The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-03-12
HE NEVER RECOVERED FROM HIS
ATTACK OF LAST EVENING
AFTER HIS SPEECH.
MUCH ENERGY AND FEELING
Ex-Governor Has Never Been a Well
Man Since the Failure Of the Globe
Savings Bank in Which He
Was Interested.
(By Associated Press.l

Joliet, ILL.,, March 12.-Former Governor
John p. Altgeld died at the Hotel Monroe
this morning at 1903 o'clock.
Mr.. Altgeld was the principal speaker
at pro-Boer mass meeting last night
in the Joliet theater. At the close of
his speech a sudden dizziness seized him
and he was assisted from the stage.
Vomiting spells followed and continued
for nearly an hour.
The meeting proceeded, the audience
not realizing what had happened.
Physicians were summoned and Mr..
Altgeld was carried to the hotel across
fhe street. He retained consciousness,
and urged the newspaper men to keep
the affair quiet for fear Of alarming
his wife. Shortly before midnight he
became unconscious. He remained in
this condition until death.
The medical men here had a banquet
last night, at which DR.. ]. b. Herrick of
the Rush Medical college of Chicago de-
livered lecture on heart disease He
and other physicians were called from
the banquet to attend the patient.
They remained with him the remainder
Of the night. When the end was nearing
they worked his arms vigorously to re-
vive respiration, but all to no purpose
hemorrhages, there having been an apop-
leptic seizure of the brain.
The vomiting at first was taken to in
dicate ptomaine poisoning, but it was de-
termined this was due to different mani
festations of the Lrain trouble. The ply
sicians desire to hold a post-mortem II
relatives will agree
Was Principal Orator.
Mr. Altgeld came to Joliet yesterday
afternoon, having been advertised as the
special orator for the big Will county
pro-Boer meeting He confessed that
he was not In the best of health, having
been troubled with some apparently SIM
pie stomach 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 success in the
capture Of General Methuen.
It was noticed during the address that
the former governor threw an unusual
amount of energy and feeling into his
words and the collapse. the physicians
think resulted from over straining his
already weakened physical powers.
Ever since the failure of the Globe Saw
ings bank in 1896, in which he was in
volved, Mr.. Altgeld has not been a we'll
man, and for some months after the
Spalding crash 1t was feared that his
death was only question of short time.
Even when serving his last year as
governor his health was none too good.
Clarence Darrow lifelong friend
and later law partner OF the former
governor, reached here this morning.
He said the governor died as he had
lived, pleading the cause of the lowly.
His Last Speech.
Mr. Altgeld. in the speech that was
fated to be his last, declared that all
friends of humanity owed debt Of graf
itude to Governor Yates for issuing a
proclamation soliciting assistance for the
Boer women and children in the concen-
trado camps, which the British are main
tanning in South Africa.
The speaker said the people of Amer
lea had raised large sum Of money with
which to relieve the distress of the Boer
women and children, but were unable to
send 1t to them because Lord Paunce-
fote, the British ambassador at Washing
ton, objected to it.
1t was speech typical Of the old gov
ernor, who had risen from the towpath
to the chief 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 anarchstic,
yet his sincerity was questioned by few.
Mr. Darrow, upon his arrival took
charge OF. the body and opened scores of
kilograms from all parts of the country.
Some sent before death had come ask
ing for early information Of the patients
condition, while those that came late ex-
pressed the deepest regret at the former
governors demise.
Diamond Merchants Fail.