The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-15
DIED WHILE AT CHURCH
J. NJ. TILFORD EXPIRES AT RELIC
IpUS sEitVICEs IN IRVINGTON.
An Owner of the journal During the
War-Attended First Session of
Hanover College.


accustomed place near the pulpit. was
stricken with heart failure, and in a few
moments breathed his last.
1t was the day of the children's service
and all the church was gay with happy lit
tie faces and fragrant flowers. Mr.. Tilford,
eighty-six years of age, although the
morning was damp and rainy, had walked
from his home to the church, distance of
four blocks, and had taken his seat near
the pulpit. The offertory had been sung by
the children's choir and the pastor and con-
gregation had read the scriptural responses,
in which Mr.. Tilford joined, his dim eyes
following the lines. At the close of the
reading, his head fell back on the pew.
Friends sitting near by FASTENED to him
and carried him into the lecture room, and
DIR. A N. Towles was summoned. But be-
fore the physician could arrive Mr.. Tilford
had peacefully passed away, without a
sound or a gasp. The physician and friends
worked with the body for half an hour,
but all efforts to bring back any sign of
life were vain. His grandson-in-law, Pro-
fessor Omar Wilson, of Butler College, with
whom Mr.. Tilford made his home, was at
the side of the dying man as soon as word
could be sent to him. Mrs. Wilson, Mr.
TilfOrd'S granddaughter was told that her
grandfather had been seized with heart
failure and did not expect the worst, and
was almost Frustrated upon learning that
Mr.. Tilford was dead.
The body was taken into the residence of
Mr.. Rollin Kautz, where it remained until
1t was removed to the home of Professor
and Mrs. Wilson, in the afternoon.
Mr.. Tilford had been feeling unusually
we'll during the last few days and had
taken several long walks around town. He
was at the poStoffice the day before yes
terday and spoke of his good health, but
said that he was a sufferer from heart fall
ure or 'fainting SPELLS as he termed
them. He said he expected to pass away
in one of them some of these days" Not
long ago, when speaking to his grand
daughter of dying, he said If he could have
church.
Services were continued in the Downey-
avenue Church yesterday morning. The
pastor did not anticipate the death Of Mr..
Tilford and considered the attack only as
a passing illness. After the sermon the audi
ence was deeply moved at the announce
ment of the aged mans death.
DR.. A. r. Benton, who has been close
friend of Mr.. Tilford for years, could hard
communion service. He said: Brother
Tflford is dead. Here in the presence of
God in the house of the Lord and in the
presence of Christ, he passed away. To be
of God is the purpose with which our aged
brother came here. this morning. 1t was a
beautiful death-a beautiful way to die He
is now with Christ in a better sense than
we can be with Him. Let us in reverence
for the sad event have sympathy with
Christ and give thanks for the cup" The
pastor also spoke feelingly in reference to
Mr.. Tilford's sudden demise. The sad
event cast gloom over the whole congre-
children began the service were turned into
solemn anthems. AS the service closed the
congregation filed out in silence.
EARLY STUDENT AT HANOVER.
Joseph M. Tilford was born in Scott coun-
ty, Kentucky. Feb. IT, 1911. His grandfath-
er, William Telford, was born in Dublin,
Ireland, in 1749. The difference in spelling
the name occurred in recording the birth
OF his fathers family. His grandfather
lived in Virginia at the outbreak of the rev.
olution and served under General Wash
ington. Joseph M. Tilford's father came to
Indiana in 1916 and located in Jefferson
county, ten miles west of Madison. Joseph
was five years of age at that time.
He attended the common schools and in
1927 was sent to Hanover College. That
was the opening session Of that institution,
under Rev. Mr.. Crow, as president. Mr..
Tilford'S fellow-studentS were Noble But
Ter, Daniel Smock and Samuel and James
Latimore. After year at college he served
three years as an apprentice in the cabinet
making business, and in 1892 entered the
cabinet business in Madison, Ind, where he
remained until the fall of 1850, when he re-
moved to Hanover, Ind, and later, in 1858,
to indianapolis.
In 1854 in connection with Ovid Butler and
]. NJ Mathes, he purchased the Indianapolis
Daily and Weekly Journal. of John d.
Defress, for the sum of $4,000. The news
paper was known as the Indianapolis Jour-
nal Company, into which was merged the
Free Democrat. Mr.. Tilford became presi-
dent of the association i'll 1856 and retained
his position until the sale of the Journal
to Col. w. r. Holloway, in 1854, for $4,000,
not including the real estate, which was
valued at an equal sum. He was then in
the Indianapolis publishing house. Later
he was in the firm of T4lford & Carton,
hnrf1T SF4cr
occupied by Carbon & Hollenbeck.
Mr.. Tiford removed to Irvington from
Indianapolis in 1913 and lived there until
1876, when he returned to Indianapolis. He
came to Irvington with Prof. and Mrs. Will
son, in 1890, since which time he has lived
there continuously. A few years ago he
was injured by being struck by mail
pouch thrown from passing train.
In 1888 Mr.. Tilford married Miss Mary
Maxwell. Tl.(re were nine children from
this union john f.. Samuel E., Eliza E..
Emma j. Jul L V, and Alice T. He had
two sons and three sons-in-law in the
Union army. John H. Tilford was sur
geon in the Seventy-ninth Indiana for four
years Samuel Z. Tilford enlisted in the
Eleventh Indiana for three months and was
in the Twenty-sixth Indiana for twenty-five
months and in the One-hundred-an d-thirty-
second Indiana for 100 days. All of his chill
dren are living. John H. lives in Window,
Mimi. Samuel E. lives in indianapolis;
Mo-; Mrs. Julia V. Avery and Mrs. Alice
Garvey live in Indianapolis.
EDITORIAL "REMINISCENCES.
Mr.. Tilford delighted to talk of the time
when he was president of the Journal Com
pany. He told many incidents concerning
Berry Sulgrove, who was the chief editorial
writer for the Journal under Mr.. Tilford.
A few days ago. in talking with a Journal
reporter. he said: I'm my belief the Journal
was the first newspaper in Indianapolis to
report speeches and lectures verbatim on
the morning after they were given. And it
wasn't done by shorthand either. Berry
Sulgrove was the man who did it He had
the most wonderful memory of any man I
ever knew. He would go to a lecture sit
with his eyes half shut and chew his to-
bacco and spit and would not seem to pay
any attention to what the lecturer was say
ing. But the neXt morning the speech
would come out as a whole in the Journal,
and the lecturers would come around to the
office and say they were never reported
more accurately in their lives. Berry said
he could reproduce any speech that he
heard for three days after it was given,
but after that time he could not remember
a word of it,
Another story he told of Berry Sulgrove
was of war times. Horace Greeley" said
Mr. Tilford, had come out in the New
York Tribune in strong editorial to the