The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-22
IN ST PAUL ALL STORES
 ARE DRAFTED AND CLOSED
At Every Small Town Where Funeral Train Passes the People Turn Out To Pay Last Tribute to
 Dead Governor.

the most remarkable tributes ever paid to the memory of public man in Min nesota was accorded the late Gov. John A. Johnson today.
 From the hour that the governors death was first publicly announced by tolling bells in Rochester. all usual public activity was abandoned. All banks. stores and offices were closed nno buildings were draped in black and purple crepe.
 Governor Johnson's body was escort ed to il special train for St. Paul by throng of citizens from every walk of life. On tho train were Mrs John SOD, few of her personal friends state officers and friends of the late gov ernor. As tho cortege passed down the street loading to the railway station tho escort lined Up each sl le with bnred heads md tho hundreds of pco- pic around the depot showed |, like respect.
 Mayor Thompson had proclaimed 1t A day of public mourning, The mayor and couneilnen acted as pallbearers. All tho way along the route to St. Paul flags were nt half mast and buildings draped with crepe.
 At zombrota the entire population of the town seemed to be at the sta ton, A touching feature was the ap- pearanee of A large number of school
 children lined tip along the platform, edcii provided with the national colors point, Il downward. Similar receptions
 
 points a,ohs the route.
 Al 1t. paui the train was met bv de- taehmonts of all the local companies ot the National Guard and an escort of pelioe, In spite of Il heavy d,wnpour of rain the procession to the state cap itei with the militia acting as escor was witnessed by thousand of paop'e,
 At the capitol the body was placed Tn the rotuhda where It will lie in state until tonefrew afternoon, guarded by four sePseaHts, four eorporals and four pf iyates.
 Tomorrow afteraeoh the Rev. J, J, f.awler, chaplain ef the governors staff, will conduct services in tho capitol Thursday the bedy will Se taken to St, Peter where final services will te hold ufJer rresbytsrlan auspices, h. torment will be in the family cemeter Ut St, Peter, where Gevsrnor Jonnson Is ts pe bui jed beside his !nntaee Honor ary escorts will be state officers, .he St, Paul lodge af Ellss and the Knights of Pythias, who will accompany the special train to st, Peter
 The Las. Moments.
 Heeh ester, MiHn September 21-Dr, Mayo statad that there were no traces of bleed poisoning and that the imme- date cause ef death was exhaustion and heart failure, It being the hftr day after the operation, the one when the crisis usually arrives in a case of this kind, unusual appreh ensien was felt by the hysicans yesterday,
 Governor Johnson was in lethargif stata durng the greater part of the night but occasionally was aroused CT peeiaiiy after coughing and would then mutter a few words to Mrs, Johnson At tines he seemed to wish that the end might come, for on one occasion he saidi
 My, the time drags slowly I am se uncomfortable"
 The governor iansed into uneen seriousness at o'clock, Toward the end he revived and raised himself several times to pat his wife on the cheek tiih last words werei
 Well, Nora, I guess I'm golngi we nave made a brave fight"
 Biography of the Governor
 St. Paul, September a1.-John A. John lon enjoyed the distinction of being the irst native Minnesetan to be governor of he state, and of that distinction he was 'ieuder than of any other feature of his 'sfeer, He educated and prepared him of for that career while helping to sup 'ort a widowed mother
 Governor Johnson was born near St, 'etsr < years ago, His parents were natives Of Sweden, His father, Caustave ohnhoi, and his mother, Caroline Han an Haden, were both of sturdy peasant teek and beyond that little is known of he relatives,
 Gustave Johnson was blacksmith, for evcral years conducting his business on farm near St, Peter, It was here that he future governor was born,
 The Jehnsons later moved from tho arm Ia the village of St, Peter, where he father failed to prosper and finally led, leaving his family In poverty, John was then ia years old, He first 'orked in a grocery store, Then he se- ured hettsr nlaet ii drug store, fhere ha earned eptJsf to support his ,other aa we'll as h'Mssh,
 In the meantime he had formed the en'ttns habit and mareged to obtain a ood education. He studied not only ooks. but men, and for the latter he howed special aptitude,
 Finally he became editor and part own ' of tho St. Peter Herald. Genial and roed-mindad fluent talker and a ready it. he made his paper popular, and was lways In demand as a speaker at public ,oetinss. His first venture In politics s candidate for state senator resulted in
 defeat, It was in 1894, just after he ad wooed and won Miss Eleanor NJ. reston. a young teacher. and they had established a home in St. Peter In 1898 he was again nominated for tho -----'------>-,---->