New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-04
0ANS'S DEATH OPENS
WAY FOR DONAGHEY
arkansas Legislature May Hold
SneciaI Session to Elect
His Successor.
eIlNERAL OCCURS SUNDAY
mich Regret in United States
Senate Over Passing Of
Its Most Picturesque
Member.

,,.uo Rock. Ark. Jan. 3.-The funeral
I,ri,eJ states Senator "Jeft" Davis,
-. died suddenly early to-day at his
-. here. will take place at 3 o'clock
sunday afternoon
s.,otor Dayis's death occurred at 1880
..a,oek this morning from heart disease,
-. elimination of an Illness of several
o,,bs His condition was thought to he
,u.,,ovjng. and he was at his office the
rr.oter part OF yesterday. Hc CON-
.,.,ned Of feeling bad early In the
...r,ns. but the family physician, who
..s called did not regard his condition
:. serious. At midnight tho Senator
,.usd 10 his son. who was in an adjoin-
,,s room, that he was i'll and 10 summon
rbvsician. \ doctor arrived half hour
,,,.r As he entered the room Senator
n,rl, fell back on his bed and was dead
,,bsn the physician reached him. Up 20
cha time Of calling his son the Senator
,onsrently had slept soundly, Senator
naus when he returned home from
washington for the holidays. seemed IN
n, usual health. During his last TO-
g,lcal campaign. IN September, there VAS
General com .ent on the fact that he d'i
mi use the vigorous methods that char
,,,.rized his earlier campaigns.
Senator Davis leaves a widow and seven
children. The oldest son. Wallace. aged
,vcnty-four years. has been associated
with the Senator in his law practice. His
eldest daughter. Miss Bessie, acted as his
nriyste secretary. His other children
LAME. JEFF, ir, Ina, Lucille and Lewis
are students in local schools. Senator
nsvis's mother. who is elghty-tour years
old lives AT Russellville. Senator Davis
Was twice married.
Opens Way for Governor Donaehey.
The death OF Senator Davis on the eve
q, the ratification of his reelection by the
LEGISLATURE creates peculiar political
situstion in Arkansas. and while an au-
,boritativa statement has not been made,
II il possible a special session will he
called to select n successor for the full
term beginning on March next As dn
alternative it is suggested that the Legis-
iature would have power to name the new
Senator
Governor George w. DOnaghey. who
will retire from office on January 49, and
Representative W. A. Oldfeld had tenta-
lively announced that they would be cam
adates for the United States Senate two
Years hence TO succeed Senator James p.
Clarke.
Washington. Jan. 3.-The sudden death
Of Senator Davis came as a distinct shock
to his friends in the capital this morning.
On account of the death the Senate to-
day adjourned after sixminute session
Until noon tomorrow. Senators Pome-
rene Bryan, Ashurst. MARITIME, Curtis.
Clapp and Clarke. OF Arkansas. We're APP
pointed a committee 10 attend the fu-
neral. and will leave tonight for Little
Rock
Speaker Clark appointed the following
members of the House TO attend the flu
neral: Representatives Goodwin. Macon,
Cravens. FLOYD. Oldield and Jackoway,
Of Arkansas. Cullop. of Indiana; Daven-
port. OF Oklahoma: Nelson. of Wisconsin;
Miller. Of Minnesota; Greene. of Vermont;
Rses. Of Kansas. and I<inkaid, of Ne
breska
JEFF Davis. three times Governor OF
Arkansas. twice its Attorney General and
once its representative in the United
States Senate. received ali these ,honofs
al the hands OF the plain country people.
foo
he sought. He cultivated the enmty OF
lawyers. preachers, doctors, merchants
and townspeople generally. Many and
picturesque are the stories told of his
campaign methods
When he ran FOR the Senate he even
shocked the sense Of dignity Of his
friends a little But" they insisted,
he'll be another Tillman."
He'll disgrace the state" declared his
enemies.
Ladies and gentlemen" lie would an
nounce. as he stepped TO the front OF a
rostrum, high collars are made for those
dudes down in Little Rock. i can't make
speech when l wear one and / harc
them. wear no mans collar"
With that he would tear off collar and
tie. remove his coat and start in. while
me crowd whooped its approval.
II is said that after he had been elected
Governor he got down on his hands and
krees one day in a public place and
asked some OF his friends TO kick him, so
they could say they had kicked the Gov
ornor OF the state.
his nercc public attacks on his adver-
earies got him into many personal en-
counter IN 1902 he had fist night with
me Republican candidate for Governor,
n. n. Myers, at SELDOM Springs. The
next year he came TO blows on the speak
ers platform, al Bismarck. Ark. with
justice Carroll d. Wood. who knocked
MN on the platform. A few weeks later
~ Little Rock A. e. Vandeventer called
MN e Contemplate liar" Both grabbed
s.nairs and started for each other, but
nope. AK, he had another set-to win
sustice Wood, and this time succeeded in
puhshing him with stout cane.
Threatened to Kill Davis.
In the campaign OF 1906 Attorney Cen
sral Bob" Rogers threatened 10 Kill
Davis II the latter repeated a certain
scandalous story about him. In a joint
debate with Rogers that night Davis told
we story Of his rivals threat before MS
very face. but tactfully omitted the re-
peating OF the scandal.
IN that same campaign he was attackeo
0s Congressman Hugh Dinsmore and Sc
Vereiy wounded on the head with the butt
Of a revolver
When the newly elected Senator started
iof Washington he made this boast:
With gentle. kind spirited Bob Tay-
,Of' OF Tennessee; 'Pitchfork' Tillman' OF
south Carolina. and the fearless Narda-
man. Of Mississippi, there will be- first
slass row. When | get to the Senate
mere will be something doing In town.
But the Senator's oratory was not as
Wen annrocIatod In ahinpfnn &c IL NAS