The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-15
COL. THOMAS NELSON
VETERAN N DISTINGUISHED TER
RE HAUTE CITIZEN DEAD.
Heart Disease Given a. the Cause.-The
count OF h Ex-sinister's Ac-
tive and Useful Life.
Special to the Indianapolis journal.

at $50 o'clock. He had been under the
weather for a week or more, but yester-
day had improved to the extent that his
physician, DR.. jenkins. thought it would
not be necessary to cali to-day. At 8 O'Clock
this morning his condition SUDDENLY changed
for the worse and the physician was sent
Tor. From that time until his death he
was unconscious. The cause Of death given
by the doctors was tic doloreux "a form OF
neuralgia, called brow ague."O Local pa
pers say 1t was heart disease. Reports
seem to differ, implying mystery. Besides
the nurses who had been with him for
several days, Mrs. Coleman, OF yincennes,
was present. Mrs. Coleman had been visit
ing Colonel Nelson's daughter, Mrs. Ash
win, in Brooklyn, and expected to see him
at the depot yesterday on her way home,
but his absence caused her to leave the
train and go to his rooms, in the McKeen
Block, where she found him confined to
his bed.
A few weeks ago Mr.. Nelson, who was
seventy-one years old, was congratulating
himself on his good health and was inter-
ested in his candidacy for delegate to the
Republican national convention from this
district. He has been prominent in national
politics for a half century, but had never
been a delegate to a national CO invention.
In a recent talk with the Journal corre-
spondent Of this peculiar fact, he said that
Colonel Thompson, as a delegate at large,
and Mr.. McKeen as a district delegate, had
represented this part Of the State, but that
now when Mr.. McKeen is a candidate for
Senator and would not ask to go to st.
Louis he had decided to ask the convention
at Greencastle, which is to be held next
week, to send him to the st. Louis conven-
ton.
The death of Colonel Nelson has saddened
the older citizens, and to-day they are en-
gagged in retrospective conversations 1t is a
break in a circle of the more prominent old
residents such as has not occurred in sew
eral years. He was looked on as one of Terre
Haute,s big fve"-Colonel THOMPSON, Sen
ator Voorhees,, Mr.. w. r. McKeen and Col.
w. f. Mclean being the other four. All Of
these citizens have regulations extending
beyond the state. and though they did not
were active partisans. they Were. always
warm personal friends. Colonel Nelson and
Senator Voorhees, had been pitted in politi-
cal debates in this part of the State since
1860. when they were the candidates for
Congress, and engaged in a joint debate
over the district which left many stories to
be retold to the present generation. They
were always a~ssailing each others position
on public questions, and often engaged in
goOd-natured personal badinage, but the
friendship continued through all.
1t has been arranged to hold the funeral
services at the Congregations Church, on
Monday afternoon. at 2 o'clock.
LONG AND USEFUL CAREER.
Thomas Henry Nelson was born in Mason
county, kentucky, in September, 1924. He
was the son of DR.. Thomas W.. and Frances
(Doniphan), Nelson. One Of his brothers was
Major General William Nelson, whose name
is interviewer with the battle of Shiloh,
where ne led the advance Of Buells army
on the evening of the first days fight. Gen.
Nelson was killed in the Gait House, Louis
Vile, by Gen. jeff c. Davis, Of this State.
in a quarrel growing out of a question of
military obedience. Another brother was Col.
A. d. Nelson, a distinguished officer of the
regular army. Hon. Thomas Nelson came
to Indiana in early life and located first
in Rockville. where he was en-
of his profession. He studied law
then in the office of Joseph A Wright. AN
other law student in the office was George
Wright. a brother of Joseph A. who after
bench of Iowa and one term In the United
States Senate. In 1857 Mr.. Nelson removed
to Terre Haute. Since then he has been ac-
tive.y engaged in law, literature, politics
He was one of the founders of the Re-
publican party. In 1860 he accepted a nomi-
nation for Congress in a Democratic dis
trict, with Mr.. Voorhees, as his competitor.
Though leading in that particular case a
lOI llOPCs liz aSoAolto Ia tAt 60AAt al oa&-
cess of the cause. The day OF his defeat
for Congress was the day of the election of
Lincoln, and soon after his inauguration
the President appointed Mr.. Nelson, on his
own personal knowledge and friendship, as
minister to Chile, which position he filled
from 1851 to 1866. United States citizens had
large claims against that republic, matters
of some difficulty for diplomats even in
times of prosperous peace, and the then
new minister realized that, although the
Nation was convulsed with civil war. yet
there should be no compromise of it's rights.
He speedily secured the settlement Of every
question and the payment of the claims,
and at the same time so won the good
will and friendship of Chile that President
Lincoln said the government and people of
Chile were among the stanchest and truest
friends of the United States. During Mr..
Nelson's diplomatic residence at Santiago
occurred the war between Spain and Chill.
chiefly attributed the generous SYM
pathy extended so universally by
other governments to Chile in the contest.
GREAT CATHEDRAL FIRE.
1t was during his stay in Chile that he wit
messed the burning on Dec. s. 1863, of the
Church of Campania, in Santiago, in which
four thousand persons persisted. With char
acteristic American impulse he rendered val
liable aid on that occasion, and his cool
Judgment and prompt action excited favor
able comment.
In 1866 he returned to his home and re-
sumed the practice of law. but the country
was on the threshold Of reconstruction days,
and he entered into the discussion of the
adoption of the fourteenth amendment to
the Constitution. He addressed great audi
ences from Kentucky to Kansas. In 1868 he
headed the electoral ticket of this State and
canvassed the State thoroughly. He carried
the electoral vote of Indiana to Washington.
He was appointed minister TO Mexico by
President Grant in March. 1869. His nomina-
ton was unanimously confirmed by the Sem
ate. In the adjustment of the affairs of this
government with Mexico he rendered ex-
cellent service. In 1873 he resigned. but the
resignation was not accepted for several
months after IL was rendered. During his
residence in Chile and Mexico he was presi-
dent of the diplomatic corps in those coun-
tries.
Early in 1874 he was again practicing law
in Terre Haute. For the next ten years he
was frequently in Washington on business
before the departments or Congress. In 1876
he again headed the electoral ticket. and
again in 1880 and 1883. and each time he can
vassed the entire State. His manner in adj
dressing an audience was graceful. He had
the art of enlisting the sympathy of his
audience. He was famed for. his diction and
pronunciation and the meditation of his
voice. In Terre Haute he was an accepted
authority on all questions Of the use OF the
English language.
Mrs. Nelson died in Mexico, March q, 1872.
She was the daughter of Col. Marshall Key,
a political leader and awyer Of Mason coun-
ty, Kentucky. But two children survive Col.
Nelson-Marshall K. Nelson. who lives on a