The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-03-06

upon as one OF the large Contributors
to any enterprise that was to be I'M
dertaken for the advancement of pub
lie interests. He was one of the most
active and influential factors in bring
ing the Missouri Pacific railroad here,
he invested large sum of money in
the attempt to maintain the Carriage
Factory, he has been untiring in his
efforts to have our supply of natural
gas used in some such way as to bring
population and business to town, and
in short he has always given freely in
time and effort and money to any I'M
dertaking that promised to advance
the interests of lola.
Next to the town in general the
Presbyterian church was the NEST es-
pecial object of his interest and care.
In the beginning, when the church
was occupying a little room on the
corner where Mr.. PryOr's residence
now is, there was long time when
Mr.. Northrup personally did the jsni-
tor work and attended to all the little
"chores" that had to be done to keep
the building in order and have it
ready for the various meetings. And
for great many years, if not ever
since its organization, he has horne
one-fourth of the entire expense of
maintaining the church. He was a
teacher in the Sunday School for
nearly a full quarter of century, and
as long as his health permitted he
was a regular attendant upon all the
services of the church. While he
will ..,be missed everywhere, the
church of which he has so long been
the main stay and in which he has
been so faithful and efficient a worker
will feel the loss most keenly.
Although an unremitting and indie
fatiguable worker all his life Mr.. Nor
thrup has always enjoyed robust
health until about three years ago
when he suffered a severe attack of
the grippe. He was confined to his
house only few weeks with the NAL
ady, but he really never recovered
from it, and his family and friends
noticed with solicitude that he did
not regain his former strength and
that he seemed to be aging rapidly.
A bout the middle of last December he
was taken with what he first thought
was an attack of rheumatism. or neu-
ralgia, but which soon developed into
seftening of the brain, complicated
with enlargement of the heart and
with a general breaking down of the
vital forces. Every effort of human
skill was of course called into requisi-
ton to arrest the progress of the dis
ease, but to no avail except to delay
the final hour. And even this delay
was doubtless due more to the firm
will and the iron constitution of the
patient than to all the medicines.
Time and again he rallied and renew
ed his grasp on life when it had SEEM
ed as if death might any moment
claim it's own. During all these
weeks he has borne the most tOrtur-
ing pain with unfiinching fortitude
and courage, and while he hoped to
live, he was ready to die. At one
time he sent for his attorney and
when he came he said: "They say L
may not live but few hours longer.
1 think they are mistaken, but they
may be right, and in any event it is
best to have things in order. L am
not afraid to die. l am ready when
the hour comes" The hour came in
the early morning of last Tuesday.
All suffering had ceased several hours
before, and when "the last great
change appeared" it came so quietly
that the sorrowing and anxious
watchers gathered around the bed
were hardly aware of its coming.
! The condition of the Datient has