The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-14
QUESTIONS AND W
You will obligc me IL you will give a
brief biography Of Francis T.. Church,
who wrote "ls There a Santa claus"
HENRY UATroS.

HENRY ItATroN.
leading editorial writer on THE SuN
for almost a third Of a century. Charles
y. Dana had been In control Of THE L
for about five years when Mr.. Church
began to contribute 70 It's columns.
Born in Rochester. n. V. on February
&c. 1899. Mr.. Church died on April II.
1906. at his home. 46 Fast Thirticth
street. New York. after an illness Of
several months.
lie was the son Of the Rev. Or.
Pharcellus Church. an able writer and
controversialist. and u grandson OF VIII
lard Church, a soldier Of tho Revolu-
ttonary war who was a prisoner for
eight or nine months on the prison ship
Jersey. Mr.. Church vas a iineal de-
scendant of Roger Conant, Governor Of
the Massachusetts Colony.
AS a boy Mr.. Church studied in
Charles Anthon's Latin School In New
York and he was graduated with honors
from Columbia in 1869. He studied IN
the Office Of Judge Hooper c. Van Worst,
hut put aside the law TO take up writ.
Ing. lie was h editor Of tire 0alorv
hn0d=inc and was associated with his
brother. Col. William Conant Church.
In the MANAGEMENT Of the Army and
Nary Journal and the Internal Rere-
"ue Record. In the later years Of his
life he took no part in the management
Of these papers, although he remained
n director in the corporation owning
them. Mr.. Church married Elizabeth
Wickham OF Philadelphia. They had no
children. lie was a member Of the Sons
OF the Revolution. the National Soup
ture Society and the Century Club.
YOU correspondent q. q. Hood asks
70. Information about the circumstances
under which Mary Herman. daughter of
JOHN Tiernan. died. Her grave is upon
tho top Of Pixies Peak. The tombstone
says she was devoured by mountain rats,
and no ono WAS found In Colorado
Springs. at the foot Of tho mountain.
who has any knowledge Of her tomp-
stone.
| saw the alleged grave and read the
tagi" inscription away back IN the
summcr Of 1850. NJ tina time every on,
said that the grave was q hoax dcsixnc I
for th" benefit Of tourists by one of
III" United states weather observers sta
TONED there. We saw tho weather men
IN their hut - far AS W. could learn
mountain rats were mythical animals.
or II they did exist they wcr. certainly
harmless aud there seemed to IL, no
possibility that a child could HAY. been
taken {" lv" IN such a place There
is no doubt about tho hoax hat d, IL
curious that people in Colorado springs
d" not know about ii. Perhaps III,
stone had fallen down. and has recently
been set up again. ! visited tho summit,
several times during the fi,c years fol-
lowing 1850 hut did not notice thu
grave" after the fr-t visit. hence I
seems probable that This disappearance
and renewal have taken place.
~ I. ".
In considering the inquiry from Mr..
Hood concerning tho identity OF MARY
Ti"rnan. whose particularly tragic end
ing is recorded in her grewSonc cpl
tdph. ! think he could secure abundant
Information from Old residents of Colo
rado Springs II he should sugg.s, 81
them in connection with his request for
information the name of Sergt. O'keefc.
who was in charge Of the Signal Corps
detachmen: ON duty in Colorado Springs
and ON Pixies Peak in 1873.
Sergt. O'keef. originally was a New
York ucwsboy. who had secured a MONT.
natiou to Annapolis ~ an open com
petition but unfortunately his conucc.
ton with the naval school was Of brief
duration because Of his participation
IN some hazing prauks. On leaving The
academy he enlisted in the Signal Corps
of the amy and at the time [ specified
he was In charge of the detachment, or
duty in Colorado Springs and az the
station or the Peak. O'kecte was d
man OF notable wit and huInor. one
evidence OF the latter quality was III,
grave he prepared on the summit, OF
Pixies Peak to stimulate the sensibi,itics
and reward the eNertions OF the tourist.
who by burro or OH foot faced the din,
culties Of the ascent to the summii OF
the mountain in the days before thu
railroad WAS built. Sergt. O'ieefe's cpl
taph was a memorial Of the sad fa',
OF a supposit!t!ous "Emmet O'Kecfe.
but the aus OF the death WAS the sam'
AZ the one ascribed for the ending %
Miss Herman and | feel certain tn
change in the name is due to careless
ness or mis,nformation on the part o
the Old Mortality to whose pious car,
we owe the preservation OF this record.
Sergt. O'keefc's fondness for tn,
startling and picturesque finally prove,
his downfall with the matter of fact au
thoriiies In the Signal Corps. who los
all patience over some interesting an
nouncements he had telegraphed through
the country Of the revival OF volcani
activities on Pixies Peak.
joins E. McGRArH.
Your correspondent gave you III,
wrong name. II IL O'Keefc, not Tier
nan. As nearly az I can recall the in
scr!ption on the wooden slab that /
supposed 70 mark a grave on Pike
Peak reads Sacred 70 the memor,
Of Ellen O'keefe. daughter of John an,
n Mary O'Keefe, who was eaten by noun
: tain rats SC, TIL" date, I think. wa
Z 1877 or thereabout. l am positive n
to the name. because il was the sam
as that OF a friend who was travellin,
, with me last July and ] remarked II =
the time. G. &. b.
Please tell me the color Of the ful
dress uniforms OF the Twenty-thir,
{ Regiment and the Seventh Regiment o
the National Guard. Do these regi
ments own their armoriesr V. II.
The full dress uniforms of both regi
ments are gray. In s~wallowtail coats
with tarpot hats and white duck trou
sers. the members OF the Seventh pre-
sent a decided resemblance to tho Yves
q Point cadets. The Twenty-third wear
I no coattails and has a headpiece some
what like the French soldiers ~stiffene
cap.
NJ. Eo,,pt, Inntt,,ont h,ilt n1l Dr,,