New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-24

hartford, Conn, sept. L3.-CnaTles bdlleli
Loomis, humorist. author and lecturer. died
here tonight at the Hartford Hospital from
cancer of the stomach. He had been in
poor health nearly year, and his malady
puzzled several specialists. When cancer
finally developed several operations were
performed, which had the effect of tenn
porary relief
II guess I had the sort OF grip described
by the Irishman who defined il as an ill
ness which leaves you sick for six months
after you recover. But / hope to be out
soon. I'm staying In bed merely because
Mrs. Looms has taken away all my cloth
ing"
That was Charles BatteI Loomis's char
acteristic way Of describing the illness that
was battling his doctors. and after a series
Of futile operations caused his death. He
died as he lived. the genial, optimistic
humorist. Reaching out 10 a vase near his
bed. Mr.. Loomls took from the receptacle
three somewhat bedragg red paper poin-
settas. He looked at them affecdonately
and, as he held them out to his caller. said:
These are a vivid illustration Of the es-
TEEN Of my neighbors for me. They came
yesterday, and when l thanked the little
girl who brought them she said: Yes, they
We're torn and we couldn't use them with
our Christmas stuff and mamma said we
could send them TO Mr. LOOMS, as he was
so sick he wouldn't know whether they
We're torn or not
Il assured her they were lovely and in
sisted that in return she should take 10 her
mother a glass Of crab apple jelly which
had received an hour previous. None Of
our family eats crab apple jelly"
Mr.. LOOMS was interrupted by the din
of an alarm clock on dresser He smiled
and said:
THAT means take one brown pill and
two green ones. Help yourself TO that
brown medicine. It's 80 per cent alcohol
and not half bad except for the first taste
I'm surprised that in a dry town like Leo
Mo the druggist is allowed to sell it.
Great man. that druggist, and mighty
careful. Yesterday one Of the family went
TO him with a prescription and handed
him by mistake, instead of the doctor S
order, a shopping slip on which were GER
tain signs meaning cold cream. liquid
bronze hairpins and two and half yards
Of embroidery, the latter being designated
two and a half yds. emb.' An hour later
the drug dispenser telephoned that he
could fill all the prescription except the
last line, and while he thought he had
something just as good in stock it would
be better to wait until he consulted the
doctor"
So he chatted merrily on his deathbed
as for years he had been chatting to the
,p -.
The Century" st Nicholas" The At
Iantic." Life" Puck and other repre-
sentative periodicals. And his readers
had hoped for many more years of that
pleasure, for he had barely passed the
half-century mark
Mr.. LOOMS started out 10 be a business
nan. They sent him 70 school for a season
ir his native Brooklyn, but he cared too
little for study even TO complete his course
at the Polytechnic Institute. So, in 1879, he
was launched as a clerk, and a clerk he
remained for twelve years. Meanwhile
he had married In 1883, Miss Mary Fuller
ton, Of Brooklyn. During these years he
rad been employing his spare time with
tentative literary efforts.
At the same time his younger brother.
~
himself on a successful career as a mu-
sician. The artistic temperament ran in
the family.
Finally, in 1891, he dropped clerking en-
tirely, and began making a living by writ
ing II was not TIL eight years later that
anything of his appeared in volume form
That was a little book of verse, entitled
Just Rhymes" He followed that up in
the same year with The Four Masted Cat
boat" Others Of his publications are
Yankee Entertainment a Partnership
in Magic" Cheerful Americans More
Cheerful Americans" I've Been Think
ing" "Minerva's Manpuvres." Cheer Up"
a Bath in An English Tub "Poe's Raven
in an Elevator" The Knack Of It. and
Just Irish
Mr.. LOOMS has lived for some years at
Leonia, y. J.. but spends his summer at
the old LOOMS family homestead in Con-
necticut.
He leaves a wife, two sons, Charles Bat
tell and Alfred, and a daughter Edith
Worthington LOOMS.
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