Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-02
WILL KEPT PENROSE
ALIVE TWO YEARS
Senator Ran on His Nerve
Since His ColIapse-Had
to SIeep'in Chair
Bv a Std6 Correspondent

Boies Penrose going the last two years
Of his life.
This is the unanimous verdict of his
physician. his secretarial staff. his
nurses and all those who we're closely
associated with him or knew of his
D physical state. 1t was the fighting
spirit in the shell of the old Penros'
that defied death and Knocked at those
who predicted it.
ANY ordinary man. said DR.. Roy
~ s. Adams. his physician for the las
year. would have died long ago: Hit
nerve alone kept him up: He had
wonderful constitution :. but more
wonderful nerve. l dont know OF an
other human being who IL getting
around and doing as much work will
h as small heart capacity.
III For a time il was thought Senator
" Penrose had cirrosis of the liver. But
this was disproved. He died of pull
monary thrombosis, blood clots in the
lungs-superinduced by myocarditis, o,
degeneration of the heart muscle. II
was that from which he had suffered
for two years, and which reduced his
vitality at times almost to the vanish
ing point. He literally ran on his
nerve
L Always "Feeling Fine
To the last Penrose would never ad'
lit except to his physician and nurses
,werat there was anything constitutionallJ
etarLng with him. Even to the latter M
r admitted suffering. He was al
A. "feeling fine" He complained
much lthing except the restrictions i'm
ph,iiios to prevent his over exertion. Hi'
sanda ,cians and nurses were the only in
oSo, ,ials aside from his brother. Dr
~, ~. les B. Penrose, from whom he tool
ers or whose authority he respected
With reference to his own movements
1t may also be disclosed now that
Penrose seldom lay down during the
last. year of his life; He dozed ant
slept in chair. Perhaps for an houl
or two n night he stretched out on d
couch or bed. The rest of the time
he sat up or rcclned in sitting posture
because of his weakened heart. Yet h'
lived and worked for year, and never
consciously surrendered.
His weakened condition. a cold which
had confined him for week, a severe
coughing spell last Tuesday which fur
\ ther weakened his heart, ana its sud
I den failure late Saturday night was thu
combination that brought on death. liz
collapsed at IL 30, while asleep. Ii
I ten minutes he was dead. With hin
at the time were his. secretary, Leigh
ton G. Taylor; DIR. Adams and Mis-:
X Mabel c. Clendenning, his nurse ant
\ constant attendant. Only this smal
Vroup and the servants were gathered II
a the spacious Penrose apartment wher
the end came.
He went out on the tide of the ole
year, failing by half an hour to tnisf
It. Death came exactly year, almost
Ito the hour and minute, from the dat'
lof his retnrn to Washington to resume
hhis senatorial duties, after years alb
tsence. 1t was New Years eve yea'
.A Sago that Penrose came back from Phil
adelphia. a blankcted. muffed figure
broken in health. but not in spirit. Elk
cept for few days in Philadelphia, a
y SAtlantc City or in Valley Forge, h,
has been here constantly since.
Death Came in Midst OF Revelry
Death came in the midst of revelry
The Wardman Park Inn. where h,
lived, held brilliant New Near,
ihrong. Gayety dominated the scene
Young girls IN flaming gowns fit
tered across the floors. Mature ma
irons made merry with portly escorts
There was melody and color. Far int
Al the night and the New Year the,
IA danced-not knowing that death stalket
In near. The hotel management knew 1t
- The word was withheld from tn,
u, guests.
1t was not until Sunday that newi
of the Pennsylvania death reached
M the capital generally, and it came as
shock. There were many expressions
n from colleagues, Republicans and Dem
Al ocrats alike. Penrose was respected. ii,
H\ was not always liked. He held men BY
Y the force of powerful intellect an(
personality rather than by the warn
/ human touch. He was figure apart.
Today official Washington turnc(
from his bier to moralizc upOn til,
changed conditions of the country's DO
lltics. Senator Penrose's place in pub
lie affairs will probably never be filled
Such was the judgment of the politi,
clans.
4 He was the last of vanishing rae.
that counted among~its members Platt
Quay. Hanna. Aldrich and Crane
men who will be known as party man
ayers or political bosses. lie hat
held public Office continuously longer
than any man. Not another LIVING
4 American can duplicate his record in
this respect; There are others like
Uncle Joe Cannon, of Illinois. who
have served longer. but their service
was interrupted, Politicians agree that
bis end marks the passing OF the old
order.
Was Paradox to Leaders
TO many leaders in Washington Pen.
rose was Il paradox. They found 4
difficult to reconcile the facts concern
ing his antedecents, education and early
training with the record Of his Doliticu
career, reaching its climax when he sue
ceeded Quay as director of the destine
OF the Republican party in Pennsyl.
vania and became one of its outstanding
figures in the Nation 'Penrose tn,
boss was an anomaly those who knew
the other side of the picture could moi
understand, and 'penrOSp tho scholo ~,