Smyrna times., 1939-12-21

MAN PASSES
w. E. Hayes, Well Known Re-
porter, Died Suddenly i'm
Wilmington
LEGISLATIVE REPORTER

l. l. v Il Il
William E. Hayes, a 62-year-old
veteran legislative correspondent
who held the confidence of state
and political leaders but who was
a newspaperman to the end, died
suddenly on Friday in Wilmington.
He died on his way to the office of
the Journal-Every Evening of
which he was state editor and
where in spite of his impaired
health, he insisted upon continuing
his work. Mr.. Hayes newspaper
career covered 40 years, all of it
with Wilmington newspapers. For
80 years without interruption, he
covered" the General Assembly,
reported the political trends in the
state, was friend to members of all
parties but never deviated from the
principles of honest and fair re-
porting.
Mr.. Hayes left home Friday
morning in a cheerful mood. He
had said he was feeling exception
ally well. While waiting for a bus
at 6 o'clock to go to Wilmington a
bread truck passed. Ernest Riley,
the driver, offered to take him to
Wilmington and Mr.. Hayes con-
sented.
As they approached Christiana,
Mr.. Hayes suffered severe cough
ing spell. MIR. Riley at once tried
to find doctor. When Mr. Hayes
collapsed, Mr.. Riley felt his pulse
and then returned to Newark in
haste. He took Mr.. Hayes home
at once and DIR. Wallace M. John
son was summoned. He pronounc-
ed him dead from a heart attack.
The news of Mr. Hayes death as
it spread through the state, was
received with expressions of regret
by the hundreds who knew him as
friend and confidant They re-
called the accuracy with which he
reported political and legislative
affairs. They recalled his jovial,
friendly attitude and his frankly
expressed off-the-record ideas on
public affairs.
Mr.. Hayes was born in Locust
Grove, Md, July 16, 1877, the son
of Owen and Charlotte Hayes. He
was educated in the rural schools
and while a youth, worked for
while in the Capelle Hardware
store in Wilmington. He started
his unbroken newspaper career
with the Wilmington Sun in 1899.
He also worked on the Daily Re
publican, one of the early Will
mington papers and went with the
old Every Evening in 1902 1t
was in 1909 that Mr.. Hayes began
his reporting of General Assembly
sessions first with the Every Even
ing. In the meantime, living in
Newark, he was correspondent
fom that town for The Evening
Journal. He also became the
Newark correspondent for New
York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore
newspapers.
Twenty-six years ago, he be-
came a member of The Evening
Journal staff and continued with
the paper and its successor ever
since. He continued his post at
the press table in the General AS
sembly and his experience grew.
Green" legislators soon found
nim out as friend and guide. 1t
was the thirtieth year Of his re-
porting the legislature and it was
perhaps the longest General As
;embly in his experience. But he
covered it to the very end and in
spite Of his i'll health, kept up with
the furious pace of the work.
Mr.. Hayes leaves his wife, Anna
5. Hayes, and five children: Mrs. |
Dorothy Ralph, Miss Anna Hayes,
Miss Mary Hayes, of Newark; Rob-
ert 0. Hayes Of Lewes and Will
lam E. Hayes, Jr., of Cleveland.
He is also survived by two sisters,
Mrs. Frank d. Thatcher of Will
nington and Mrs. Frank Stick of
North Carolina, and two brothers,
Clarence w. Hayes, of Lancaster,
Pa, and Horton II. Hayes of Will
,oinptou