Evening star., 1926-10-21
EUGENE DEbS.D|ES
IN FAM|LY'S MIDST
End Comes Peacefully to So
ciaIist Leader, Five Times
Presidential Candidate.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO. October 21.-Eugene v.
Debs is dead.
The indomitable will that carried
The veteran Socialist leader through a
turbulent career, including a. term in
prison for obstructing the draft. broke
last night under the flood of years
and the strain of heart disease, from
which he had suffered for. IS years.
Nearing his list birthday, the five
times nominee of the Socialist party
for the presidency died peacefully in
n suburban sanitarium. surrounded by
the immediate members of his family
and leading representatives of the
party.
Debs sank into coma last Saturday,
coming out of that strange halfway
place between life and death for only
a few minutes Sunday, during which
he motioned to his wife for a pencil,
and in a feeble scrawl scratched out
w. +. Henly's famous poem, "Invic-
tus," ending with the lines, II am
the master of my fate; I am the cap
tain of my SOUL" Friends explained
that the verse, written by the English
author In a hospital, was his lifelong
oNAAbS Va AiAOPAA eAeAOAA'
Age Saps Strength.
Debs suffered a. nervous breakdown
a month ago and was brought to an
Elmhurst Sanitarium for rest and
treatment. His advanced years and
the heart disease he had been forced
to fight off virtually throughout his
mature life left him with little re-
sistance: and kidney disease, adding
it's complication several weeks ago,
tipped the scales completely against
him.
Debs was a patient at the same
sanitariun III 1922 and his friends re-
called the comment he made on his
condition at that time.
1.-The newspaper men have to keep
pace with modern times. There is q
rush about news gathering that we
never had before. For example, ]
appreciate my own unimportance, but
when the report was given out that
was ill the Associated Press sent
a representative to find out my exact
condition. ! suppose they have my
obituary already written, but I'm
going to prevent its publication as
long as possible"
Born I'm Terre Haute.
Born in Terre Haute, November B.
1855. of a family in modest circum
stances, Debs long career included
the presidency Of the American Rail
way Union, during which he won a
strike on the Great Northern Railway
and lost another when President
Cleveland called out troops to guard
trans; presidential candidate, national
chairman of the Socialist party, editor
of a Socialist paper and frequent
speaker on socialism.
leader is survived by a brother. Teho
dore, Of Muncie. Ind. and two sisters
Mrs. John S. Heinl. Terre Haute, and
Mrs. G.. 0. Mailloux, New York.
Funeral services for Mr.. Debs Will
be held at his late home in Terre
Haute, Ind, at o'clock Saturday
afternoon. The ceremony will be
public.
The body remained at the santa.
rum this morning, with reservation
for it made upon the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois train leaving Chicago
at noon.
After the funeral Mr.. Debs' body
will be taken to Indianapolis, Ind,
for cremation. Disposal Of the ashes
had not been determined upon today.
Eugene v. Debs, leader of the So
cialist party in America and five
times it's nominee for the presidency
was dominated by two important
factors In life. He loved his fellow
men and remained firm In his con-
victiOns. suffering the consequences
but still upholding the principles for
which he fought.
While in the Federal prison at At
lanta. Ga, charged with obstructing
the draft during the World War. an
interviewer asked what had been his
greatest experience In prison life, and
he replied:
II have discovered that love is
omnipotent. All the forces on earth
cannot prevail against 1t. Hatred.
war. cruelty, greed and lust must
all give way before II. It will over
throw all tyrannies. 1t will empty
all prisons. It will not only enamel
pate the human race eventually, but
TO a great extent II lifts us individ
ually above the struggle while we
are in the thick of the fight for
human brotherhood"
A native of Terre Haute, Ind. born
on November s. 1856, he remained
resident of that city and obtained
his first railroad position-locomotive