The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-07-31
REP. j. W. RAGSDALE
DIES SUDDENLY
Prominent in House Affairs During
the Six Years of His Service at
Washington.

tive ]. Willard Ragsdale, of the Sixth
South Carolina District, who had be-
come we'll known and popular here
during his six years of congressional
service. None of the Congressman s
friends at the Capitol knew anything
about his being in precarious health,
as he had been attending to business
actively as usual and was the picture
of robust manhood. Both the House
of Representatives and the Senate
adjourned this afternoon out of re-
spect to the South Carolinan's mem
ory, the resolution in the House be-
ing offered by Representative James
F. Byrnes and that in the Senate by
Senator E. D. Smith.
The death of Mr.. Ragsdale occur
red at the offices of DR.. Dorman, a
prominent Washington physician. He
had gone to DR.. Dorman's offices to
keep an appointment with DR.. Arthur
B. Hooe, whom he had consulted sew
eral days ago in regard to the con-
dition of his heart.
DR.. Dorman and DR.. Hooe hastily
summoned a third physician when
they found that Congressman Rags
dale was in a condition of collapse.
The three doctors worked with all
their might to resuscitate him, using
the most powerful emergency meas
ures but without avail. DR.. Hooe said
that death was due to acute dilation
of the heart.
Knew the End Was Near.
Evidently the patient knew the end
was near, for he turned to DR.. Dor
man and asked the physician to hold
his hand. DR.. Dorman complied and in
a few minutes the Member Of Con-
gress had died. He was lying on a
couch in the office when the end
came.
Dr.. Hooe at once tried to get into
communication with Mrs. Ragsdale
but learned she was in South Carolina.
He then called up the Representatives
office.
Several weeks ago Mr.. Ragsdale
complained of nasal trouble and de-
cided to consul a nose specialist. He
had received several treatments and
shortly before going to the doctor to-
day he told Representative Byrnes OF
South Carolina that he had been great
ly benefited by the treatment.
DR.. Dorman requested, because OF
the fact that Mr.. Ragsdale had died
in his office, that the coroner have
an autopsy held on the body. This was
done and the report showed that acute
dilation of the heart, complicated with
serious affection of the kidneys, had
been the cause of death. No anesthe-
tic was administered to Mr.. Ragsdale
and there was no connection between
his visit to DR.. Dorman's office today
and the previous treatment which he
had undergone from another. physi-
clan for the slight nasal trouble which
had been mentioned to his friends.
There was an unfortunate rumor this
afternoon that the South Carolina had
died while under the influence of an
anesthetic during an operation on his
nose.
Began Service i'm SiXty-third Con-
gress.
Representative Ragsdale came to
the Sixty-third Congress. He married
the daughter of the late DR.. w. S.
Joynes, long a member of the faculty
of the University of South Carolina.
Before entering Congress he practic-
ed law in Florence. S. c., his home
city and was president of the bank
there. Besides his wife Mr.. Ragsdale
is survived by two children, a boy
and a girl.
Mr.. Ragsdale had been prominent
in the debaCes of the House and was
member of the. District of Colum-
bia coG,mitteee, the committee on for
eign affairs and the industrial arts
and expositions committee.
Mr., Ragsdale was born in Timmons-
Vile, S. c., forty-seven years ago. He
was educated at the University of
South Carolina and was member of
the South Carolina Legislature and
Senate before coming to Congress.
The funeral party will leave here
for Florence at 9 o'clock tomorrow.
The House committee to attend the
funeral will be composed of the six
South Carolina members Of the House
and nine others yet to be designated
and the Senate committee will include
Senators Smith and Dial of South Car
olina, Ashurst Of Arizona. Beckham OF
Kentucky, Harrison of Mississippi,
Ferald of Maine, Sterling Of South
Dakota, Spencer of Missouri, Suther-
land of West Virginia and McHary of
Oregon.
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