Evening star., 1924-12-11
GOMPERS EXPIRES
ON TRAIN SPEEDING
TO i. S, IS REPORT
Labor Leader, Rushed From.
Mexico City to Lower Al
titude, Saw End.
HIS MIND NEVER LOST
CLEARNESS, DOCTORS SAY
Illness Began With Cold and Was
Aggravated by Climatic Pres
sure on Heart.
Ry the Associated Press.

guage daily published in Ell Paso,
today.
The dispatch stated that the
veteran labor chief had sue
cun7bed to illness resulting from
severe cold and his overworked
condition.
The message to the paper
came from Mexico City and was
not confirmed from any official
source.
Officials here questioned the re.
liability of the information con-
tanned in the message.
Ry the Associated Press.
MEXICO CITY, December IL
president Gompers is standing up
better than expected" said message
sent in the early hours this morning
from the special train on which Sam
uel Gompers, head of the American
Federation of Labor, is travelling
home from this city. 1t was sent to
President Gales, who during the
night insisted upon receiving reports
on Mr.. Gompers' condition.
once aboard the car the sick man
ordered his private secretary to bring
him a small bag containing his pri-
vate documents. He said that he
wished to make last dispositions,
fearing that he might never reach
the United States alive:
Apparently, however, IS soon as
the train arrived in the lower alti-
tudes a marked Improvement in the
patients condition was noticed, and
at o'clock this morning (Thursday)
in a special bulletin to the Assoclat-
ed Press and in a telegram to Presl-
dent Gales it was declared that the
labor leaders improvement was bet
ter than expected.
Train Left Last Night.
Mr.. Gompers left last night for La
redo. accompanied by the entire
American delegation to the Pan
American Labor Congress, which has
just completed It's sessions here.
Mr.. Gompers, who is approaching
his seventy fifth year, was in a state
of such feebleness as the result of
his illness of the last few days that
lie was carried from his hotel on
stretcher.
While he has been suffering only
from a slight cold, his condition was
aggravated by the effect of Mexico
Citys high altitude upon his heart.
pedite his departure.
Mr. GomperS and his colleagues
were given bon voyage at the station
by Labor Minister Morones and other
officials of the Mexican government.
The illness of the American labor
chief gave rise to reports, after his
departure, that he was dead, but
these were set at rest by a reassur-
ing message shortly after midnight
olas.
Carried on Stretcher.
The fact that Mr. Gompers was
carried on a stretcher from the
Macera Hotel, where he had resided
to the railway station was due to his
extreme feebleness, owing to his cold
which was complicated with heart
trouble on account of the high alti-
tude. This, when connected with the
activity in the Gompers suite Tues
day night, when several doctors
called for a consultation, together
with the pessimistic attitude of per-
sons close to the aged labor leader,
occasioned the death reports.
The first intimation of Mr.. Gompers'
illness was when Frank Morrison
presided at the third sitting of the
fourth Pan-American Labor Confer
ence here. Mr.. Morrison announced
that the labor leader was confined
10 his hotel rooms on account of a
slight cold. Tuesday Mr.. Gompers
again failed to appear at the closing
session of the conference, reports be-
ing circulated that his health was de-
cidedly failing, although it was Off
cially announced that only a bad cold
prevented his attendance.
Late Tuesday night, however, sew
cral physicians held a consultation at
his bedside, apparently viewing the
case with some anxiety. Wednesday
noon il was decided that the labor
leader should Immediately leave Mexi-
60 City, where the high altitude was
believed to be aggravating his heart
trouble.
Mr.. Gompers never at any time lost
his clearness of mind When the ho-
tells orchestra was ordered to stop
playing on account of his illness
Tuesday night he declared that the
music lifted his spirit and insisted
that the playing should continue. At
the same time the labor chieftain
said that he felt the end was coming
He requested that a young woman
singer be brought to his room
Wednesday morning to sing for him
his favorite opera. La Boheme."