Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-18
No ARRANGEMENTS MADE
FOR FUNERAL OF A. w. LEE
Believed, However, Body Will be Brought to
Cedar Rapids for Burial Beside Deceased
Children Friends Express Their Grief


No advices have been received by the
Courier Of the arrangements for the
funeral of the late A. w. Lee. whose
death occurred at Nottingham Eng
land Thursday morning. 1t is be-
lieved the body will be brought to this
country at once, and that the burial
will be at Cedar Rapids where the
Two children. whose osaJns were such
blows to their parents, lie buried.
All day long letters and kilograms
containing the condolences Of sincere
friends have been pouring into the
Courier Office.
II The expressions Of many of his
friends are given in this issue. A
more complete sketch of the life Of
the man whose death Is SO generally
mourned follows:
II Muscatine, July 16-(Special.)-
fred w. Lee was born July 8, 1858, on
his fathers farm two and one-half
miles northwest of West Branch, Iowa,
between West Branch and Oasis. He
was married at Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
June 4. 1885, to Miss Minnie l. w.
Walker, daughter OF w. W. Walker.
a prominent railroad builder and bust
ness man of Cedar Rapids.
II His early boyhood was spent on the
farm of his father until 1865, follow
ing which his father, j. B. Lee, was
county and the family moved to Iowa
City.
At very early age, about thirteen
years, he entered the Iowa state Uni
versity, being the youngest student
who ever entered that college, He was
80 young he was known among his
school mates as baby"
Takes Up Newspaper Work.
The parents moved to Muscatine
about 1879 or 1880, young Lee going
to that town at about the same time.
Here he was employed first In the
Muscatine postofflce and later in the
Office Of the Muscatine Journal under
the direction Of his brother-in-law,
John Mahin, who in September 20,
1864, on the Johnson county Lee home.
stead had married Miss Anna Lee,
Mr.. Lees Oldest sister.
! For about ten years MIR. Lee lived in
Muscatine, being actively engaged in
newspaper work and connected with
the Journal during the greater part
Of that time.
Perhaps the most permanent mark
left by Mr.. Lees residence in Musca-
tine during that period Of his life 1s
the high bridge crossing the Missis.
sippi which he, through the medium
of the Journal, was instrumental in
securing.
The First Great Sorrow.
About 1888 to 1890 Mr.. Lee and his
family moved to Chicago where for
two or three years he was employed
in the advertising department OF the
old Chicago Times. Here it was that
the first great sorrow came into his
life when the Oldest son, William,
born in Muscatine June 6, 1887, died
on Feb. 26, 1890.
His Beginning In ottun,wa.
Shortly after this Mr.. Lee took his
1 first step into the newspaper business
for himself. Casting around for a To-
cation he decided to select either one
of two cities as the scene for his fu-
ture labors. One of these cities was
Hutchinson, Kansas, the otaer was Of
| tumwa, Iowa. He went first to Hutch
inson and after going over the field de-
cided against the Kansas proposition.
Returning to Iowa he went to Ottum-
wa and in the early nineties took
charge Of the Ottumwa Courier. This
was the beginning Of the most re-
markable career in the state of Iowa
The Courier under his management
grew and prospered. From crowded
field with three and at one time four
dailles the Courier gradually outdis-
tanced its competitors and for several
years now has been supreme in its
field.
Later Mr.. Lee began to consider the
possibilities of branching out. In 1906
the controlling interest in the Daven-
port Times was acquired and the foun.
dation Of the present Lee Newspaper
Syndicate was LAID. The Muscatine
Journal was the next addition to the
syndicate and later the Lacrosse Trib.
une and the Hannibal Courier-Post.
OF late years Mr.. Lee has suffered
with heart trouble but the seriousness
was not realized even by members Of
his immediate family. Early In June
he, accompanied by his wife and
daughter, Miss Laura, and his wife's
mother, Mrs. Walker, left America for
a European tour, the principal object
Of which was in the hope of restoring
Mr.. Lees somewhat shattered health.
iii IN MEMoRIUM.