Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-17
He EXPIRED LAST EVENING
Represented First Georgia District in
Congress.
FOUGHT FOR CoNFEDERACY
Met Fatal Accident In Seeking Grand
children-Mystery in the Circun-
stances Of the Fall.

SO"sieSs ifoih georgia. who was severely
injured Friday evening by falling through
skyiight at the Cairo apartment house,
where he made his home. died at Ga,
O'Clock last evening. The end WAS not I'M.
expected. for early in the afternoon the at.
tenoing physicians declared that all hope
OF saving the distinguished patient was
past and as the shades of evening APP
proaehed Col. Lester was seen to be sink
Ing rapidly. At O. clock the surgeons sum.
'noned Mrs. Lester from an adjoining room.
and she. together with Representative
Bartlett, Col. Testers colleague from Geor-
sia' the dying mans secretary. John HEIDI,
ana the three attending physicians, remain
ed at the bedside until death occurred.
Despite the seriousness OF the accident
MIS- Lester had been borne up through tho
day by hope engendered by her husbands
apparent rally from the first shock but his
death left her completely FRUSTRATED. Upon
the advice of Representative Bartlett tina
body was turned over to the sergeant-at-
arms OF the House. Henry Casson who will
make all arrangements for the funeral
Formal announcement of the death will bs
made when the House convenes on Monday
and Speaker Cannon will appoint a COM
mittee to attend the funeral Unless the
present tentative plans are changed Col
testers body VIII be taken TO his old nonia
In Georgia for interment.
mystery IN circumstances.
An element of mystery always will sur
round the accident which resulted I'm ths
fatal injury of Representative Lester. for
no one save the man now dead knew what
led him to the almost inaccessible place
whence he fell. 1t was about O'Clock
friday evening when Mr.. Lester, who
mad been In conversation with a party of
friends in the lobby of the Cairo. started
TO seek his two young grandchildren VINO
made their home with him Instead OF
stopping at the third floor. on which his
apartments were located, Col Lester CON
tinued on the elevator until he reached
the twelfth floor of the apartment house.
and then he climbed another flight of
stairs to the level of the roof The iron
screen door opening to the roof was lock-
ed, but some inexplicable impulse led
Col Lester to turn to a rough wooden
ladder and to climb with its aid through
a very narrow trap door which gave ar-
cess only to the machinery at the top of
the elevator shafts. The same impulse
evidently led him to attempt the difficult
walk across the top of the shaft. He
stepped upon the glass of the inner sky
light and the fatal fail followed Col
Lester fell distance of about thirty feet.
but had he taken one step more before
crashing through the glass his body must
have gone fully 200 feet TO the bottom OF
the Wei around which the stairway in
the Cairo is built =
Sustained Terrible Injuries
Col. Testers fall occurred Just as one Of
the elevators reached the level of the fourth
floor and Mrs. Edward Moore. who stepped
from the car, the first to give tho
alarm Her husband, Capt. Edward Moore
of the United States navy. assisted in carry
ing the injured man Immediately to his
apartments on the third floor of the house.
BY fortunate circumstance, IL happened
that DR.. ID. ]. Kemp, house physician at
the Cairo. In he blIiid al
When he examined the patient, he found
that the latter's right ankle was crushed,
the leg broken in several places so that
the bones were forced through the sole OF
the foot; the right ankle disIocated. the left
shoulder broken and the joint displaced. In
addition there were numerous cuts and con-
tusions all over the body. DIR. Kemp in
sisted that surgeon be summoned at once
and DR.. Charles w. Brown and DIR. Stands
were called in consultation, but the great
est of surgical skill could not avail.
During conscious interval yesterday
afternoon, Col. Lester was asked what led
him to assay the difficult task OF climbing
the wooden ladder. and he indicated that 1t
was the wish to find his grandchildren
Before he lapsed into unconsciousness
again. the injured man recognized his wife,
and his grandchildren.
Physicians said he sustained no internal
injuries. so far as they could ascertain, but
expressed the belief that shock was re-
sponsible for his death.
Only Child NOW at Sea-
Mr.. Lester had only one child living Mrs
Edward Harrow of Savannah. who Is at
sea on her way from Savannah to Boston
and cannot be reached with the news OF
her fathers death until the arrival of the
steamer at Boston tomorrow. Although flu
neral arrangements cannot be completed
until Mrs. Harrow lands. IL is likely that
the body will be taken from this city Mon
day evening, and the burial will be in
Bonayenture cemetery, Savannah. probably
on Wednesday Thomas J. Randolph of
Norfolk. Va. son-in-law of Mr.. Lester.
arrived here this evening. Mr.. Randolph's
little daughters were the grandchildren for
whom Mr.. Lester was searching when he
fell.
Sketch of Col. Testers Life.
Representative Rufus Ezekiel Lester was
born in Burke county, Ga, December ~,
1887. His boyhood days were spent on the
farm and his early education was received
at home and in the schools OF his native
state. In 1857 he graduated from Mercer
University and In 1859 was admitted to the
Savannah bar and commended the prac-
tice of law.
At the outbreak of the war of the re-
bellion Mr.. Lester enlisted under the stars
and bars and fought for the lost cause"
throughout the four years OF the great
struggle. At the close of the war he re-
surned the practice of law and soon became
prominently identified in local politics in
those dark and trying days that followed
the close of the great conflict.
He was a state senator from the first
senatorial district of Georgia from 1870 to
1879, being president of the senate during
the last three years of his service. From
January 1883. to January, 1889. he was
mayor of Savannah, and was first elected
a member of the national House Of Rep
resentatiyes in the Fifty-first Congress,
serving continuously ever since.
Representative Lester was popular with
the members of the House, republicans
and democrats alike. and had a host of
friends in the Capitol and elsewhere in
the government service and out OF II
around Washington. Tie news of his
death last night shocked and grieYed his
friends beyond measure and the House will
adjourn Monday as mark of respect to
his memory.