Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-05-27
]. 4. R R||||:'S ! J!
DIES | ! ! ! after !; R
SICKNESS 4
REPLACED sQUALID HOMES
BY SHADY u AND COOL
PARKS.
CLEANED UP the SlUnS

Barre, Mass, May 26.-Jacob A.
Riis, author, social and worker died
at his summer home, here after a
long illness.
Jacob Auguts Riis became, through
his work In behalf of the poorer peo-
pie In New York, "the most useful
citizen" Of the metropolis, according
to a tribute once paid him by TheO.
dore Roosevelt, his intimate friend.
As an almost penatless immigrant
he obtained kEo u nd Of the slurs
at first and found conditions there SO
repellant that he consecrated his
whole life to warfare against wretch
edless.
Thirteenth Child.
i Riis was the thirteenth child of a
Latin teacher in Ribe, Jutland, Dem
mark. He was born in 1849. Protest.
ing at the literary career which his
father had cut out for him, young
Riis decided to work with his hands
AID became a carpenters apprentice.
The vocation he had chosen did not
prevent him, however, from falling in
love with Elizabeth Nelson, daughter
of one Of the richest men in his ma
tive town. But she refused him, and
when Riss was 81 years old, having
learned his trade, he embarked for
New York with only $40 in his pocket.
He spent half the sum for heavy
navy pistol as soon as he landed, Ito
fight Indians and desperadoes.
Led a Varied Career.
Riis led varied career during the
following six years. He built miners
huts in q Pennsylvania construction
camp, mined coal, made bricks, drove
a team and peddled flat irons and
books. At ~ he spent his last cent
in reaching New York, hoping to en-
list through the French consul IL the
French army against Germany for the
Franco-P Prussian war, but his services
were refused and Riis was forced to
accept beginners place as re.
porter for a New York news bureau
At the very first, he made his most
conspicuous success in the study o,
on the East Side of New
York. ';A
Bought Brooklyn News.
With only SIS capital and notes for
1915, he succeeded in buying the
South Brooklyn News" which was
On the verge of bankruptcy and made
such a success with the property tha.
be was able to sell it at consider.
able profit few years later. He re-
turned to. Denmark and married the
girl who had refused him when he
was carpenters apprentice. Thisfirst
wife died in 1905 and two years later
Riis married Mary Phillip of st. Louis.
As reporter on the New York
Tribute and later on the New York
Sun, Riis took up his real work in
,lum fighting. While attending to
routing duty as a police reporter, he
worked day and night to arouse the
people to the need of improved con.
litions. Oae of the first Of his cam.
paigns was against the impurity of
he city water. and it was his fight
which finally led to the purchase OF
he Croton watershed to assure safe
water for New York.
Sunlight to Tenement.
He brought sunlight to the tene.
nent districts by forcing the destruc-
ion of rear tenements. He entirely
cleared Mulberry Bend, one Of the
worst tenement sections IN the city,
md replaced the squalid homes by
hady parks.
Theodore Roosevelt was Police
of New York when Riis
the evils Of police station
odging houses He won his point and
strong ally in Mr.. Roos-
'elt. Riis drove bake-shops out of
enement Easements; he fought for
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