The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-10
MRS. CHRISTIAN GONE.
Dies Today After Remaining
Unconscious Several Hours.

Mrs Eliza Chrisrnan died at her rooms |
in the Copeland hotel shortly after II |
o'clock this morning. She had been I'M
conscious for several hours before her
death.
Mrs. Chrisman had been confined to
her bed since the day of the fire at her
handsome residence on Harrison street.
About a year ago she was seriously i'll
for several weeks, and since that time
had been in falling health. The shock
attending the fire Frustrated her, and
her condition rapidly grew worse.
Mrs. Chrisman was over so years of
age. For 40 years she had been a wild
ow, and for the last 80 years of this
| time resided in Topeka. She was one of
/ the wealthiest and one of the most phil
| anthropic women in the sts4e
Mrs. Chrisman was the daughter of a
/ Virginia Shareholder. one of the few
southerners who looked upon slavery as
/ a great wrong to the negro race and
gave his slaves freedom several years
before the civil war. His daughter in
herited his characteristics. and during
| practically all her life worked to edu-
| cate and cultivate the negro race
When Mrs. Chrisman came to Topeka
| ~ years ago she was worth conSidera-
/ ply over half million dollars. Today
| her estate IS estimated to be worth but
| $15O,0O0- The difference she gave away,
| the greater portion of it in the interest
of the colored race.
|
ent circumstances by her father. Her
husband was a wealthy cattle man of
Ohio, and when he died left his widow
handsome fortune. Mrs. Chrisman had
no children and during the
many years of her residence in
| Topeka her only companions were
colored servants, the children of slaves
| owned by her father
Probably the most notable of Mrs
! ChrlSmanS gifts in the interest of the
colored race was the erection Of Chris
man hall" as an annex to the colored
| university at Atlanta Ca Besides
building the hall the books of the uni
versity show that she was a substan-
tial friend of the institution from time
to time. Other educational institu-
tions in the south, especially for the col
ored race, have known her generosity.
The industrial school idea in the ed
ucation of colOred youth received par
ticular attention from Mrs. Chrisman.
To the colored industrial school in the
city she gave over Sc, 900, besides help
ing individually the children in attend
ance
few years ago Mrs. Chrisman built
a handsome church at her old home in
London, Ohio. It was named Chris
man chapel and in the burying ground
in connection with this church it was
Mrs. ChriSman'S desire that she should
be buried. Her wishes in this respect
| will be carried out
1t was one of Mrs. Chrisman's pecu-
liarities to keep track of the descend
|
prior to the war. All were assisted in
a financial way by her Fred Pernell,
the colored plumber of this city, was
, | q descendant of one Of the slave fam
lilies, and several years ago Mrs. Chris
man decided him one of the store build
ings on Kansas avenue now occupied
by the Topeka Cash Dry Goods com
, pany.
2 What Mrs. Chrisman did for the col
t ored race was actuated by a sense of
: duty. ''The white race is responsible
for the negroes coming to this coun-
2 try, and they are in a sense our
1 charges she once said. "They were
t captured in their own country as wild
animals would be captured, and brought
t here to be sold in bondage, with no
more consideration shown them than if
l they were but cattle instead of human
beings made in the image and likeness
of God. Whatever misfortune the
p negroes have brought upon the white
race in this country I hold to be but a
: just retribution, although of course at
e the present day the innocent are suffer-
e ing for the sins of the guilty. The one
q thing we can do is to labor for their
= elevation and education, so that they
( may become worthy citizens of our
t country, and in doing this we will be
e doing only what is just
Less than a year ago Mrs. ChriSman
made a new will, in which she named
DR.. A. S. Embree administrator of her
estate, at the same time giving him
the power of an attorney to handle her
s this will she arranged for the endow-
ment of a Methodist university after
her death, and named DR.. Embree as
: dean. She specified that he should re-
e ceive a salary of 81. 500 per year as long
5 as he lived.
= This will still stands and will be pro-
Y bated in a few days. In accordance
d with her wishes her property will be
; turned into money and a Methodist uni
n versity established, presumably in To-
I peka-
y Mrs. Chrisman's only relatives in To-
= pe1a are Mrs. Armin Fassler and Mr.
IS John Norton. Both are second cousins
: Mr. Willis Norton, who died severa
e years ago, was also a second cousin.
. Besides the handsome residence prop.
= erty on Harrison street, Mrs ChrismaT
+ owned the store building occupied by
( Flad & Grubbs, the Wheeler residence
e and property on West Tenth street.
number of lots in the vicinity of Tentl
and Buchanan streets, 100 acres of LAND
outside of North Topeka, a. large. farm
of 1000 acres in Ohio and two sinai
L farms in the same state.
the funeral arrangements, which will b.
the funeral arrangements, which will b.
r held Wednesday afternoon at 2:30
: at the First Methodist church. The re
! | mains will be taken to London. Ohio