Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-05-30
DEATH WAS NOT EXPECTED
THE INVENTOR HAD BEEN ILL
SINCE EARLY IN THE PRES
ENT MONTH.
The NATION IS SHOCKED
PRESIDENT TAFT AND OFFICIAL
WASHINGTON EXPRESS
THEIR SORROW

Dayton, May Wilbur Wright,
the noted aviator. died early this
morning Of typhoid fever. He had
been i'll for several weeks and a
number of times had been reported
at the pont Of death. but each time
he rallied.
Following a sinking spell that de-
veloped soon after midnight, Mr..
Wright died at S:15 o'clock today. He
had been near death for many days
and though his condition from time
to time gave hope to members of his
family. the attending physicians, Drs.
D. B. Conklin and Levy Splitter, main
tanned throughout the latter part Of
his sickness that he could not recover.
When the patient succumbed he
was surrounded by members of his
family. which includes his aged faith
er, Bishop Milton Wright, Miss Cathe-
rine Wright, Orville, the co-inyentor
Of the aeroplane; Reuchlin Wright
and Lorin Wright. All of the family
reside in this city except Reuchlin,
who lives in Kansas.
The most alarming symptoms IA
Wright's sickness developed yester-
dav shortly before noon when his
fever SUDDENLY mounted from 1O4 to
1O6 and then quickly subsidized to its
former stage At this iuncture the
patient was seized with chills anl
the attending physicians were baffled
bv the turn of events. ChilIs were
unusual in a patient suffering from
fever this high and the doctors at
Wright's bedside were puzzled.
The condition of the aviator re-
mained unchanged throughout the rest
of the day and there was no improve
ment up until last midnight Then
there seemed to be slight improve
ment but soon there was a sudden
turn for the worse and DR.. Conklin
was called. He arrived at S:25 and
learned that Wright had died ten min-
utes before.
Mr.. Wright was seized with typhoid
May while on business trip IN the
east. He went to bed Immediately
and it was several days before his
case was definitely diagnosed as ty-
phoid. Arrangements for the funeral
had not been completed early today.
Wilbur Wright was born in Henry
county, Indiana, April 16, 1877. or-
vile. the sixth child, was born Aug
ust 10, 1881. Both Wilbur and Or
Vile attended the local high school
and stood high in their studies. Ham
pered by heart trouble, caused 1t is
thought, by accidentally being struck
by a pole stock, Wilbur was com
PEELED to abandon his purpose OF az
tending college. Their father, Bishop
Milton Wright, being away iroAa no1i'N'
much Of the time, the two brothers
helped 10 maintain their home.
The two first started Job printins
office and for a while published .
small sheet that had a suburb circuia-
ton. They then entered the bicycle
business and opened repair snep'
at the same time manufacturing Oi-
cycles. In the meantime they began
studying the flying machine while
carrying on the bicycle business ana
IN pursuit of this subject they acau's'
ed a knowledge of the underlying prin'
ciples. further adding to their know
ledge by a working acquaintance Win
different modern languages.
The ancestry of Wilbur Wright can
be traced through number Of genera
tions in England. Samuel Wright
through whom was transplanted the
lineage in America, came to sprlns'
field, Massachusetts,. in 1886. His des'
cendants participated in she revolu
tionary war,