New Britain herald., 1915-09-11
LAST OF CIVIL WAR
 GOVERNORS DIES
William Sprague, Aged 84, Passes
 Away in Paris
FIRST WIFE WAS KATE CHASE
Funeral Services of Prominent Rhode Island Man Will Be Held in France Will Be Buried in Home State His Apartment in Paris a Hospital

Will Be Buried in Home State
 His Apartment in Paris Hospital.
 Paris, Sept. II, 9:3O a. m.-William Sprague, famous war governor of Rhode Island and twice United States Senator from that state, died at his residence here early this morning, at the age of eightyfour years. Death was due to meningitis, coupled with the inf1rmities of age.
 At his bedside were his wife and his old friends, Captain and Mrs. Frank II. Mason. His granddaughter, Mrs. Inez Stiness, is expected to sail from New York today.
 Simple funeral services will be held at the residence in this city after which the body will be taken to Rhode Island for burial. 4 MT; Sprague followed with deep in- terest the developments of the Euro pean conflict, referring frequently to the campaigns in which he took part In the Civil War. At the outbreak of hostilities he converted his apartment in the Rue de La Pompe into a con- Valescent hospital for the wounded of all nationalities. He was assisted in the work by his wife, who gave up her dressing room for use as a hos pital pharmacy.
 Governor Sprague had lived in Paris several years. He became critically ill late in 1910 and his death was expected, but he became much better, although he continued to be a semi-invalid.
 Last of Civil War Governors.
 Toe of tIoa Civil War governors. He outlived every chief executive of the states, and nearly every member of con- gross, of the period.
 He probably was the youngest man in this country ever elected to the gov ernorship of a state. When only twenty mine years old, in 1860, he was chosen as Rhode Islands chief execu- tive, serving three consecutive terms of one year each. In his third cam- paign only siXty-fve votes were cast against him in the whole state.
 Born at Cranston, R. l., in 1880, he early inherited a large fortune. The Sprague family had been prom inent in the political industrial and social lige of the state the revolution. Young Sprague anticipated the Civil
 
 break he maintained two full bat teries of artillery at his own expense. 1 When the war came, Rhode Island l and Sprague were ready to rush to 1 the front,
 The youthful governor, at the head | of 5000 well-drilled troops, was one of the first to reach Washington. He with his volunteers to the battle of Bull Run and later to the Peninsula.
 , Governor Sprague was the last survivor. of the famous conference of twelve Northern governors at AL toona, Pa., in 1862.
 We had to take a lot of abuse in return for our endorsement of Lin- colns Emancipation Proclamation" said Governor Sprague recently. We were hissed fn the streets and were denounced as traitors"
 Senator at B.
 At 33 years of age, he entered the U. s. senate and served during the of Lincoln, Johnson and Grant.
 He married the beautiful and bril- liant Kate Chase, daughter of Lin- ,oln's Secretary of the Treasury and
  States Supreme court Lincoln, his a binet, congressman and foreign ministers attended. It was the most wedding ever held in the national capital up to that time. It S said to have cost more than $250,- )O0 The young couple led a brilliant so- ,ial career in Washington and Rhode island. Sprague erected a beautiful mansion at Narragansett Pier which cost $1,00O,000 complete and was the show palace of the state. The fur liture alone, all foreign made cost ;25O, 1000. More than $150,00O worth ,f art objects filled the four-story rame structure.
 The crash came in 1873. When the financial panic swept the country the 16,O00,00O business house of the 'prague's which owned large print 10th factories and numerous other , enterprises went into bankruptcy. i Jaw suits stripped the governor of i lis fortune, leaving him only his Ountry home, named "CanOnchet" f fter an Indian chief. ,,
 Divorce Obtained. t Before he had recovered from that l low another fell Mrs Sprague be- anne involved in romance and sail a d for Jamica. Senator Roscoe Conk- { ing was driven from the mansion ct ( he point of a shot gun in the hands l f Sprague. Divorce soon followed c Later "Canonchet" was sold over he head of the governor. Frank D. Ioulton paid $G2,2 for the $1,O0O.- % estate. When he appeared to ake possession he found "Canonchet" r ] state of siege. Governor Sprague V rmed with his historic shot gun and a urrounded by his supporters, stood r eady to repulse invasion, The siege il