The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-15
JUDGE A. w. BENSON is DEAD
Stroke of Paralysis Proves Fatal to
Former Supreme Court Justice
and u. S. Senator.

Alfred W. Benson, ex-justice of the
supreme court of Kansas and United
| States senator from this state, died
| at the home of his daughter in To
| peka recently.
He had been i'll many weeks. Pa
ralysis is stated as the cause. He was
| y years old.
The body was taken to Ottawa for
| interment. No funeral services were
held in Topeka.
Born in Poland, n. Y, in 1S43, he
was educated in law in Chamberlain
| Institution, Randolph, N. Y, and in
1860 removed to jamestown, n. Y. In
July, 1862, he enlisted as a private in
the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth
New York Volunteers and went to the
front. Ten months later he was left
for dead on the field at ChanceIlors-
vile, May 2, 1868. A Confederate
mimic ball had pierced his right lung.
In turn he became mayor of OF
tawa, member of the state legisla-
ture and district judge. 1t was in
June, 1906, nearly ten years after
Judge Benson had retired from the
bench Of Franklin county, that Cover
nor Hoch called him on the long dis
lance telephone and rendered him
the appointment to the unexpired term
in the senate made vacant by the
resignation of J. Ralph Burton. He
demurred at first, but finally accept
ed the place.
Gave $1,000 to a HospitaI-Mrs.
Vashti Haugh gave as a New Years
greeting to Wesley Hospital, a Metho-
dist institution at Wichita, a deed to
her property amounting to $4,000. 1t
will become the property of the hospi-
tai upon her death.
Railroad Man KilIed-Jack King, a
Kansas City man, was killed when he
fell from Santa Fe train near Larned
the other day. He had been employed
as brakeman since December II. His
parents and wife live at Kansas City.
x x
Aged Bank President Dies.-BasiI
Hardisty, 81 years old, president of
the First National bank of Overlook
and Kansas pioneer, is dead of stom-
ach trouble. Mr.. Hardisty was born
in Ohio, but came to Kansas in the
early '60s. He was one of the big
land owners of Usage county
X x X
Ex-Mayor of Russell Dies.-James R.
Freed, 81 years old and forty years a
resident of Russell county, is dead. He
served three terms as mayor of Rus
sell and took a leading part in the
organization of the Farmers State
bank and the Russell Roller mills.
x x K
Geary County for Rock Roads.-A
campaign for a system of rock roads
in Geary county will be inaugurated at
Club, January 10.
Killed in a Mine ExpIosion.-Henry
Killer, a shotfirer, was killed by an ex-
plosion in Mine No. 10 of the Western
Coal & Mining Company in Franklin
recently. The cause of the explosion
is unknown.
War Veteran Found Dead-The
body of Charles F. PeIky, a Spanish
American war veteran living at the
found dead in a small stream in the
south part of the city recently by chill
dren.
X
&Noman browns in " eII-The body
OF Mrs. Rose Boso Of Breezy Hill was
found in a well recently, an hour after
she had gone to get some water. She
fell. it is believed, while attempting
to draw up bucket Mrs. Boso was
So years old and a widow
x X
Married $50 in OIathe. Probate
Judge G. A. Roberds, Johnson county's
marrying judge" has made a record
by issuing marriage licenses to $50
persons, or 426 couples, in 1915. More
than half OF this number-44S, to be
exact-were from Greater Kansas
City.
x
Dies from inIuries.-Fred Wall, a |
salt worker, was crushed by slide of
salt In the packing room at the Carey |
works at Hutchinson and died the
next morning. His back was broken
In two places.