Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-02-16
CONGRESSMAN IS KILLED.
Tragic End to the Life of G. A. Chick
cring, Member of House from
New York.

New York, Feb. IA. - Congressman
Charles A. Chickering, of Copenhagen,
N. Y, was found dead outside the
Grand Union hotel in this city. He
had either fallen or jumped from a
fourth-story window of the hotel.
The body of Mr.. Chickering was
found on the sidewalk of the Forty
first street side of the hotel, under the
open window of his room, which was
on the fourth floor, by milllman who
was driving through the street at five
a. m. Evidently it had been lying
there for some time, as the clothing
was saturated with rain. 1t was
clothed in underwear. socks, night
shirt. trousers and vest. There was
a bad cash in the right side of the
head.
Mr.. Chickering had been in the hotel
all day Monday. He had complained
considerably of rheumatism. but moth
ing irrational in his actions had been
observed by those at the hotel.
A dispatch to the press from Albany
says that Mr.. Chickering's friends
there have been aware that for some
time he was afflicted with melancholia.
following a severe attack of typhoid
fever
The speculation about the manner
of death led to the conjecture that the
man may have been seized by fit of
temporary insanity from the pain of
The rheumatism and have jumped out
of the window in the night, or that
he had been a somnambulist and
had walked out of the window and
clambered over the fire escape. The
body will be taken to Copenhagen for
burial.
Washington, Feb. 14.-Memhers of
! congress were shocked at the news of
Representative Chickering's violent
death in New York city. The news
was kept from Mrs. Chickering for
fear the shock would prove too great,
and she was informed that her hus-
band was dangerously i'll at New
York. Arrangements were made for
| her to leave for New York at noon.
Mr.. Chickering was one of the we'll
known and universally esteemed men
in the house, although long illness
had kept him away from his associates
during the present session. He was
last seen here when the vote on the
financial bill was taken. He insisted
on coming on crutches in order to
/ record his vote for the bill
| The members of the New York dele
cation held meeting as soon as they
were appraised of Representative Chick
ering's death and appropriate resolu-
tons were drafted for presentation to
| the house. The dead members desk
| was draped and wreathed in flowers
when the house met at noon. The
blind chaplain in his invocation re-
ferred feelingly to the loss the house
/ had suffered.
| The resolutions prepared by the New
York delegation were then adopted
and the following committee was ap-
pointed to attend the funeral:
Messrs. Sherman IN. W, Babcock
wis.,, Cummings N: YD. Littauer
/ a. =, De Graffenreid CTex.). David.
son (NNis.), Gillett IN. W, Alexande,
| IN. W and Otey (Va.).
Then at 1925 p. M, as further
mark of respect, the house adjourned
Charles A. Chickering was horn al Har.
| risburg, Lewis county NJ Y, on Novenl-
Der 26, 1s4S. He was educated in the COM
| mon schools and at the Louisville acad-
envy, at which institution he was for a
| time teacher. He was school commits
sioner of Lewis county from 1865 to 1873
member OF the assembly in 1879, 1880 ant
1881. He vas elected clerk of the assem-
bly, in iSe5 and reelected in the years from
and including 1885 to 1890. He has beef
chairman of the republican county com
mittee OF Lewis county. secretary of thu
republican state committee, and also
member Of he executive committee of tina
body. He was elected to the Fifty-thirt
congress and reelected three times