The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-04-12
DEATH OF JAMES n. GARDNER
Former Madison and Sk0whegan Wan
Dies In Elkhart, Indiana

regret of the death of James II. CARD
ner at Elkhart, Ind. as previously
announced in the observation-disclosures
ter. A western newspaper contains
the following account.
Stricken with heart disease while
on his way home, James Hesman
Gardner, aged 81 years, resident OF
1sIkhart for As years, and pioneer
band instrument maker, died at
! o'clock Saturday a few seconds after
he had crumpled to the sidewalk in
front of the James A. Bell Cos store
at 320 South Main street.
The funeral will be held tomorrow,
with services at the Elks' temple at
! . o'clock, in charge of Rev. r. c.,
Plank of Simpson Methodist church.
! The lodge will conduct ritualistie SER
vice both at the temple and at the
! grave. The body, which today was
/ taken to the Gardner home, 10 Paci-
! lc street, from the Ed VALLEY under
taking rooms at ais West Marion ST.,
may be seen at the home up to noon
tomorrow. when it will be taken to
the Elks' temple, to lie in state until
the hour of service.
! APPEARED IN NORMAL CONDITION
Mr.. Gardner had gone to his work
in the Conn factory as usual Satur-
day morning. apparently in good
! health and spirits. Late In the fore
noon he became i'll at the factory and
went home. where his foster daugh-
| ter, Mrs F. S. Baker, who had been
in his home since a child OF nine
years. made him comfortable on
! lounge She said he complained of
pains over his chest but thought he
would be all right in a short time.
AS dinner time, approached he told
her he did not care for anything to
eat, but when she said she had one
of his favorite dishes, he accepted her
suggestion to eat little anyway. He
again lay down on the couch, and
remained in the home until about 2.30
o'clock, when he took a market bas-
ket and walked to the business dis
trict. He went into the b. ID. House.
worth drug store at Maine and jack
son, where he purchased bottle OF
J.eart remedy. and then proceeded to
the south end of the business dis
trict and bought some fish and gro
ceries.
HIS COLLAPSE WITNESSED
He then started back northward en-
route home. John Booth of 1922 Will
lard street, who was standing in
Main street, when Mr. Gardner pas
sed, noticed MIR. Gardner faltering In
his step and says that just before the
aged man crumbled to the sidewalk
he seemed to lose all control OF his
feet. Suddenly he collapsed and fell
forward on his face. Mr.. Booth and
Jesse Myers, who conducts a grocery
at 316 South Main street, ran to his
aid. They said Mr.. Gardner gasped
few times as they turned him over
so that he could breathe easier. In
the meanwhile employees of the Bell
Company had summoned Drs. J. c.
Kistncr and NJ NJ Hum, whose Of
fees are nearby. They said life was
extinct. Coroner Holdeman and Ed
Valley, undertaken, were called and
the coroner permitted the body's re-
moval to the VALLEY funeral home.
Mrs. Baker said today she could r"-
; member of only one serious illness In
her fathers life and that was follow
ing the death of her mother, Mrs.
dChdiu oh DSP'~"''oA
10, 1921. At that time the attend
! ing physicians despaired of saving Mr..
Gardeners life, but after many weeks
| OF critical illness due to heart trouble
| and complications. he regained his
health. lie had labored to the point
OF exhaustion, in tender care of his
wife during a protracted illness.
Mr. Gardner was born in Madison,
! Me-, on February 20, 1912. When he
| was 16 years old his mother died, and
Mr.. Gardner secured employment as
seaman on vessels that took him to
all parts of the world. While follow
| ing this vocation he was injured IN
an accident on a ship and was COM
! pelled TO give up the sea-faring life.
| He returned to a town in Maine and
| learned the trades of both watchmak-
| err and engraver. The daughter does
not know under just what circum-
stances he came to Elkhart, but has
been a force of but four men making
band Instruments and boarded his
employees in his own home. This
was in the middle seventies. Mr..
Gardeners aptness and love OF things
musical soon developed him into an
expert instrument maker. 1t had
| been often said of Jim" Gardner that
he could make a horn from the
ground up and knew how to blow 1t
after he had made it," Julius STEM
berg, Charles Stenberg, Hugo Winter
hoff John Ziesel. Henry Geiss and ia
cob Mikkelson and other we'll known
engravers learned their trade under
Mr. Gardner.
Mr.. Stenberg and Mr.. Gardner con-
| Quoted what was known as "The Gun
Store" from 1890 until 1907. The
business was then purchased by Fl.
A. Shaffer.
Mr.. Gardner was known as must
clan OF PRONOUNCED ability. He could
play on almost any instrument but
specialized on the violin and the
! tromhone He was the director of