The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-18

NEW YORK, Oct. 17.-Charles A.
Dana, editor of the New York Sun. died
at his home in Glen Cove, L. l., at 1:2o
O'Clock this afternoon.
Mr.. Danas death had been expected
for several hours and his family and
physicians were at his bedside when
the end came. His condition had been
such for several months that the mem
bers of his family had kept themselves
side at any moment On Saturday
morning he had a relapse, and 1T was
apparent that recovery was impossible.
Several times, however, he rallied, but
toward night began to sink. During
the night there were feeble rallies, but
they did not last long. This morning
it was seen that the end was but a
few hours off and his attendants re-
mained almost constantly at his bed
side. The end came quietly.
The extreme heat Of Saturday and
Friday had much to do with fastening
death On Friday Mr.. Dana showed
signs Of distress and everything pos
sible was done to relieve him.
He had been weakened by his long
illness, and during the summer was
several times thought to be on the
verge Of a fatal collapse, but each time
rallied He did not improve much with
the coming cool weather. and the sink
ing spells became more frequent.
On Friday Mr.. Dana was able to take
only the lightest nourishment, and this
condition continued. Paul Dana and
his sisters, Mrs. Draper, Mrs. Under
hill and Mrs. Branan, were at his home
on Saturday morning and were warned
to remain there. They were at the
bedside when death came.
The cause of Mr.. Dana's death was
cirrhosis of the liver. OnJune he was
at his office apparently strong and
healthy The next day he was taken
Ill and he never afterward visited New
York. He was seventy-eight years Old
Preparations for the burial have not
yet been completed.
TOLD OF EDITOR DANA.
Nobody, looking at Mr.. Dana any
time in the ten years since he passed
the Biblical three score and ten, could
associate him with the thought OF
death. Though the cartoonists always
for some reason drew him little, he was
hi toll nOhlQ
square shoulders and long, straight
legs. His town house is in Madison
avenue and a good two miles above his
office, but almost any night at the last
decade he has done the distance of
evenings on foot.
There was no finer sight in the me-
tropolis for many years than this fine,
statuesques figure, leaving the shabby
old Sun building and starting home
ward. At o'clock in the evening Park
Row is a raging torrent of humanity,
and he who walks therein must elbow
his own way. Mr.. Dana used to come
to the door alone, stand for moment,
like a diver hesitating before his
plunge, then, buttoning his coat and
taking a new grip on his stick-in he
went and presently his white beard
was seen floating on the current here
and there till, presently, beard and
owner came ashore on the other side.
Then, at four-mile stride, the old
editor started across the city hall park,
shoulders we'll back, form swinging
steadily and the sturdy legs cleaving
their way. If you were close enough
you might have heard the whistl1ng
aria of a new opera, or line from the
Divine Comedy, uttered in fine mellow
tones-for all the world as if the walk
er were healthy youth of twenty.
Of recent years you may have no.
ticed that there has been less in the
Suns editorial page about the youths
of seventy" less about the glory of
living to ninety or 100 years. Dana
lately said less and thought more Of
death than formerly.
For some years it was Mr.. Dana's
practice to eat his luncheon in the Sun
building, in the office of Mr.. Laffan,
the publisher, and the editors closest
associate, If we except Paul Dana, who
had the good fortune to have been
brought up as his illustrious fathers
intimate friend and pal" These
luncheons, however, were rigidly eX-
elusive. A waiter brought in from a
neighboring restaurant a brace of
chops and a bottle Of claret, and over
this simple fare the two men spent an
hour, of give and take at-the Lord
knows what conversation. Laffan is a
wire-edged North of Ireland man,
though educated at Black Rock and in
France 1t is said that he owed his in
innate association with Mr.. Dana to
the fact that he talked Chinese inscrip-
tions, pottery, Paul Veriaine, or almost
anything else as well as Dana. Both
men, like the late M. Theirs, had the
''foible of omniscience" and of that
boundless store of recondite and use
less information which marks the deep
ly learned, each had his share. Laffan
came to the Sun as art and theatrical
critic, having failed in Baltimore pub
fishing a penny paper. He advanced
speedily from that somewhat ornamen-
| tai position to be business manager or
publisher and so near to the editor that
| nobody on the Sun ever cared to try
issues with him for priority. It is only
an occasional genius that can do busi-
ness and pottery, too, but Laffan is Of
! that sort, and everybody attributes his
success in the Sun Office to that versa
| tality.
| A few years ago when the Sun and
the World were at each other hammer
| and tongs, the World used to declare
every day or so that this man Laffan''
had hypnotized Dana and would come
into the Sun as owner when the editor
died AS for the "hypnotism,'I think
| NV explanation is truer. The success