Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-13
ALTGELD, OF ILLINOIS,
DIES FROM APOPLEXY
Former Governor Was
Stricken Tuesday Night
i'm the Joliet
Theatre.

JOLIET, Ill. March l2.-Former Cover.
nor John P Altgeld. died in room 50. Hotel
Munroe, this morning at 700 o'clock. He
had been unconscious since midnight.
Mr.. Altgeld was the principal speaker
at a pro-Boer mass meeting last night
I III the Joliet theater.
Just at the close of his speech, a sudden
| dizziness seized him and he was assisted
| from the stage. The meeting proceeded,
the audience not realizing what had hap
I pened. Mr.. Altgeld was taken to the door
of the theater where several vomiting
{ speels seized him.
It continued for nearly an hour and was
so pronounced he could not be removed
| to the hotel. Physicians were hastily
summoned and Mr.. Altgeld was carried TO
| the hotel across the street. He retained
consciousness and urged the newspaper
men to keep the affair quiet for fear of
alarming his wife. Shortly before mid
night he became unconscious.
He remained in this condition until
death
| At 3:n this morning it was thought ne
/ had died. but he revived and from that
time until shortly before death showed
wonderful vitality, although he made no
move.
The medical men here had a banquet
( last night at which DR.. ]. b. Herrick,ol
| the Rush Medical college delivered a lee
ture. Physicians were called from the
banquet to attend the patient. They re-
manned with him the balance of the night
] The cause Of death is given as cerebral
! hemorrhage, there having been an apople-
| tic seizure of the brain.
The vomiting at first was taken to indi-
! cate ptomaine poisoning, but it was de-
termined that this was due to different
J manifestations of the brain trouble The
f, physicians desire to hold a post norton
examination. if the relatives will agree
Mr.. Altgeld came to Joliet yesterday at
! ternoon, having been widely advertised as
I the principal orator for the big VIII coun-
/ ty pro-Boer meeting. He complained OF
not feeling well, having been troubled
with some apparently simple stomach
I ailment.
He was not willing to allow that to in
/ terfere with his speech, however, his
/ great interest in the South African strug-
| gle having been heightened by the an
| nouncement of the Boer successes Of day
I or so ago. 1t was noted during the address
| that the ex-governor threw an unusual
amount of energy and feeling into his
words, and the collapse, the physicians
| think, resulted from overstraining his al
ready weakened physical powers.
| Ever since the failure of the Globe Saw
ings bank in 1885, in which he was involv-
ed, Mr.. Altgeld has not been well man,
| and for months after the Spaiding crash
I It was feared that his life was only
I question Of a short time. When serving
his last year as governor his health was
none of the best.
| When it was learned that he was VIC
tim of locomotor ataxia his friends gave
| him up. But he rallied, although he was
! never again his old vigorous self
Lately, however the disease marked
him strongly, and quite recently his APP
pearance caused grave forebodings and
anxiety. His mind was just as clear and
active as Of old, but though the spirit
was willing, the flesh was weak.
Clarence Darrow, lifelong friend and a
/ law partner Of the former governor,
reached here this morning.
/ 1t is said that the governor died as he
had lived, pleading for the cause Of the
lowly.
Mr.. Altgeld. in the speech which was
/ fated to be his last, declared that all
| friends of humanity owed a debt of graft
! tude to Governor Yates for issuing proc
lamation soliciting assistance for the Boer
women and children in the concentration
camps which the British are maintaining
in South Africa.
The speaker said that the people of
America had raised large sum Of mon
| ey with which TO relieve the distress OF
the Boer women and children, but were
unable to send 1t TO them because Lord
/ Pauncefote the British ambassador at
charged that Lord Pauncefote had for
years meddled in American affairs.
There were IS counts and specific
charges in Governor Altgeld's Indictment.
He said in substance:
Just before the beginning of the Span
ish war Lord Pauncefote, representing
the aristocracy, meddled in our affairs and
tried to unite the governments OF Europe
in making a joint protest against Ameri-
can interference in behalf of Cuba. But
when the American people asserted them
selves and our government was compelled
to go to the rescue of Cuba, England is
sued a strong neutrality proclamatio toni for
bidding all of her subjects everywhere
from furnishing us any aid or doing any
thing that would in any way be a viola
ton of the strictest neutrality"
1t was a speech characteristic of the old
governor who had risen from the tow path
to the chiefest Office of the state. Death
was at hand, but his voice had all the old
fire and all the old sympathy which had
won him the hearts of many people. 1t
was Governor Altgeld who pardoned the
three Chicago anarchists and whose views
were frequently called anarchistic, yet
his sincerity was questioned by few.
Mr.. Darrow, upon his arrival, took
charge of the body and opened scores OF
telegrams from all parts of the country.
Some had asked for early information OF
the condition of the patient and expressed
the deepest regret at the former govern
or's condition.
No post norton will be held on the body
of John p. Altgeld. The family does not
want it. being content with the statement
of the physicians that he died from ce-
rebraL hemorrhage. The remains were EN-
balmed and sent to Chicago this after
noon.