Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-12-03
MRS. HARDING DIES;
BURIED At MARION
Widow of Late President
Succumbs After Long
Illness.

Marion, Ohio.-Florence King Hard
ing, widow of Warren G. Harding,
twenty-ninth Chief Executive of the
United States, died.
The end came at the White Oaks
sanitarium Of DR.. Carl w. Sawyer,
where she has been fighting for life
for the last few weeks
Mrs. Harding's death was due d.
! rectly to kidney allment, from which
she has suffered for years, and which
nearly resulted fatally while she was
mistress of the White House. She died
peacefully, Doctor Sawyer said.
Brother at Death Bed.
Doctor Sawyer's statement on the
causes of death gave chronic nephritis,
MIC carditis and hydro nethrosis Cliff
ford B. King, Mrs. Harding's brother,
George B. Christian. Jr., who had been
secretary to Mr. Harding; Mrs. Mary
| Sawyer, widow of Brig. Gen. Charles
e. Sawyer, and DR.. Carl Sawyer were
present when the end came.
The funeral services were held at
Epworth Methodist Episcopal church.
Rev. Jesse Swank, pastor of the church
and who conducted the funeral serv-
ices for President Harding was In
charge He was assisted by Rev.
George M. Lands, pastor of Trinity
Baptist church, of which Mr.. Harding
was member. Mrs. Harding had been
member of Epworth Methodist
church since girlhood.
In little stone tomb In Marion
cemetery, the body of Mrs. Florence
Killing Harding was laid beside that of
her husband.
Only Is months ago Mrs. Harding,
leaning on the arm of George B. Chris
tan, Jr., private secretary to President
Harding, followed the bier of her hus-
band to the little tomb and saw 1t
placed tenderly inside to await her
coming. Rows of soldiers stood at at
tention as their commander in chief
had been consigned to the temporary
resting place.
Her Life Story.
The life story of Florence Killing
Harding, like an epic of sturdy Amer
lean womanhood, was a chronicle of
continual struggle against great odds,
and of continual accomplishments.
| After she became first lady of the
land, as always in the years preced-
ing, the helpless and the unfortunate
received the fullest measure of her
devotion Children of every class had
her unfailing attention. Wounded
veterans of the World war owed her
many a debt for hours gladdened by
her visits to their hospitals or by
| flowers sent by her personal order
| from the White House Conservatives.
Aided Harding in Campaign.
OF those gathered around Mr.. Hard
ing when he entered the preconven-
ton campaign of 1920, there was none
who kept better informed of what was
done to further his candidacy than
Mrs. Harding.
After the nomination, Mrs. Harding
became, in spite of the growing threat
of physical collapse. an active figure
in the front porch campaign.
Mrs. Harding was born in Marion,
| Ohio, in 1860, of a sturdy stock of
pioneers, her father, Amos Killing, be-
ing one of the towns first settlers.
She married Mr.. Harding In 1891,
when things did not look too bright
for him. He had just taken over the
ownership of the Marion Star, and 1t
was loaded down with mortgages and
still had to make place for itself
in the community.
Aided in Newspaper Work.
She went to work in the business
/ office. and soon was In charge of ad-
vertising and circulation, buying the
print paper and other supplies, and
even standing by the presses and In
structing the carriers before they
started on their routes. She moth
cred the club established for the car
rier boys, one of whom, answering
to the name of Baldinger. entered the
army, rose to the rank of major, and
was later detailed at the White House
as military aid TO the President. An
other was George Christian, who be-
came the Presidents private secre-
/ tary.
| She was a member of the Method
| ist Episcopal church, but was very
tolerant of others. and as the Presi-
dent was Baptist, it was the custom
of the Hardings to attend the Calvary
|