Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-08-20

hamilton, Mass, aug. 1S.-ADlSdll
Dodge, better known as Gail Hamil-
ton, died last night. The dis
tinguished writer has been i'll here for
some time but no serious results were
feared until Sunday morning when she
sustained a stroke of paralysis at the
breakfast table. She fell from her
chair and was picked up unconscious
and remained so ever since. The seri-
Gus turn of her illness was not made
public until yesterday morning, when
DR.. Thayer of Salem was hastily sum-
moned.
Abigail Dodge has had life Of con-
slant work and worry. She was born
in Hamilton, Mass, in 1880. AS far
back as 1851, when she was but Fl
years of age, she was instructor in the
high school in Hartford, Conn, near
her native home. This lasted several
years. Then she went to Washington
as governess in the family of DR..
Gamaliel Bailey, and Dr. Bailey being
an editor, it was the most natural
thing in the world that this intellect
and she did. The paper was called
The National Era, and it contained her
earliest contributions. From that day
to this she has written for the period
ical or permanent publications. In
1866 she went to Boston and became
one of the editors of Our Young Folks,
a children's magazine.
Miss DOdges name was Mary
Abigail. She took for a pen the last
syllable of Abigail and with the name
of her birth place formed the pseudo
nym Gail Hamilton" by which she is
better known. Her published works
consist principally of collections of her
fugitive writings.
In 1862 Country Living and Country
Thinking appeared, and then from
time to time in rapid succession came
Gala Days, A New Atmosphere and
Stumbling Blocks, Skirmlshes and
Sketches, Red Letter Days III Apple
thorpe and Summer RS, wool Gather
ing, Woman's Wrongs Counterir-
ritant, Battle of the Books, Woman's
Worth and Worthlessness, Littlefolk
Life, Child World, Twelve Miles from
Alemon, Nursery Mornings, Sermons
to the Clergy and First Loves Best,
What Think Ye of Christ, Our Com
mon School System, Divine Guidance
"a Memorial of Allen w. Dodge, and
The Insuppressible Book.
These books were all written from
1862 to 1885. After the last book was
printed she began to write some for
the daily papers.
During the war Miss Dodge won
fame by her championship of the case
OF midshipman in the navy whS~had
been accused of mutiny and sedition
and hanged to a vard-arm. Tho lod
was nephew of member of the cab
met and family influence was set at
work to convince Miss Dodge that the
boy was innocent. She made an in
Vestigation of the charges and sue
ceeded in convincing a great many
people that the midshipman had Or
gained sort of secret society simply
for fun and not with any seditious in
tent Her interest in the case came
wv A1IC W NC VI any Sci VICE W Tie DC
Cused sailor
In 1877 she wrote for the New York
Tribune a series of vigorous letters on
civil service reform. For several years
past, despite great physical suffering,
she has been preparing a series of pa
pers on Literary Remains of James G.
Blaine, Mr.. Blaine being a cousin Of
hers. Years ago, before Mr.. Blaines
literary reputation was as firmly es-
tablished as it was before his death,
there was a popular belief that Miss
Dodge wrote his speeches and reviews
for him. AS late as 1881, when
Blaine was in the Garfield cabinet, he
was suspected of having Miss Dodge as
his assistant in the preparation of dip
lomatic dispatches. This belief is not
now entertained by any one who was
familiar with Mr.. Blaine and his meth
DDS of work.
Recently Miss Dodge has done mucn
work in trying to bring about the re-
lease of Mrs. Maybrick, who was con-
victed in England of poisoning her
husband.