The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-15
some hours.

Mrs Eckels and her daughter.
Phoebe, IS years old, are in Paris,
| where the latter is attending a finish
| ing school for girls
They have been abroad since last
fall and planned to return to Chicago
within a few weeks. They were at
| once communicated with by cable. 1t
is understood they will sail from
France for New York today.
Thedeath of Mr.. Eckels came on the
eve of a breakfast narty which he had
planned for number Of his friends
and relatives. Judge X NJ. Lands of
the federal district ,epurt and Mrs.
Lands; Judge and Mrs. E. H. Gary of
New York; Mr.. and Mrs George NJ.
Eckels, brother and sister-in-law of
the deceased. and others, were to have
James A. EckeIs of Princeton. father
of James H Eckels, died two months
ago. On the morning of the death of
the elder Eckels the son was host of
former President Cleveland. The for
mer president and Mr.. Eckels were at
breakfast when the news of the fathers
death was received at the Eckels resi-
dence. Mr.. Eckels was kept in ignor-
ance of the fact for several hours, until
Mr. Cleveland had left the city.
1t developed during the day that the
person who was trying to communicate
with Mr.. Eckels over the telephone, the
ringing of which led to the discovery of
his death was Geo. Eckels, a brother.
Half an hour later he was called to his
own home and notified of his brothers
death.
A postmortem examination was held
and a statement issued giving the cause
of death as organic. heart disease. A
formal coroner's inquest viii be held.
The funeral will be held Tuesday after
non from the Fourth Presbyterian
church Rev VIM. R. hoffman will
conduct the services. Interment will
not take place at once, it having been
decided to place the body in a vault
until the return of Mrs Eckels and
daughter when private funeral will be
held.
Mr.. EckeIs was a stakeholder and
was prominent in the management of
several concerns, among them being the
Hewitt Mfg. Co, and the Union Trac-
ton company, of which he was vice
PRESIDENT the Featherbone Foundry &
Machine company. the Chicago Real
Estate Trustees association, the Allish
Chambers company. the American and
British Securities companies, the
Bankers Trust company of New York,
the Oakland National bank of Detroit
and the First National bank of Balti-
more. He was a member of the Union
League the Merchants and the Com
merciaI clubs of Chicago and of various
of the receivers of the Chicago Union
Traction company, appointed by Federal
Judge Grosscup several years ago.
Mr.. Eckels was born at Princeton,
of his life had been spent in Illinois.
He received an early education in the
schools of his native city, later taking
up the study of law at Albany, \. Y.
graduating from the Albany law
school in 1880. He practiced law at
Ottawa, ILL.,, until appointed by Presi-
dent Cleveland to the post of comp
troller of the currency in 1893.
Mr.. Eckels, during the agitation of
the currency question became promi-
nent as an advocate of the gold stand
ard Always a Democrat, he became
affiliated in 1896 with the gold stand
ard Democrats. He retained the office
of comptroller of the currency until
the end of President Cleveland's term
in 1897, when he became president of
the Commercial National bank of this
city.
Mr. EckeIs leaves only four near
relatives. They are. his wife and
daughter, his brother, George NJ.
Eckels. and a sister. Mrs. Jane f.
Palmer. of Princeton, III. George NJ.
Eckels is an attorney of this city.