Arizona republican., 1911-01-30
End Came Al His Home in
 Kendall England Jan. T
LIFETIME OF GOOD WORKS

Services to the Territory
 as Practical Student of
 Plant Life.
 ! To hundreds of people in this city and territory, the information contained in the following letter will come as something of a surprise and a shock carrying with it a feeling of deep re- gret:
 Borough Engineer & Surveyors office,
 Kendall. England. January Is, 1911. Dear Sir-I am sorry to have to convey to you the sad news that my ! uncle. MT. c. H. Smith date of Phoe- niX). passed away yesterday evening" the 17th instant. He had had very in different health for a considerable period and during the last month the doctor has paid daily visits and his reports were far from hopeful. You will probably notice that my uncle had addressed this envelope to you. He did this sometime ago in the expectation Of this sad event.
 Yours faithfully. GEO. GERMAN,
 Assistant Borough Surveyor" The above letter was received yester- day by a personal friend of the de- ceased. and is reproduced as carrying the sum total of all the information at hand at this time concerning the last illness and death of one who was wide ly known. universally respected. and by many. loved for his kindly acts of per sonal consideration. It is known that MT. Smith has not enjoyed good health for several years; that summers va cation did not fully restore him and that after short further service he re- signed finally in May, 1909, the posi- ton of superintendent of the territorial capitol grounds. which he had held from their requirement and the begin ming of their improvement. Accom- panied by Mrs. Smith he returned to his native land in the summer of 1909. determined upon a good long rest previous to deciding whether nc would come back to Arizona or spend his later days under the flag that waved above his birthplace. Occasional letters from him reported that MT and Mrs. Smith were travelling considerably and were in fair health. and later that he was not making the improvement he had hoped. So recently as November he wrote that he was able to be around but his condition did not seem to inn prove materially. He said he was com fortably situated in Kendall, but through his letter there ran tone of appreciation of the fact that his health was permanently undermined and his return to American was quite doubtful. His letter was cheery, however, and hopeful
 He has never enjoyed full strength and health since a severe attack of pneumonia he suffered here several years ago. which seemed to leave him with a weakened heart action and this he said was complicated with a tend ency toward paralysis.
 George Hough Smith was born in England about 66 years ago, as indi cated by the great register of this country. and became an American citi- zen by naturalization during his resi- dence in Phoenix. more specifically, Au- O. of this city for several years preced- ing that date. In the middle sos the present site of the territorial capitol was donated by NJ. H. sherman for capitol purposes, the exact date of it's requirement not being at hand at this writing. However. in February. 1888. or nearly twenty-three years ago. the capitol grounds were turned over to the care of MT Smith for improvement. The construction of the capitol build ing had not been arranged for, although it was a lively hope in the minds of Phoenix people and the improvement of the grounds was earnestly begun. The site was then a mere patch of desert, except that a part of t had perhaps been in cultivation as a part of a large ranch.
 Mir smith was a skilled gardener. having devoted his whole life to that pursuit, having an inherent love for the study of plant life. He came here as gardener doing general work of that kind for whOmsOever required his services. and was perhaps the first pro fessional representative of that occu- patton in these parts. The capitol grounds required but a part of his time in the early years and he continued to serve others who might need him. Later with better salary, though one never in proportion to the real value of his services. the capitol grounds became al most the exclusive object of his atten- ton. requiring most of his time and that of a number of assistants who had been trained for the work under his personal direction.
 What the capitol grounds are today need not be dwelt upon. more than to say that they are the show place of the territory as illustrative of the pos abilities of the watering of an erstwhile desert. Through Mir. Smiths efforts