Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1916-12-28
R0BT. {. GONZALES
DIES OF PNEUMONIA
BRILLIANT YOUNG JOURNALIST
PASSES AWAY IN HOSPITAL
AT Ell PASO.
WAS RESULT OF EXPOSURE
Noted Paragrapher of "The State"
Was Sergeant in the Second South
Carolina Infantry.

Columbia Robert Elliott Con.
zaleS. 2S years of age, who in half
decade had by his work on The State
made secure his place among the fore
most few practitioners of that fine
journalistic art died of pneumonia late
Tuesday night. December 10 at El
Paso. Texas. He enlisted as a private
in the Second South Carolina infan-
try on the mobili2ng of the militia
last June and before his command
left Camp Moore for the frontier i'm
August he had won on merit, promo
tion TO a serSeantry in the machine
gun company. Saturday. December 16
he was relieved OF an arduous tour Of
patrol duty and almost immediately
developed the malady which in four
short days cut short his life of rare
achievement and brilliant promise.
The end came in the base hospital at
Fort Bliss.
Col Springs. commanding the Sec
ond. sent an escort east with that
which was mortal of the young soldier
and the funeral was held in Columbia
with military honors
So abrupt and extreme termina
tion of his illness was not expected.
but the first intimation was disouiet-
ing and members OF his family made
preparations to join him. He had OBJ
tanned furlough and expected to par
ucipatc in family reunion in New
York city during the holidays. In
stead his father. William f.. Gonzales.
United States minister to Cuba. left
iiabana Immediately for EI Paso and
was intercepted at ST Augustine bv
messages telling of the end. He then
came to Columbia.
Robert Gonzales was born I'm Co.
lumbia, April is. 1883. the son OF vii.
liam +. and Sarah Cecil Shivar Con.
zales. His paternal grandfather. the
Cuban patriot Gen. Ambrosio Jose
Gonzales. was chief of artillery to
Gen. Beauregard in the Confederate
States army. Gen Gonzales as an
exile settled in the coastal plain OF
South Carolina and there married
daughter OF William Elliott. Robert
Gonzales uncles, Ambrose f.. Con
zales and the late Narciso Gener Con
zaleS, were the founders of Th..
state. Prepared for college bv Miss
Janney and William II. Warner I'm Col.
umbia, Robert Gonzales spent one
year at the Citadel in Charleston and
thereafter was several years a student
IN the University of South Carolina. a
member OF the class OF 1909. He I'm.
tended going on to Harvard after his
graduation, but his health became i'm.
paired, an operation was required and
before he had recovered the college
year had opened. Mr. Gonzales ioin-
ed the stan of The State i'm the sum
mer OF 1911 as paragrapher and edf.
torial writer. How well he did his
work Is known far beyond the bounds
OF South Carolina. He sDent sly
months abroad during 1913. None of
his work has appeared i'm The state
since the troops were called out last
June, war department rule MAKING
soldiers ineligible for newspaper worl,
Mr.. Gonzales was a communicsnt
OF Trinity Church, Columbia. where
as lad he was choir boy. He was
member OF the Columbia Club and
or several other organizations He
was diffident but cordial and had host.
OF devoted friends lie had the aGec.
ton and respect of his comrades in
the military service. His colonel des.
ignated him regimental historian
shortly before the Second went to the
border