Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1902-10-23
DIES SUDDENLY.
Samuel w. Reese AsphyXiated at
Avenue Hotel, Madison.

| The following particulars of thu
death of Hon. Samuel w. Reese APP
peared in The Madison Democrat o
Sunday, Oct. 10:
| Samuel w. Reese Of Dodgeville
one of the most prominent men O
southwestern Wisconsin, was founC
dead in his bed at the Avenue Hote
yesterday morning, having been
phyxiated by escaping gas The Je
was found open and had undoubtedly
been left so accidentally by Mr.
Reese. He came to the hotel from
Dodgeville Friday noon, in company
with ey-Congressman A, Il. Bushnell
of Lancaster. The two came to the
hotel at 10 O'Clock that evening and
took adjoining rooms, Mr.. Reese
being assigned to No. 20. In the
morning the chambermaid noticed the
smell of escaping gas and called the
landlord O. T.. Hunt. Attempts to
wake Mr.. Reese were unayailing
Mr.. Hunt and the chief clerk G.. w.
Squires procured ladder and Mr..
Hunt broke in the transom and un-
locked the door. Mr.. Bushnell, who
had been called and Mr.. Squires
went into the room and opened the
window. The found Mr.. Reese dead
lying in a perfectly natural and peace
full position. DR.. Clarke Gapen was
called aud gave as his opinion that
Mr.. Reese had been dead some five or
six hours.
Relatives at Dodgeville were imme-
diately notified and the noon train
brought John Reese, a son; Robert
Owens, brother-in-law; T. j. Laugh
lin, and Mr.. Vroman Mason, law
partner of Mr.. Reese. They returned
with the body at 2 p. m.
Robert and William Pengelly OF
Dodgeville, who happened to be in
Madison, took charge of the body
and had it removed to Gill Bros.
undertaking establishment.
A coroner's jury was drawn and
after viewing the remains, adjourned
to the circuit court room. Its verdict
was as follows Deceased came to
his death by gas jet being turned on
aud gas escaping into the room. We
find by the evidence that his death
was purely accidental"
Mr.. Reese was familiar with the use
of both gas and electricity, having
both in his law office. The bell boy,
Norman Thorson, who showed him to
the room at the Avenue, turned on
the electric light and left him. A
half-burned match was found under
the gas jet. Evidently he had struck
the match and turned on the gas.
Without lighting the gas, seeing the
electric bulb, he apparently turned
the latter also. On returning he had
turned off the electric light, leaving
the flow of gas which later filled the
room and ended his life.
News of the death of Mr.. Reese
came as a great shock. He was Y
years of age, born in Wales, and
living in Shrewsbury, Eng, as a
youth. Coming to this country, he
made his home for time ia Cincin-
natl, but later studied law in Dodge
vile with the late Judge M. M.
Cothren of Mineral Point. Mr.. Reese
was chief stakeholder in the Dodge
vile bank, the senior member of the
law firm of Reese, Carter & Mason
Vroman Mason, formerly of Madison,
being the junior Wonderland had
frequently been delegate to republi-
can state and national conventions.
At one time he served as district at
torney. A widow and four children
survive. William, the Oldest son, is
in the mail service between Milwaukee
and Mineral Point; Edward L. is
cashier of the First National bank al
Marshfeld; John M. is cashier O.
the Dodgevile bank and postmaster
and Mrs. Meleck, the only daughter
is the widow of former Minnesota
banker She makes her home in
Dodgeville.