Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-04-27
THE GRIM REAPER.

TWO very prominent men OF West
virginia died yesterday. Hon. John
son ~ Camden and Hon. Clarke w
May. one had reached an age at
which death could not reasonably be
hoped to BE- deferred much longer;
the other young, active. honored I'm
politics, with high standing at the
bar and with apparently a brilliant
career before him. One a Democrat
IN politics; the other a Republican.
one most successful business man
and capitalist; the other LAWYER
recently farmer boy. Both started
In life poor, The older man died
probably the richest man in the ,Cate
who had achieved success i'm politics
and in business: the younger man
had been successful in politics and
was just beginning to reap the re-
wards of West Virginias develop
ment In business way. In these
two deaths is illustrated the vanity
or life and the universally Of death.
1t strikes the old and young. both
weak and strong and no rules de-
yised by man can calculate its COM
ing.
In thu death of Senator Camden
the state has lost one OF It's most re-
markable citizens. Born in Braxton
county, then in the state OF Virginia.
he has spent his life in the Little
hanawha Valley. He was twice the
nominee of his party for governor
and five times its nominee for United
States senator. He served one full
term in the United States senate and
the uneXpired term Of Hon. John T..
kenna after the latter's death. For
lorty years he has been active i'm
politics and yet has had the time TO
engage in various walks of business
HE from which he had amassed an
immense fortune. He built the West
virginia & Pittsburg railroad. the
ohio River raIrpad, the Camden
interstate railroad and the short
line leading to Ripley and the one
leading to Spencer. He has developed
oil and gas properties, founded
banks, erected buildings, organized
lumber companies and saw mills. In
iact there have been few things of
| a business nature In which he had
not been engaged during his long
active life. He has truly impressed
his genius upon the state Of his birth
and has left behind him monuments
more enduring than marble.
In the death of General May the
state has lost a man that it can IN
AFFORD to lose at this time. While
an active partisan he was one OF
those royal good fellows who did
not think it crime to pass a flower
over the dividing wall between polit-
zeal parties. He loved his fellow
man and enjoyed the social side of
life. He had strong mind and was
a very successful lawyer and only
a few weeks before his death bac
fortune begun to smile upon him i'm
financial way. BY the discovery
of oil near Griffthsville. on a tract
which he had held for years. he had
begun to realize an income which
with the drilling of other oil wells
would Increase from time to time
and he could reasonably expect in
the near future an income that
would put him in a most enviable
position financially. The fatal trim
10 Hamlin was no doubt made for
the purpose OF looking over his oil
properties. He was a candidate for
reelection as attorney general and
1t Is the opinion OF many of his party
associates that he would have been
re-nominated by his party had ne
lived II seems indeed sad that with
his political prospects satisfactory.
his Professional career most promis-
ing and financial success assured ne
should be- cut off while yet but a
young man The state needs such
men and his loss to his section will
be felt.
We are reminded that within the
'ast week the state has lost four
very prominent men Daily and Cam
den, Democrats. and Rucker and
Nay Republicans All four were
lawyers by profession. All were
very successful. tii had been prom
inent in politics and had held official
positions I'm the state. The last week
has indeed been a harvest OF death
among the strong men OF the state.
Cfis-r...I,... &C.,