Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-30
PERRY S. HEATH, GO,
NOTED EDITOR, DIES.
Illness of 3 Years Fatal to
Former Assistant Post
master General.

master Generdi.
Perry Sanford Heath, widely known
as a newspaper editor and former AS
sistant Postmaster General, died at
his residence, 2100 $ street, at S:30
o'clock this morning, following a seri'
Gus illness of several months.
Mr.. Heath had been in i'll health
for about three years, but 1t was not
until recently that he was forced TO
remain in bed. When death came MT.
Heath's widow and sister, Mrs Ben
jamin- Bowman of Muncie, Ind, We're
at the bedside, together with ms
brother-in-law, Edwin B. Conway or
Louisville, KY, and sister-in-iaw, Mrs.
H. 0. Stetson of Boston.
In addition to his widow and sister
Mr.. Heath is survived by two brothers,
Fletcher, OF Columbus, Ohio, ana
.John. Of Indiana. Funeral services
have not been completed, but 1t is ex-
pected they will be held at the family
residence Friday afternoon. The body
will be taken to Cave Hill, Louisville,
for interment in the family lot.
Born on Indiana Farm.
The life of Perry Sanford Heath--a
goodly portion of which has been spent
In Washington-was crowded with ac-
tivities in Journalism, politics, indus
trial and sociological affairs.
He was born on a farm near Muncie.
Ind, on August 81, 1857, the son OF
Jacob w. and Rhoda A. Perdieu
Heath. His father, in addition to be-
ing a farmer, was lay minister'ln the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
lVTeaT
the age of IA, when he took up the
printers trade in Muncie newspaper
Office, his name appeared six years
later, when he was youth OF ~ years,
as editor of the Muncie Weekly Times.
| 1t was not long thereafter that he es-
|. tablished the first daily paper in the
| Indiana town-the Daily Ttmes--of
which he was the managing editor and
publisher until 1881.
Journalist at Capital.
In 1881 he went to Aberdeen, s. OAK,
and established the Dakota Pioneer,
and then he came to Washington,
where he was in the national news
dissemination game in various capaci-
ties for 10 or IL years. During this
period he took over the conduct of the
National Associated Press, where, the
National Cyclopedia of America BIZ
ography notes, he created most
complete system of news conden-
sation." The present flash bulletin"
of wire services whereby Few
words are shot over telegraph lines
to newspaper offices TO summarize
great news events, In lieu or pre-
yious system of dribbling in details for
| the greater part of All hour. News.
i paper history in Washington records
| his work from 1881 to 1894 as that OF
| probably the most prolific copy pro-
Queer In the country"
Naturally, In the National Capital
| he began making the acquaintance OF
MANY men Of national Importance po-
| litically during this period. ana ma
tional politics claimed Mr.. Heath's at.
| tention.
,, In Charge Of Publicity.
During the 1896 presidential cam.
| paign. Mr.. Heath was in charge of
publicity and printing for the national
Republican committee. An idea of the
| extensive scope Of this position may be
| gained from the record he established
| by circulating 1875 carloads of litera-
| ture, This was the work of $50 train
ed writer's under his supervision, and
| It supplied partisan matter for more
than IL 900 newspapers and periodicals
! throughout the country.
IT was about the same period-the
| Summer and fall of 1S96-~that he step
| ned into the national industrial and la
| Dor field. A printer by training, Mr..
| Heath was a partisan Of unionism, and
| during this time in Chicago he cen
| tered his interest and influence IN
| unionizing non.union printing Offices
bringing into the Typographical Union
a number of the largest non-union of
| fees in Illinois, comprising 10000
members. Because of these activities
ne was elected an honorary member OF
| the Columbia Typographical Union
| here, of the International Topographic
cal Union, and of the Allied Printers
! Union of Chicago.
Honored by Senate.
AS a result of his political activities
which are recorded as influential in
obtaining the nomination of Mckinley
at St. Louis in 1S96--he was appointed
First Assistant and Acting Postmaster
| General in March, 1897, by President
| Mckinley. The United States Senate
paid him the unusual tribute of con
| firmation Of appointment without ref
erence to committee, as Is customary
BY his efforts in the Post Office De
partment, 1t is declared, he made the
| rural free delivery system possible
He directed the experimentation ano
preliminary planning of this system
and showed clearly the practical work
ing basis on which 1t could be placed
He also obtained legislation in be
half of the post office employees during
his tenure of office. Despite the in
terest which he took in the Govern
ment service, however. he tenderd hi
resignation three times TO President
Mckinley. 1t was finally accepted in
1900, when he was elected secretary
of the national Republican committee
| a position which he held until 1904.
These activities, nevertheless, wer'
by no means the monopoliZers of Mr.
Heaths attention. In 1894. he pur
chased the controlling interest In thu
Cincinnatin Commercial Gazette ant
became it's president editor and gen
eral manager. Three years later h
made. a visit to Russia, and returne,
TO write of his experiences In study
ing nihilism and similar movement
there. publishing a book entitled -
Hoosier in Russia.
: Upon his return to this country h
was impressed into service as sol
arbitrator OF a dispute long standing
between the United States Government