The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-10-07
HENRY c. PAYNE dead
Passed Away Peacefully After Hard Battle For
Life Lasting Nearly Week Funeral
Will Be Held Friday
ALL POSTOFFICES WILL Be CLOSED

Washington, ID. c., Oct 4.-Henry G.
Payne of Wisconsin, postmaster gen.
eral, died at 6:10 this evening at his
apartments in the Arlington hotel,
surrounded by his wife, immediate rel
atives and his pastor and three of the
four physicians who for almost week
have been aiding him in battling day
and night for his life. The end was
peaceful, the patient having sunken
into unconsciousness several hours
earlier. The cause of death is given
as a disease of the mitral valve and
dilatlon of the heart.
The president has been officially
notified and will later issue procia.
nation formally announcing the do
of member of his official household
President Roosevelt had called at Mr.
Payne's apartments shortly before sly
and was deeply affected by the in
formation from the sick room that the
end was near. Upon leaving, he said
to the newspaper men that he consid-
cred Mr.. Payne as zone of the sweet
est, most lovable and thoughtful men
he had ever known"
Funeral services will be held at st
Johns Episcopal church in this city
Friday morning, the exact hour to be
fixed by the department of state which
will have charge of the arrangements
1t will require that length of time
to make the proper announcement to
the diplomatic corps and official Wash
ington. The Rev. Cotton Smith, the
rector, will ofIiciate. He may be as.
sisted by the Right Reverend I. l..
Nicholson, bishop of the diocese of
Wisconsin, who Is now in Boston. He
has been requested by wire tonight to
conduct the funeral services which
will be held in All Saints cathedral
in Milwaukee, the old home city of the
deceased, Sunday afternoon.
The funeral party will leave here
Friday afternoon in special car
placed at Mrs. Payne's disposal by A.
]. Earring, president of the Chicago,
Milwaukee e. st. Paul railway. The
hour of departure will be governed by
the official time set for the funeral
here, following the presidents proc
1amation.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Wynne, who by law is now acting post
master general will issue an order di-
recttng that all postofices in the Unit
ed on a portion Of the day of the funer-
al here. presumably between the hours
of two and five o'clock in the after
noon.
Under the statute the president must
fill the vacancy by appointment
within thirty days set aside for the
first assistant to act as the head of
the department.
The last postmaster general to die
in Office was also a Wisconsin man,
Timothy o. Howe, who died March
25, 1883.
Mr.. Payne was the forty-third post
master general. He died in the same
hotel where have died after brief i'll
nesses in the last few years, United
States Senator M. A. Hanna of Ohio;
Speaker of the House Tom Reed, of
Maine and Secretary of State w. @.
Gresham, of Illinois.
The last day of the postmaster gem
eral was marked by steady decline.
He awoke conscious, recognizing his
wife and niece, and speaking to them.
He took some nourishment, coffee, and
then lapsed into a coma whoch con-
tinued more or less throughout the
day, although the bulletins issued up
to. late afternoon noted frequent raj
lies but weak heart action.
AS the late afternoon shadows were
gathering the patient became weaker.
At 8 o'clock, the members of the fam
lily were notified and Assistant Rec
tor Dunlap of st. Johns church sent
for, In the absence of his superior.
Mr.. Payne was unconscious and re-
mained so until the end.
Mrs. Payne has borne up marvel
lously, although she has sat by the
bdside of her husband for many
hours at time. When conscious he
seemed glad to see her and she lived
upon the wan smile that would light
up the emaciated countenance in those
intervals that grew more and more SC
infrequent.
Henry G. Payne, postmaster general
vi tHS OHllcu Will ~ uOWH III
history as one of the foremost of that
band of political organizers and busi-
ness men in politics, whose efforts
were chiefly effective in the stirring
campaigns which resulted in the elec-
tion Of William Mckinley to the pres
idency and gave American politics such
stalwart figures as Marcus A. Hanna
and the deceased committeeman from
Wisconsin himself.
Born in Ashfeld, Franklin county
Massachusetts, November %, 1S43, OF
sterling New England stock, Mr.. Payne
received a common school and acad-
emic education, equipped with which
he moved west in 1863 and selected
Milwaukee, Wis, as his home Arriv-
Ing there with but few dollars In
cash, he entered the employ of dry