The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-15
TOLD A PHoNoeRAPH.
The Story of His Life Before Going
to His Fatal Operation.
brooklyn Ea gle

The Story of His Life Before Going
to His Fatal Operation.
brooklyn Eagle)
William Henry Champion, the preach
ing policeman" of Brooklyn, who had has
tongue removed at the Seney hospital In
April of last year, died in the hospital
of the University of Pennsylvania IN
Philadelphia on the morning Of Sunday,
Jan. 26. The case Of Champion attracted
much attention at the time because OF
the fact that he was a we'll known public
lecturer and before the growth of a ma
lignant cancer made the removal of his
tongue necessary, spent the last few
hours of coherent speech in talking his
repertoire Of lectures INTO a photograph,
purpOsing TO continue his career as a lee
turer after he had lost the power of ar
ticulate speech.
Champion rallied from the earlier opera
ton and for three months Whue ne was
able to travel. carried his plan into eff
feet most successfully. Much to his own
surprise and equally to the surprise of
his physicians he could speak so as to be
understood even after tWo-thirds of his
tongue had been cut away. With the
help of his photographic cylinders he
conducted lectures throughout New
York state, always drawing crowded
houses. The return of the cancerOus
groWth~hnally forced him to abandon his
work.
Champion, who was a man of fine
physique and determined disposition, had
fully made up his mind to live So con-
fdent was he that he would overcome
the fatal disease which had LAID hold of
/ him, that even after the return of the
cancer had made a second operation nee
essary, he married a second wife, Mrs.
Elizabeth Bricker of Philadelphia on Oct
6. 1901. Two days later he was placed
! upon the operating table at the Seney
/ hospital and the lower left jaw bone,
where the cancer had Teappeared, was
cut away.
At that time DR.. Lewis S. Pitcher, the
operating surgeon, told Champion that
there was absolutely no chance for ms
recovery. Champion refused to believe
the verdict Of the physician and went 10
Shortly after the operation he was at
tackled by sharp pains in the right side,
in tie region OF the liver. He went 10 the
I hospital of the University of PennSylVa-
MIA. where he was told that he could be
cured without an operation, The pains
| increased and finally affected the lung.
| He died on Sunday morning of q COM
DlicatiOn of cancer of the liver and hasUy
consumption.
% Z. :.
Champion was intensely religious and.
/ in spite of the eXcruciating pain which
racked him for weeks before his death.
died with words Of praise and tina nks-
( giving upon his lips. His lately welded
I Wife was with him at the time OF his
/ death,
The life Of William Henry Crompton
1 was crowded by such q succession OF
/ events and adventures as falls TO the lot
4 of very few. He was born at Manhas-
set. L. l., on Jan. II. 1888. At the age of
he was kicked in the face by a mule
/ and sixteen pieces Of splintered bone were
( taken out Shortly afterward he was
/ under water for nearly half an hour,
4 given up for dead and resuscitated after
/ an hours work.
AT the age of 10 he enlisted in the One
/ Hundred and Second New York vOiun-
] teerS. and served cut the remainder OF
I the war in several different regiments
/ He was severely wounded on three sepa
/ rate occasions, but recovered from AL
] his wounds. and at the close OF the wan
I went 10 sea.
His adventures during the seven years
4 of his life as a sailor were too numer-
I Gus and thrilling to be recounted in any
/ thing less than a volume of roma nee
/ Finally in the island of Labuan in the
| south seas. after being captured by
/ eannibais and escaping most miraculous
! ~ ne fell down the shaft Of a coal mine
I where 10 use his own language, he saw
I n great light and was gloriousiy converted
! TO the Lord" There. in the black dark
ness of the coal pit, with no companions
4 but the voracious rats. which nearly
! made an end of him. ne determined t.
devote the rest Of his life 10 the work Of
! saving souls.
g . .
The later lectures OF Champion recount
I ed many of the adventures OF his thrflIin.
/ life. Captured by Malay pirates, in tht
I jaws Of a twenty-fOot man-eauing shark
\ pursued by the calf worshipers OF India.
! run down by a waterSpouf in mid ocean
/ and countless other equally thrilling eni-
! sodes were made the subjects Of nara
/ tive which could hardly fail TO hold The
attention OF any audience. The title OF
+ one lecture, How l Escaped Becoming 8
/ Confirmed Rat Soup Eater" gives al
idea Of the way the lectures were placed
/ before the public
Champion returned to BROOKLYN. mar.
/ RED Miss Harriet B. Johnson Of Port
/ Washington. l.. l.. and settled down Il
( the not unromautic life Of a Brooklyn
policeman. After eight years OF service
/ he abandoned the patrolman's beat TO,
/ the lecture Platform and continued IL that
/ vocation the remainder of his life
| 8. (. .,
/ In iS99 his wife fell fiji with cancer and
/ he attended her until her death. Soon
1 afterw6rd the first symptoms OF the dis
! ease showed themselves upon the tip OF
I Champions tongue From the first II
was evident 10 DR.. r. Paul Hartman. the
I attending physician. that there was litti-
/ chance OF his recovery. but CramptOu- s
1 buoyant disposition and vigorous consti-
/ tuition gave hope Of several years OF life
/ The operation Of removing the tongue v-ar
I emlnently successful. but the disease .hs6
/ permeated his entire system and the re-
Sultlng rally was only temporary He j
/ survived by one son. Sherwood CramD-
/ ton OF Brooklyn, and his recently married
/ second wife, who lives in Philadelphia
TO CURE GRIP IN TWO DAYS
/. Laxative Bromo-Q uinine removes the
cause T. ". Groves signature on