Connecticut western news., 1899-05-18

in New York city was quickly notified Mrs. Flower and the former governor's nephew, Frederick s. Flower, accom- panied by pr. Thomas H. Allen, MT. Flowers physician, left at once on a special train for Passport. When they arrived there, MT. Flower had some what recovered, but at night the attack of heart failure was marked, and Mir. Flower became unconscious an hour or more before his death.
 Roswell Pettibone Flower, teacher seller of watches, politician, statesman fnancier, philanthropist, was born in Theresa, Jefferson county, N. Y., Aug. q 1885, the sixth of nine children. His father died when he was years old and the boy helped his mother to run the wool carding and cloth making business in the summer season and went to school in winter until he had obtained a good education.
 Then he became a teacher, and after two years of this he took a position as clerk. He was IS years old when he found himself a clerk in a general mer- ohandise store in Watertown, and the postmaster made him his deputy at @ salary of $50 a month. He was deputy postmaster for six years.
 In that time he had saved q 900, and then he bought out the postmaster's in- terest in a jewelry business turned in and learned the trade at the bench and joined labor union. He bought out his partner and sold watches and repaired the trinkets of Watertown until 1869.
 Meantime he married Miss Sarah M Woodruff, a daughter of Morris M Woodruff.
 k.l taa Hr Flowers sister, was president of the New York Central railroad. He was rich, and he knew he was going to die soon. He sent for MT. Flower to come 70 New York to take care of the money that he had gathered. He had great confidence in the country merchant. and when he died MT. Flower took charge o1 his estate and so managed 1t that il quadrupled in value. Then he became prominent as a financier and organized the banking and brokerage firm of Ben edfct, Flower & Co.,, afterward R. F Flower & Co.,, and, since 1890, Flower & Co.
 In 1877 he was chairman of the Demo- cratic state executive committee. He had been chairman of his county Dem ocratic committee in the early seventies when Samuel J. Tilden made tour oi the state.
 In 1881 MT. Flower defeated William Waldorf Astor for congress. Ten years later he was elected governor of this state. He had declined a nomination for lieutenant governor at a previous con- vention.
 In 1892 he was a possible candidate before the national convention, and in 1896 Flower bolted the Chicago conven- tion, with its free silver plank, and was prominent in the organization of the In- dianapolis convention and the nomina. ton of Palmer and Buckner on the gold Democratic ticket.
 For many years he and Mrs. Flower set aside one-tenth of their income for benevolence. He built St. Thomas House, an establishment for worh among the poor in this city. and he erected the Presbyterian church in Theresa, N. T., as a memorial to his parents.t
 In 1890 the Flower hospital was open. ed in this city as memorial to his dead son, Henry Keep Flower. The Flowers had only three children, and a daugh- ter, Helen. also died. The only sur. viving child Is Emma G., who is the wife of John B. Taylor of watertown.
 II wa dS d lGadGl ol W ult SNItcl lDht ex-Governor Flower was best known though his prominence in politics at one time seemed to preclude his attaining any further pre-eminence in different line.
 Chicago Gas was his first big deal Then came Rock Island, International Paper, Brooklyn Rapid Transit, Federal Steel, but the biggest operation of all with which his name has been connect ed is Brooklyn Rapid Transit.
 Of all the millionaires that Wall street has known MT. Flower has been the most genial, the most approachable, the one with the most warm personal friends. He was short and stout and jolly. He told funny stories and en- joyed hearing them.
 His word was never broken. He was never suspected of being tricky, even in Wall street, where "wizards" abound.