The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-08-21
MISS DODGE DEAD.
Recurrence of Attack of Paraly-
sis Seals Her Book of Life.


Had Not Been In Sound Health Tor
Some Time-Achievsd Fame In the
Literary World
venham, Mass. Aug. IS. = Gail
Hamilton" Mary Abigail Dodge. died
at Hamilton at $3.50 last evening. without
regaiping consciousness since she was
stricken Sunday morning. While sit
ting at breakfast Sunday morning Miss
Dodge was stricken with paraly sis. She
fell from her chair and was picked up in
an unconscious condition.
She had been in good health all sum-
mer, and until Sunday morning she was
seen out driving nearly every day ac-
companied by her sister, augusta. Ow-
ing to her wonderful constitution she
lived many hours longer than her physi-
clan thought possible. She passed
away without a struggle or a movement,
painless and unconscious.
So quietly, so gently came the end that
the fearful watchers who sat around the
bed hardly knew when the breath
ceased. From the hour on Sunday
UlOTulIlB Wullc 5iltlh5 d. tiS UTGdhldSt
table, when her right arm fell motion
less by her side and ner head dropped
on her bosom, to the moment of her
death, Miss Dodge never was conscious.
All day long she grew weaker and
weaker. When death came there were
present the nurse, Mrs. Richards, Au-
gusta, Miss Dodge's sister, Mr.. Bowen
and Louis w. Dodge, her nephew.
Miss Mary Abigail Dodge, writer,
biographer, controversialist, widely
known under the pen name of Gail
Hamilton, was a native of the town In
which she died, having been born here
in 1880. At the age of 10 years she went
to Dr. Clarks private school in Cam
bridge. She was graduated from Ip-
switch academy at the age of 20. In 1851
she went to Hartford as assistant in the
Hartford high school. She refused to
take the customary examination, but
was given the position without doing so.
She was also instructor in physical
science In this school for several years,
and was subsequently governess in the
family of DR.. Gamaliel Bailey of Wash
ington, the editor of The National Era,
to which paper she became a contribu-
tor. In 1861 she was one of the editors
of Our Young Folks, magazine for
children, published in Boston.
From 1870 until a little over q year ago
she had lived most of the time with her
cousin, Mrs. James G. Blaine, in WASH
ington. In course of this daily contact
with the Blaine family, Miss Hamilton
was led into a very close friendship with
Mr. Blaine, and at the death of the lat
ter she became his literary execution,
being in possession of all his papers and
documents, of value to her as his au-
thorized biographer. She was engaged
as frequently as her health would per-
NIT on Mr. Blaine's biography ever since
his death, until her sickness of last year,
and it is thought that her luntiring de-
yotion to the work was instrumental in
bringing about that prostration Since
that sickness, which came on so sud-
denly in the Blaine mansion in Wash
ington that it was thought at first she
was dead. many papers in the country
even published obituary notices of her
then, Miss Dodge has lived very quietly
at her old home in Hamilton.
Her strength had never rallied after
that sickness, SO that she felt able to re-
sumo active work and she was for weeks
unable to see even intimate friends, but
during much of the time she has been
able to be driven about the town and
to entertain the friends who have called
upon her. Her literary work during
this time has been fragmentary, done
by the help of an amanuensis, as a di-
version, or when some current event
has specially attracted her interest.
Gail Hamilton was frequent contrib
utor to prominent magazines, and her
published works, written in witty and
aggressive style, consist largely of selcc-
lions from her contributions. Her books
include: Country Living and Country
Thinking" Gala Days" New Atmos-
phere and Stumbling Blocks" "Skirm-
ishes and Sketches" Red Letter Days
in Applethorpe," and Summer Rest"
"Wool Gathering" ''Woman's Wrongs"
"A Counter Irritant," Battle of the
Rocks" ''Woman's Worth and Worth
mess" Little Folk Life" Child
World" Twelve Miles From a Lemon"
Nursery Mornings" Sermons for the
Clergy" and First Love is Best"
what Think Ye of Christi" Our Com
mon School System" Divine Guild
ance," Memorial to Allen W. Dodge"
and indispensable Book" In 1887 she
wrote a series of letters on civil service
reform for a New York paper. Letters
on a wide range of public questions
written for the Boston Journal were
widely copied throughout the United
States.
Miss Dodge's one novel, First Love is
Best" had not the success which at
tended some of her other works. During
recent years she engaged in political
writing and many famous review arti-
Giles and political interviews" have been
accredited to her which have reused
much warm discussion, and have
exerted more or less influence upon ma
tional politics.
Signs of Dull Times
FAN River, Mass, Aug. 1.-THE cur
tailment of the print cloth production
will be continued this week by such of