time of his death. He was
the son of Roswell Martin and Frances
QeeO Field. His parents were both natives
of Windham county, Vermont. His father
graduated from Middlebury College when
only fifteen years old, became lawyer, and
introduced bill in the Vermont legislature
permitting atheists to testify in courts of
law. He was bred Scotts first attorney in
the case which resulted in the famous bred
Scott decision by the United States Supreme
Court.
He attended Williams College in 1868,
Knox College in 1869, and the State Univer-
sity of Missouri in 1871. He adopted the
profession of newspaper writer, beginning
with the st. Louis Journal in 1872. His next
connection was with the st. Joseph, Mo-,
Gazette. in 1879, after which he returned to
st. Louis to take an editorial portfolio on
the Times-Journal. In 1880 he was on the
staff of the Kansas City Times, but left that
paper in 1881 to become managing editor of
the Denver Tribune.
He went to Chicago August 13, 1883, to
accept position on the editorial staff of
the Chicago Morning News now the Rec
ord) ard his connection with that paper
continued without interruption until his
death. Mr.. Fields last contribution to his
department on this paper. "Sharps and
Flats. was published Saturday morning.
and In it was characteristic defense of
Bill Nye and refusal to accept the impu-
tatjons as to the cause of the recent as
sault on the hume rist by indignant audit ;rs
at Paterson, N. J.
By strange coincidence this expression
vas used Ten years ago Nye was in
shocking bad health. and at one time there
were fears that he would be an invalid for
the rest of his life. His malady at that
time was nenir gifts: never since his two
years atfiiction with that insdious and de
structive disease has Nye been a robust
man."
In n1f to
Field has found time to perform much ex-
ira labor in the literary field, and has cs-
tatllsked reputation as powerful and
clever writer of stories and verse His las.
poem Of pretension was Dream Ships -
printed in an October magazine. He was
especially adept in the poems and stories
of child life, and his printed books now
number half dozen volumes He has also
made himself famous to the public as a
reader of his own stories and verses ray-
ing at different times appeared jointly W it'll
Edgar Wilson Nye and James Whitcomb
Riley.
Among his better known books are the
Denver Tribune Primer" 1852; Culture
Garland, 1857; Little Book of Western
Verse" 1889; Little Book of Profitable
Tales lss9; Second Book of Verse;" 1892
With Trumpet and Drum 1892; Echoes
from the Sabine Farm 1893.
Mr.. Field married Miss Julia Comstock
of st. Joseph, Mo-, October I6 1873 and
had seven children. In june. 1893. Knox
>oiitSC SOHleIItu upoH MI. flelt Inc non
orary degree of AM.
Shock to His Friends Here
The announcement of the sudden death
of Eugene Field proved great shock to
his friends here. Mr.. Field had visited
Washington often, and was known person
ally by large number of the public men
and newspaper writers of the national cap
tal, by whom he was not only admired for
his skill as a writer of prose and verse hut
highly esteemed for his genial social quail
tiles