The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-14
DEATH OF Mr.. GEMMELL
He Passes Away This Morning
at $3.50 O'Clock.
Was Hopeful of Recovery Until
the Last Few Hours.
The Funeral Services Will be Held
Wednesday Afternoon From the
First Presbyterian Church
Sketch of a Busy, Up
! right Life.

Mr.. R. B. Gemmeu died at $3.50 this
morning after an illness of several
weeks. Mrs. Gemmen, his daughter
Lillian and son Robert of Salt Lake
City, and sisters Mrs. Aiken and Mrs.
Gill of Greensburg, Pa, were with him
at the time of his death.
Mr.. GemmeIrs death was expected for
the past ten days, although up to Sat-
urday evening the attending physicians
believed that there was a slight chance
for recovery. Several weeks ago he
was taken i'll with typhoid fever and
this disease ran it's usual course and
subsidized. Before the fever left, him,
however, hypostatic pneumonia set in,
and on Saturday gangrene of the lung
developed This gradually destroyed
the air passages and was the immediate
cause of his death this morning From
the commencement Mr. GemmelPs i'll
ness was complicated by heart trouble,
with which he had been a sufferer for
years.
Up to almost the very instant of his
death Mr. GemmelI was conscious It
was his great desire to live, and during
the last days of his illness he was far
more hopeful than his physicians and
family. This hOpefulneSS remained up
to a late hour yesterday, when he
seemed to realize for the first time that
his death was but question OF a few
hours.
By Mr.. Gemmell's death Topeka loses
one of her best and most respected cit
liens. He was one of the most widely
known men in the city, and was uniVer-
sally liked by those who knew him.
As superintendent of telegraph of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway,
he was known throughout the western
railway world and was regarded as one
of the most competent and thorough
railroad men in the west.
Like many of the railroad officials OF
the present day Mr.. GemmeH was
self made man. He was born April p,
1885, in Greensburg, Pa, and received
a common school education. In 1854
he entered railway service as telegraph
operator in the office of the Pennsyt-
vania railroad For three years he
in 1859 was made division operator of
the same road. This position he held
up to 1861, when he was promoted 70
the position of chief clerk to the super
intendent of the middle division OF the
same road and remained in this posi-
ton until 1853 when he was made train
master of the middle DIVISION with
headquarters at Harrisburg and AL
In 1856 he resigned the position of
trainmaster on the Pennsylvania rail-
road and removed to Kansas TO take
the position of chief clerk to the general
superintendent and superintendent OF
telegraph of the Kansas Pacific rail
way, afterward the eastern division OF
the Union Pacific. with headquarters
at Lawrence In 1869 he accepted the
place of general freight and tlcketagent
of the same road, and held that posi-
ton up to 1872, when he resigned and
retired from railway service.
From 1872 to 1874 Mr.. Gemmen de-
voted his a+tentiOn to stock raising and
farming hTt in the latter year, hav-
ing been offered the place of superin-
tendent of the Lawrence & Southwest
ern railway, he accepted and again en-
tered railway work This position ne
held for one year.
In 1875 Mr.. GemmeII first entered the
service of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe railroad as chief clerk in the general
freight agents Office in Topeka, and
removed from Lawrence to this city.
The position of chief clerk he filed up
to 1873, when he was appointed superin-
tendent Of telegraph Of the road. This