The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-20
OBITUARY.

OBITUARY.
| The Oldest detective in New York, Capt.
| Thomas W. Sampson, died from grip yes
| terday at the house of his daughter, Mrs.
James L. Phillips, 255 Rich Avenue. Mount
| Vernon, n. Y. Captain Sampson in 1852
\ was patrolman in the old Eighteenth
precinct. At that time he was twenty
seven years old. During the fifties, he
| received many medals for important a.
| rests and for bravery at fires.
In 1860, he resigned from the New York
| police force. to accept position with the
| New York Bankers Association at a sal
airy of s.. 900 a year. His duties were to
| take care of the interests of the men do
| ing business in Wall Street. While en-
gagged in this work he succeeded in run
| ming down many forgers and other GRIM
| inals.
Sampson finally went into the service
| of the United States Government. When
Lincoln was elected President and the day
| for his inauguration approached, grave
doubts were entertained as to whether the
| President-elect would ever reach WASH
| ington. Sampson saved the President s
! train from being attacked by mob in
Baltimore.
After the assassination of President Lin
coin, Detective Sampson was detailed to
run down the assassin. He commanded
several parties which made vain efforts
to capture the murderer.
After the war Sampson went to live on
staten lSidnu- w nile nNlnB IHere ne re-
ceived a medal for life saving and later
he received another medal for life saving
in New York City. He has received ten
medals from the United States Govern
ment.
In the eighties Sampson was a familiar
figure in Wall Street, where he was de-
tailed by the Government to duty at the
Sub-Treasury. OF late years his duties
He was seventy-six years old.
George Coppell senior partner of the
banking firm of Maitland, CoppeIl & Co,
President of the Wisconsin Central Rail-
road Company and a director in many
railroad and financial corporations. died
at his home in New York City this morn
ing He was fifty-four years old. He had
been in bad health for five months, and
an attack of pneumonia fastened the end.
Mr.. Coppell was a native of Liverpool.
England. He became connected in 1866
with the firm of Maitland. Phelps * Co.,
of which Royal Phelps was a member.
His firm did large South American bust
ness. In 1881 Mr.. Coppell became a mem
her of the firm which in 1896 assumed the
title of Maitland, Coppell & Co.
lie showed special ability in the finan-
cling of bankrupt companies. He helped
to reorganize the Denver and Rio Grande,
of which he was for years the active
financial head, as chairman IF the board;
the Norfolk and Western; the Wheeling
and Lake Erie. and the Wisconsin Cen
trail. Among the companies, nun be ring
about twenty of which he director,
is the Rapid Transit Subway Construction
Company.
Col. Alfred Fl. Belo, of Galveston, Tex,
died in Asheville. n. c.. yesterday. He
was President of the A. II. Belo Com
pany. publishers of the Galveston News
and the Dallas News two of the lead
ing papers of the Southwest. He was
born on May q. 1899, entered the Con-
federate service in 1861 captain of the
Forsythe Rifles, and served in the Army
of Northern Virginia under General Lee,
was wounded at Gettysburg and Cold
Harbor, and for his gallantry was made
a colonel
After the surrender of Lee he went to
Texas and was employed by Willard
Richardson, then proprietor of the Cal
weston News" as business manager He
soon acquired an interest in the paper.
The firm name was changed to A. II. Belo
& Co. In 1885, under the direction of Col
onel Belo, the Dallas News was estab-
lished in conjunction with the Galveston
News
Shortly after going to Texas, Colonel
Belo married Miss Jennette Ennis, daugh-
ter OF Col. Cornelius Ennis, of Houston.
Jacob r Decatur died yesterday at his
home 203 Smith Street, Peeksbill, n. Y,
in his seventy-sixth year. He leaves n
widow and one son. Jay r. Decatur. Mr.
Decatur was born in Red Hook, Duchess |
County, n. ]. He went to Peekskill in |
1899 and later went to New York. In 1871 |
he again settled in Pee<skill. and was !
in the shoe business with his son for |
twenty-one years, when he presented the |
business to his son. He had been Presi- |
dent of the Peekskill Board of Trade |
since June. 1897; President of the Peeks- !
kill Improvement Company and of the |
Peekskill and Buffalo Land Company. He !
was a member of the Board of Education, /
a trustee of the Second PRESBYTERIAN |
Church and its oldest male member, The |
funeral Will be held on Monday.
Oliver Taft, a welI-knOwn resident of |
Whitestone. l.. l., died at his home there
Yesterday, seventy-one years old He put |
up the first Government building a. VIII
lets Point He was appointed first lieu
tenant in the Fifteenth Infantry in 1866,
and served six years in the Regular Army !
He had held a number of official places
in the old town of Flushing. He leaves
"A son and daughter.
James s. Voorhees, died yesterday from
pne umonia at his home in Neck Road,
Gravesend, L. l., In his sixty-third year.
He had the first bath houses on Coney |
Island nut up in 1854 For many years |
his were the only baths on the beach. He |
retired with a large fortune in 1879 sell
ing out to the late Paul Bauer. In 1856 |
he married Miss Elizabeth Brooks. the
daughter of Nicholas Brooks Mt that time |
the sheriff of Schenectady County. He |
leaves one son, Charles s voorhees,.
Ebenezer Sharpe, manager of the New
York Life Insurance Companys business
night from paralysis. He was native of
where the body will be taken
for burial.