The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-10


 came alarmed. and told the superinten
 dent he should go home and urged that a cab be called. s<<
 The never say die'' attitude of Su- perintendent Birmingham was again | displayed when he said: George, go up stairs, am all right i and when fell that I should go home l I will telIayou. Don't worry, am 1 going to remain. I will see you before 1 you go home at noon.''
 Sergeant Haux then knew it was
 useless to urge him to go home and | he returned to his office in the detec- 1 tive bureau in a worried state of mind | for he saw that the condition of the | superintendent was serious Shortly before il o'clock a Farmer l reporter entered the office of the Su-
 perintendent as was his. custom at that hour every day. The head of the department was writing. He look ed up and said: "Oh, good morning. young man. How are you this morning?'' The reporter was discussing various
 topics when the superintendent start i ed to doze His visitor remarked 1 that the superintendent appeared fa- tfgued and he answered with 8. smile: | "Oh! It's just a touch of the grip.
 I'll be all right in a few days"
 When asked had he taken any med i icine, he said:
 | S1dW! AI1SdlC1H0 Let IL SO8 LLG
 way it came. I'll be fine and dandy | tomorrow.'ss l Suddenly he again dozed off and the
 newspaperman, believing that the su- perintendent was fatigued rather than
 seriously i'll. tip-tQed his way to the door.
 It was about 11:3O Saturday morn ing when Mrs. Kate Burroughs, clerk l to the superintendent, asked him to l endorse ajcheck- The steady hand of 1 Superintendent Birmingham which I was complete master of the pen in
 hadN at last failed him. although he l little realizedi it. himself
 l In signing the check he drew a l straight line across it at the bottom | and not a letter was discernable. Mrs. Burroughs became alarmed and call ed Sergeant Haux. The latter saw at a glance that the superintendent was
 weakening and he escorted him to his
 home.
 ,I Upon reaching his home the super intendent partoook of 8 cup of tea
 and then rec1ined in an easy chair un-
 til about o'clock. All this time. he Il was smoking and reading newspapers. and periodicals. Dr. Rowe had been called in the meantime and he had great difficulty in restraining the de-
 sire of the superintendent to return to
 his office at o'clock in the afternoon. Il Dr. Rowe was again called at E o'c1ock in the evening and he advised that the patient retire. By this time he had suffered chill and he was }. complaining of the> cold. He was wrapped in warm blankets and while in bed conversed with his family until } g o'clock when the physician advised | calling a priest. 3 Rev. J. B. Nihi1I,- pastor of St. Aug : usti1e's church and for years a close 7 friend of Superintendent Birmingham, II responded in answer to the call: He heard the confession of the i'll man = and later administered the Sacrament : of Holy. Eucharist This-was followed by the administering of the last rites of the Roman Catholic church in the 5 form of Extreme Unction. Father : Nihill. was of the belief that the su-
 lperintedRent would recover as late 3 as 10-, o'clock. The sudden change l occurred about Il o'clock. ~ It was : just 11:5O when the beloved superin- 9 tendent expired exact1y12 2 hours after leaving his office.
 s When the news of his death went e broadcast about the city a heavy pail
 settled over the town and many eye g was dinned vits tears. Expressi ons . of grief were heard from thousands of = residents of this city who had come s in contact with the deceased during s his years as head of the department
 At police headquarters. Lieutenant U Joseph A. Hazel was overcome with
 sorrow, as was Lieutenant Charles H. Suck1ey,e the latter being so grief ! stricken that he could scarcely wield r the pen as he recorded many events l of the evening on the police b1otter- One of the most grief stricken mem ! bers of the police department was ' EDoorman James Halpin, who reported : for duty at 11:45 Saturday night : Doorrnan Halpin was speechless when l, informed of the demise of his lifelong . friend, the man that had stood by his i. side in many a pitched battle, in the = course of duty, far back as 80 years = Fago. Doornan EIalpfn retired to the . office of the deceased and there he q wept bitterly at the loss of his friend 2 and chun.
 a Police Commissioner John E. Lyddy . was beside himself with grief and as n Itonishment when informed by 2 = Farmer reporter that the head of the e ! police department had expired. Com e missioner Lyddy admired and respect : ed Birmingham and never a Sunday d passed without his visiting the head @ of the department in his office a il Headquarters. I n President John c. Stanley, Commis T sioners Peet and Murphy were aIst - grieved to learn of the sudden demise : and expressions of sympathy and sor-
 row were forwarded the bereavet g family.
 q q The death of Eugene Birpain ghan a is an irreparable loss to the citizen ship of Bridgeport well as to it 5 lLpoIice department. Almost all hi 2 life a constant resident of this city
 he enjoyed the confidence and esteem r of hundreds of intimate personal ac - quaintances and the admiration o q thousands who recognized his wortl 6 of character and splendid executiv, f ability. II Eugene Birmingham was born il n gast Hartford in 1851, and was wtthfr t few days of his 65th birthday. He :, was one of six children, Eugene. Han-