The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-09-12
Victim Of Heart Failure While
on Board Steamer Baltic
Bound for Europe.
MAN OF NATIONAL REPUTE
Candidate for Presidential NOni.
nation Before Last Demo-
cratic Convention.

New York, Sept 12.-Mayor Will
lam j. Gaynor of New York died oi
heart failure on the steamer Baltic in
mid-ocean, according to cablegram
received here from Rufus w. Gaynor.
his son.
Mayor Gaynor's deaf was indirect
ly due to the bullet which James j..
Gallagher fired into his neck in Au.
gust, 1910, on board a ship in Ho
boken.
The bullet lodged in his neck and
gave him great discomfort. Recently
be had suffered severely from it. The
bullet caused him to suffer repeatedly
fts OF vomiting which weakened his
heart and generally broke him down
he had been forced to remain at his
country home much of the time. The
shooting took place on board the
liner Kaiser Wilhelm, which was pre-
pairing to leave it's dock.
Mayor Gaynor had been renominat
ed Wednesday, Sept. 3, in one of the
most remarkable demonstrations IL
the history of New York. A crowd
estimated at 10000 gathered in City
Hall square and proclaimed him in
dependent candidate to run against
Tammany. The mayor was then so
weak 1t was necessary for his speech
to be read to the throng, while he sat
In an armchair on balcony overlook
ing the crowd, The next day he sud.
denly decided to go abroad and with
his son, Rufus w. Gaynor, and young
nurse boarded the Baltic. hoping that
the sea air would relieve the increas-
ing irritation in HIS throat.
Man of National Reputation.
There has never been but one WILL
lam J. Gaynor 1t was not that he
was so startling in his originality, but
he applied his. large stock of hard
headed common sense to everyday af-
fairs In such a manner that it nearly
always obtained results.
In this way, without any apparent
came national character. Not all
men approved of his methods and poll
cies in every case, but by all he was
recognized as a national asset rather
than a liability.
1t was as a police magistrate in
New York city that he first attracted
attention. The police had become
harsh in their dealing with delinquents
and those whom they came to regard
as delinQuents, whether they were ac-
tually guilty or not Judge Gaynor
took the part OF the plain citizen
against the police officer.
Living in the country, where he had
plenty OF elbow room himself and
where his children had no lack of play.
ground, he always manifested a keen
sympathy for the little ones who grew
up in the tenements and on the street
OF the city. II was In this that he, as
a magistrate, first attracted national
attention.
TireIess as a Reformer.
Long before this he became known
to politicians all over the country be-
cause OF his work in breaking up
rings within the Democratic party.
That was as far back as 1890. The
conviction of John Y. Kane on ac-
count of election frauds was secured
by Gaynor and the case attracted
wide attention not only In this coun-
try but abroad.
In 1893 Mr.. Gaynor was first elect
ed member of the supreme court of
New York This position he held
until he was elected mayor in 1909.
From the date of his election to
the Office Of mayor to the present
day, Judge Gaynor kept up his work
OF reform. Within sixty days after
he assumed Office he cut off the heads
OF 429 Tammany politicians who were
on the municipal payroll. One hun
dred and twenty-five of these went to
the block on the same day Within
this time the new mayor cut off sal.
aries aggregating $S55.O00 year
and had inaugurated measures to save
the taxpayers of the city an aggre-
gate of $20,000.000 year, and he
had only begun to work.
Beyond Tammany's Power.
He was nominated and presumably
elected by Tammany. Mayor Gaynor
himself said to the papers that
Charles F. Murphy. the Tammany
Ahlettain had made only one augges-