The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-11
GAYNOR IS DEAD.
tcontinued from Page One,

Liverpool on september lS, ana 10
reach this city a week later.
Mayor Gaynor's sudden death COM
pletely overturned the municipal polft-
ical situation 1t removes from the
field a candidate for mayor who was
expected to cut heavily into the vote
of the fusion nominee, John Purroy
Mitchell. and leaves only the tickets
nominated by the Democrats and the
Fusionists. The former is headed by
Edward E. Mccall, former chairman of
the public service commission of this
district The mayors denomination
was brought about by no particular
political faction or party, but repre-
scented only his personal popularity.
Politicians who discussed his death to-
day expected his followers would make
no attempt to nominate a candidate
in his place. No other places on the
Gaynor ticket have yet been filed
Mayor Gaynor was placed at the
head of the independent ticket after
Tammany hall had refused him a re-
nomination. He was to lead those who
opposed the regular Democratic or
ganization and yet were unwilling to
join the fusion of Republicans and
Progressives. His standard was the
shovel, reminding voters of his efforts to
hasten the building of the new sub
ways The mayor also said it was en-
blematic of his intention to clean the
grafters OUT
Flags at Half Mast.
The passing of Mayor Gaynor re-
called the sudden death of Henry
George, of single tax fame and third
party candidate, almost on the eve
of the New York mayoralty election
of 16 years ago.
Secretary Adamson received the
cablegram announcing the mayors
death while he was at his home in
Brooklyn. Mr.. Adamson notified Mrs
Gaynor at the mayors country home
at ST James, and then endeavored to
reach by telephone Adolph L. Kline,
the acting mayor, who Will be New
York's chief executive until the in
auguration of Mayor Gaynor's success
sor to be elected in November. In
this he was unsuccessful. ColoneI
Kline had left the home of his SON
in-law after an early breakfast and at
10 o'clock had not heard of the
mayors death. At that hour the flags
on the city hall were halfmasted by
Mr.. Adamson's orders.
Mayor Gaynor's death recalls the
attempt on his life made by an aSsas-
sin at Hoboken in August of 1910: On
this occasion the mayor had decided
to take a brief vacation abroad under
much the same circumstances as
those under which he left here a
week ago. He was standing on the
deck of the steamer Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse, talking with friends and
the center of a group of city OFFICIALS
at the time.
Into this friendly gathering James
J. Gallagher, the assassin, made his
way unobserved. When close to the
mayor he drew a revolver and fired a
shot. The bullet penetrated Mr.. Gay
nor's throat. He suffered from this
serious injury for many weeks, but
finally recovered to a sufficient de-
gree to enable him to resume his
duties and was apparently none the
worse for his experience until recently
when the wound began to trouble him
Gallagher had been dismissed from
the dock department OF the city of
New York under Mayor GaynOr, and
the mayor to reinstate him. For his
crime he was sentenced to II years
imprisonment. After little more than
a year in prison he was transferred to
sane at Trenton and died there last
February.
Feared the 'Fishhook.'
Lacking details of the manner of the
mayors death his friends here be-
Heved that the heart attack spoken of
in Rufus Gaynor's cablegram was
brought on by q return of the cough
ing fits that had occurred at intervals
since he was shot. Although the may
or had no presentiment that his trip
would end fatally he had at different
times within the last year or two told
his secretary that the violence of these
attacks were a great strain on his
heart and he feared that at some time
or other one of them might result seri-
ously.
The mayor used to speak of the irri-
tation in his throat as "fishhook." 1t
was this ''fishhook" that probably
caused his death. Just before he re-
ceived notification of his nomination
by the popular demonstration at the
city hall, the mayor had been in bed
off and on for about a week at his
summer home at st. James. Mrs Gay
mia -
tiers. is at st. James. The other two
unmarried daughters are at boarding
school up the Hudson. The mayors
other SON is at the mayors Brooklyn
home. The mayor had two married
daughters. Mrs. w. Seward Webb and
Mrs. Harry K. Vingut
At IL a. m, Greenwich time, the wire
less said the Baltic was $50 miles west
OF Queenstown. She was due at
Queenstown about a. m. Friday
Sketch of His Life.
William Jay Gaynor was born on a
farm near Whitestown, N. Y, in 1851.
He had to help the family there in its
struggle for existence, and in this
fight he had to take time for his own
education. He graduated from the
Whitestown seminary, went to Boston
to teach school and afterwards studied
law in the Office of Ward Hunt of
Utica, who later became a justice of
the supreme court of New York. In
1873 young Gaynor went to Brooklyn
and became a newspaper reporter. Two
years later he was admitted to the
bar. From that moment until his
death, Gaynor lived in the midst of
continual political warfare. He started
1t with an attack upon the unlicensed
saloons in F1atbush, a section of brook
Ign, and won. Ten years later he led
a successful fight against the socalIed
Mclaughlin ring in Brooklyn His bat
tie against John Y. McKane boss of
Sheepshead Bay and Coney Island at
tracted national attention. McKane