The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-07
Who Fell Ont with the Kaiser, Re-
signed and Was Succeeded by the
More Plastic Count Won Buelow.
MR. EDWARD PARKER DEACON
PRINCIPAL IN A SENSATIONAL
SHOOTING AFFAIR IN FRANCE.
Notorious Scandal Recalled-Congrcss-
man Stokes, Prof. LecOnte, Edu-
Gator, and others Dead.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

LAPORTE, Ind, July 6.-The death OF
Mortimer Nye, after an illness of less than
two days, has cast a pail upon the city,
for, though people may have differed from
him politically. he commanded the respect
and admiration of all who knew him for
his fairness, geniality, love of humor, pub
lie spirit and generosity. Death came
quietly, for he never regained conscious
ness after the paralysis set in, following
the stroke of apoplexy. which the physi-
clans ascribe to the heat and exhaustion
caused by delivering the Fourth of July
address at Union Mills. AT the bedside
when the end came. at $50 o'clock this
morning, were his wife, his son, Daniel NJ.
Nye; his daughter. Miss Laura Nye;. DIR. t.
j. Church, DR.. ]. L. Gray and the nurse.
kilograms OF coincidence and sympathy
have been pouring in on the bereaved fam
lily all day. among them being messages
from Governor Durbin. the officers of the
Masonic Grand Lodge of Indiana and other
prominent persons.
Every Improvement advocated for the
city of Laporte found an ardent supporter
III Mr.. Nye. His death leaves a vacancy
on the city Board of Education, of which
he was president, and in the presidency of
the Business Mems Club. The funeral
tuesday afternoon promises to be one of
the largest ever held in Laporte. 1t will
be Master Mason's funeral, with Knights
tempiars. Elks and knights of Pythias in
the escort. Prominent politicians, attor-
neys and Masons from all over the State
are expected TO attend.
The ancestors of Mortimer Nye, lieu
tenant governor of Indiana from 1892 TO 1885,
came over from France not long after the
Mayfiower landed the Pilgrims at Plymouth
Rock. The earliest representatives of his
family in this country lived for many years
at Sedgwick, Mass. and later some of their
descendants settled at Toland. Conn. From
this branch of the family sprang Silas Nye,
who was the first to leave the boundaries of
New England and seek a home in the West
tie settled in the Western Reserve, Ohio,
with MS FAMILY, about the beginning of the
last century. His son, Ira c. Nye, while in
the Reserve, married Elizabeth A Pardee
a woman worthy to be the wife of an en-
mer Nye was born on Nov. Il, 1888. in Me-
dina county, Ohio, and brought with his
fathers family to Laporte county, Indiana,
in 1910. Here the father not only engaged
in farming, but also established a tannery
Between these two Observation-Disclosures and
tanning-the boyhood of the deceased was
passed. All the months of the year were
employed in industry. except the short win
ter months devoted to attendance in the
common schools. He engaged in teaching
when he reached the age of tWenty-one
lie was thus able to secure more liberal ed
ucation in the seminary at Laporte. He
read law with the late Judge NJ. K. Far
rand, of Laporte, was admitted to practice
in 1862, and at once formed a partnership
with his preceptor, which continued until
1869. From that time until three years ago
he continued the practice alone, and
achieved local distinction at the bar. Since
forming a partnership with M. r. Suther-
land he had been the senior member of the
lrxx EY-xa, r.f o 1rI,
Indiana legal representative of many OF
the trunk lines crossing Laporte county.
and was the State attorney for the Knick-
erbocker Ice Company, of Chicago.
Since boyhoed he had taken an interest in
politics, and during all of his adult life had
been an active supporter or the Democratic
party. excepting during the time that his
party advanced the free-silver issue, when
he affiliated with the sound-money Demo-
Gratis. The earlier positions OF trust with
which he was honOred were directly in line
with his profession-frst city attorney,
then county attorney. In 1873 he was elect
ed mayor of Laporte and reelected in 1875,
serving continuously four years Again in
1883 he was nominated and elected mayor
and reelected in 1885. In 1884 he was
chosen one Of the electors on the ticket of
Cleveland and Hendricks. receiving a
and when the electors met he was appoint
ed and commissioned the messenger to car
ry the certificate TO Washington. When
the Legislature of 1885 provided by law for
Of the Supreme Court of the State TO assist
I'm clearing its docket of accumulated busi-
ness Mr. Nye was elected member of the
commission by the Legislature. An opinion
of the Supreme Court holding the act to be
unconstitutional, however, rendered the
commission nugatory. He was brought for
ward as a candidate for Governor in the
convention of 1892 and made a creditable
contest. Having failed Of securing the first
place on the ticket, he was unanimously
nominated for lieutenant governor and
elected with his ticket. Within the past
few months his name had been prominently
spoken of in connection with the Demo-
cratic nomination for Governor in 1904
Mr. Nye had long been affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity and was active in the
different branches OF the order. He had
not only filled the offices in the subordinate
lodge, but had received the highest honors
of the Grand Lodge, having passed through
successive promotions, filing the positions
OF grand junior and senior wardens and
finally that Of grand master. He was
Scottish Rite Mason of the thirty-second
Segree Elk and member of the
Knights of Pythias.
He married on April Is. 1871. Miss Laura
Meeker. OF Laporte. who, with one son.
Daniel NJ. Nye, and one daughter Miss
Laura Nye. both of Laporte, survives. Mrs.
Nye is a daughter of DR.. David Meeker,
one OF the pioneer citizens OF Laporte
county. and for many years a prominent
physician and noted surgeon. She is also
a cousin Of Ex-Governor Sprague, of Rhode
Island. and for one term she was grand
nlatron of the Order of the Eastern Star OF
Indiana.