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Cairo Index Page |
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Obituaries and Death Notices
The War Eagle Daily Evening Citizen,
Cairo Daily Times and Cairo Daily Democrat
4 Jan 1865-30 Dec 1865
Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois
Transcribed by Darrel Dexter
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The War Eagle Daily Evening Citizen
Wednesday, 4 Jan 1865 Reward of $200 is offered for the recovery of the bodies of Mr. L.C. Dudley and his daughter who drowned on last Friday (30 Dec 1864) off the Navy Yard at Mound City. He was about 45 years old and she was 10 years old.
Friday, 27 Jan 1865 Susan Emily, infant daughter of W. W. and S. E. Duncan, died at Cairo Thursday (26 Jan 1865) of lung fever, aged 4 months, 20 days.
Monday, 30 Jan 1865 Mrs. Winans, the aged mother of the late Paymaster Winans who drowned at Mound City some time since, is very desirous of obtaining the clothes of the deceased, which were deposited at Cairo, Mound City, or Springfield.
Thursday, 2 Feb 1865 Capt. Isaac M. Talmadge, son of the Rev. James H. Talmadge of Crittenden, N.Y., drowned with the steamer Melville 8 Jan 1861, in Chesapeake Bay. He was captain of Co. A, 14th Iowa and had recently been appointed to Gen. Sherman’s staff. He was a lawyer and moved to Iowa in 1857 and to Pike’s Peak in 1859. He was the former provost marshal in Cairo.
Thursday, 7 Feb 1865 Died 7 Feb 1865, Mrs. J. M. Craig of Chicot Co., Ark., aged 40 years, at the residence of W. P. Halliday.
Friday, 17 Feb 1865 John Brewer, colored, was shot through the head and murdered on Commercial Avenue between 20th and 28th streets. He was a policeman appointed by the provost marshal for special duty in the “bottoms.”
Friday, 24 Feb 1865 A Negro named Jackman, living a short distance from the store depot, died one night last week from the effects of drinking 15 to 20 “whiskies” and eating two plates of pork and beans.
Thursday, 2 Mar 1865 Henry Koch of Co. C, 42nd Wisconsin Regiment drowned when a dugout turned over. He was encumbered by his overcoat and unable to swim. He sunk immediately and the body has not yet been recovered.
Thursday, 9 Mar 1865 On 25 Feb 1865, an old Negro named Anderson who had been left on the “Ross farm” about three miles from this city (in Ballard Co., Ky.) was waylaid and murdered, the shot entering the back of his head. The Negro lived with the family occupying the Ross farm and discovering something suspicious about some of the men who were harbored on the place, proceeded to a neighbor’s where he told his story. On his return he was waylaid, probably to prevent his giving any testimony against his murderers.
Friday, 24 Mar 1865 Died 23 Mar 1865, A. J. Coates, aged 48 years, of Cairo. He was buried at Bunker Hill, Illinois.
Cairo Daily Times
Monday, 25 Oct 1865:
Mrs. Angell was
married January 11th, 1863, instead of 1865, as our types made us say on
yesterday.
Thursday, 2 Nov 1865: On Tuesday of last week a man named James Casey shipped as a deckhand on the steamer Tyrone. On the following morning, about one o'clock, as the Tyrone was nearing the landing here, Casey jumped off the lower deck into the river. Upon rising to the surface he called lustily for assistance, but, before it could be rendered him, he floated beneath a coal barge and was drowned.
The deceased had a brother
in the city, which fact probably induced his fellow hands on the boat not to
exert themselves to recover the body. Casey's brother, however, did
not hear of the event until the night of Wednesday, when he immediately
started out in pursuit of a boat, tackling, &c., wherewith to recover the
body of his brother, but, we learn, was for some reason arrested before he
succeeded in his mission and now lies in jail. The verdict of the jury was that the body was that of James Casey, and that he came to his death from drowning. The coroner expressed his determination to have the man buried last evening, which we suppose he did.
Cairo Daily Democrat
Tuesday, 3 Oct 1865:
Before he learned anything of the joys or sorrows of the world he was taken
away, and nothing remains to tell of his having been save a little wave of
earth in the church yard, and in the hearts of those who loved him with
parental affection, a wave of memory that will not pass away.
Though he has been upon the
stage from boyhood, he made his reputation as a comedian in this city, where
he played his first engagement in that line at Defiance Theater, then under
the management of Williams & Holland. From here he went to Vicksburg and
with T. S. Holland, assumed the management of the theater there.
Returning to this city last spring he was engaged at the Atheneum at the
especial request of many of out most prominent citizens. He made his last
appearance on the stage on Friday evening last, in the play of the
“Hunchback.” His death was very sudden and unexpected, and cast a gloom
over his many friends. He has relations in Louisville to whom we presume
his remains will be sent today.
Tuesday, 7 Nov 1865:
Mrs. Amelia Elliott
was born September 14, 1829. She professed religion when about 14 years of
age, and subsequently grew up a pious and devoted young woman. Upon her
second marriage she became united with Mr. Zachariah Elliott, her
surviving and greatly afflicted husband. Although much afflicted with
pulmonary consumption for several years past, her life was spared until she
saw the fruit of her Christian labors in her family. Upon her husband's
uniting with her in Church relationship recently, she became very happy, and
in the dead hours of night she was frequently heard to clap her hands and
sing:--
Mrs. Elliott lingered along
until the morning of the 14th inst., when at 4 o'clock she was seized with
hemorrhage of the lungs, and in a few minutes expired--aged 35 years and 2
months. We request for Mr. Elliott and the remainder of the family
the prayers of the Christian public. Hiram Sears.
At the age of 17 he enlisted
as a private in the War of 1812, his modesty causing him to decline a
lieutenancy in the First Kentucky Rifles. Serving out his time with honor
and credit to himself, declining promotion when recommended by his
commanding officers, he returned home, and soon after married Miss
English, daughter of Elisha English, of that State, afterward
long residence of our little city. Mr. Dowdall, though of Southern
parentage, education and habits, was a Union man, ever and at all times; and
was as willing to make sacrifices for his country during our recent national
difficulties, as he was when bearing his rifle bravely through the snows of
1812-5. He now peacefully rests in our graveyard, beside his first wife,
who preceded him some 18 years. Mr. Dowdall died as he lived the
noblest work of God, “an honest man.” He leaves a large circle of
acquaintances and friends to mourn his loss. To the family relations we
offer our heartfelt sympathy, especially to our brother of the editorial
profession, William T. Dowdall, his youngest son, and our warm
personal friend and intimate acquaintance; and whilst we extend to him our
hand of sympathy and condolence, can only say as words of advice, follow in
the footsteps of him who now is no more, but whose practices and precepts
are worthy to live forever.
Tuesday, 28 Nov 1865:
There is a place in this
city, and in a much-frequented portion of it, known as Harmonia Hall, and
kept by a negro as a resort for the low and vile negroes of both sexes.
Here “masquerade balls” and other “entertainments” are given as a cloak for
crime and law breaking, in both of which the frequenters of this den are
present. Why this eyesore is permitted to exist in a civilized city we
cannot understand. At one of their “Ethiopian soirées” given Wednesday night a miscellaneous musa or free fight occurred there in which the notorious Jenny Rose (who killed her husband in the same place about a year since) was shot through the shoulder by a negro named Phillip Slack, who fired at the proprietor of the “Hall” and missed his mark. He was arrested yesterday for an assault with intent to kill and held to bail in the sum of $400 in default of which he was committed to jail. The proprietor of the Hall, Charles Walker, was fined $15 and costs for keeping a disorderly house.
Scarcely a week passes but
one or more case from this place are disposed of in the police court, but it
is still allowed to flourish, and the same crimes and violations of the law
are re-enacted times without number.
In Mr. Egan's death,
Cairo has lost one of her best citizens, and many a heart will feel the
bereavement of having been severed from its best friend. Let us hope that
“after life's fitful fever he sleeps well.”
Near noon yesterday as a special train with a homeward bound Wisconsin regiment on board was about leaving the city, the officer of the day ordered a drunken soldier who was on top of one of the cars to get inside, lest he should fall off. The soldier refused to comply, and the officer of the day went on top of the car and attempted to force the soldier to get down. He was standing near the end of the car, holding the soldier by the arm, when the train started and they were both precipitated between the cars. The officer hastily sprang out without injury, and the soldier was seized by the bystanders, who hoped to be able to rescue him, and they so nearly succeeded that they had drawn him almost entirely from beneath the car when one of the wheels struck his head, completely crushing it and, of course, killing him instantly. The melancholy affair created a considerable feeling among the soldiers, many of whom blamed the officer for his action in the matter, though with what show of reason we are at a loss to understand, as he was manifestly in the discharge of his duty and came very near losing his own life by it.
It is sad to contemplate
that this soldier, after having passed through years of the dangers and
hardships incident to soldier life, should, just as he was elated with the
prospect of seeing home and friends, be so suddenly and unexpectedly called
to “that bourne from whence no traveler returns.” To his friends, too, who
doubtless, in their thanksgiving devotions expressed their gratitude to the
Giver of all good and precious gifts that the loved son, husband, and
brother—as he may have been—had been spared while others fell thick and fast
around him. Little did they think that he was so soon to be called upon to
render an account of his earthly pilgrimage. Truly “the ways of Providence
are inscrutable.” At a regular meeting of the Hibernian Fire Company No. 4, of Cairo, Illinois, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted. WHEREAS Almighty God, in his infinite wisdom has been pleased to take from amongst us, our late lamented President, Martin Egan; be it Resolved, That by this sad occurrence society has been deprived of an upright citizen, our Company of a good faithful and active member, and our natal country of a truly good and loved patriot. Resolved, That we tender to the wife, children, and relatives of the deceased, our heartfelt sorrow and sincere sympathy in this sad hour of their bereavement, ad we trust that they will have recourse to Him, who has promised to take care of the widow and the orphan, for consolation—to our Heavenly Father, who alone can make this bitter cup palatable. Resolved, That the Company’s Flag be draped in mourning for twenty days in honor of the deceased.
Resolved,
That a copy of these resolutions be presented to the friends of the deceased
and that they be inserted in the Cairo papers, viz: Democrat,
Times, Union,
and Item; also in the Boston Pilot and Irish American.
C. O’Callahan, John W. O’Connell, John Hyland, Com.
We are pained to announce the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Kane Bissell, widow of the late Governor W. H. Bissell, of this State. The sad event occurred at Belleville, on Tuesday, the 5th inst. Mrs. Bissell was prostrated with a congestive chill, from which she expired after a very brief sickness.
Mrs. Bissell was the
youngest daughter of the late Hon. E. K. Kane, of Kaskaskia, who died
while a Senator in Congress. She was a most intelligent, sprightly and
estimable lady, and during her residence in this city endeared herself to
all who knew her. At the time of her death she was in her thirty-seventh
year. The remains were taken to Springfield for interment beside her
husband.
Boiler Explosion at the Stone DepotThe Engineer KilledAt about half past seven o’clock yesterday morning the boiler attached to a stationary engine situated under the I. C. Railroad’s freight depot, exploded, instantly killing the engineer. The engine was used for running trucks to and from the upper wharf boat and for pumping water into the tank. The engineer had just got up steam when the explosion took place, and the gauge showed but 60 pound at the time, and the boiler was well filled with water. Experienced engineers are, therefore, at a loss how to account for the explosion. The end of the boiler, known as the firebox, was blown through the roof of the depot, and we are assured by Mr. Jos. Qufkins (a representative of the Railroad Company, through whose courtesy we obtained the facts for this article) that it went fully a quarter of a mile high. It fell on the levee sidewalk in front of the Cabinet Saloon, fully five hundred feet from the place of explosion. This firebox weighs at least a tone and passed through the sidewalk into the coal pit beneath, where a barkeeper employed at the Cabinet Saloon had just gone for fuel. He was struck by splinters and seriously though not dangerously injured. The engineer was instantly killed, his head being split open. He was blown through an opening in the stonewall and it is thought that his head came in contact with a sharp corner of one of the rocks. His name was Robert Hall. We are informed that he was unmarried, and that his home was in Wisconsin. Coroner Corcoran held an inquest over his remains and the jury returned the following verdict: “We, the jury, find that the deceased Robert Hall, came to his death by the explosion of the boiler attached to the stationery engine at the freight depot of the Illinois Central Railroad. Cause of explosion unknown.” The main part of the boiler passed through the roof of the depot, turned a complete summersault and fell into the depot again, passing through the floor but a short distance from where it originally stood.
The concussion must have
been great, as the thick stonewalls of the depot were somewhat shattered by
it and the doors were bursted open and badly shattered. Strange to say,
however, a number of laborers employed by the company were standing in the
building at the time of the explosion and not one of them was injured.
Mrs. Cunningham has been a resident of Cairo during the past thirty years, having resided here since 1838, and in her death our people have lost one of the oldest and most universally respected residents of this city, and her deeply afflicted husband a devoted and Christian wife. She has been with the people of Cairo, and in the true spirit of Christianity, shared their fortunes and trials, and ministered in their wants, with an energy that has never tired, during the twenty-seven eventful and trying years that her life had been cast among us, and therefore it is that in her death there are but few of our citizens that will bear the sad news with poignant and sincere sorrow.
She was an exemplary and
devoted member of the Catholic Church and died perfectly resigned and
surrounded with that truthful and sweet religious consolation which carries
the wearied soul beyond the pains and trials of this world. “She sleeps
sweetly.”
Medical assistance was
immediately obtained and he was removed to his residence on Eighth street.
At a late hour last night he was insensible and in a very critical
condition, the physicians entertaining but little hopes for his recovery.
Capt. Harvey E. Bartlett, of the Monitor Onsoco lying off this city, yesterday morning shot and instantly killed Dennis Keith, of Paducah, Ky. Capt. Bartlett had a preliminary examination before Esqs. Bross and Summerwell, and the facts of the case as we could glean them from the evidence were about as follows. It seems that Capt. Bartlett and Keith met on the night preceding and the unfortunate tragedy, when something occurred which gave Keith “a grudge” (if the term be admissible) against the Captain. They met again at about 8 o’clock yesterday morning, on Ohio Levee, near Winter’s Saloon, when Keith made the attacks upon Capt. Bartlett, being each time withheld or withdrawn by gentlemen who were standing by. Capt. Bartlett then expressed his intention of going aboard his vessel, and started off up the Levee. Before proceeding far, Keith started after him “on a run,” to quote the language of one of the witnesses. Overtaking the Captain just below the Dalzell Hotel, Keith again assaulted him by seizing him by the shoulder, though it does not appear that he (Keith) had any weapon. Capt. Bartlett shook off his hand and proceeded a few paces further up the Levee, telling Keith, “This is the second time you have attacked me—this time upon the highway, and if it occurs again, I will shoot you.,” and again started off. Keith followed, and again laid his hand upon the Captain, who drew his pistol, presented it to Keith’s face and fired, killing him instantly. An inquest was held over the body of Keith and a verdict returned in accordance with the facts.
Hon. H. Waton Webb,
of course, appeared for the prosecution at the preliminary examination, and
Hon. W. J. Allen for the defense. The defendant was held to bail in
the sum of $2,000 to answer the charge of manslaughter at the next term of
the Circuit Court.
Hickman, Ky., December 21, 1865 Editor Cairo Democrat:
Again we are pleased to
address a few lines from this place to your excellent paper, and in doing so
we have to communicate one of the most damnable and wicked murders of one
brother by another, last Saturday night. The circumstances, as near as we
can get them, are these: A father by the name of Pace, lived nine
miles from this place, near the Tennessee line, with but two sons—William
and Richard. The latter becoming jealous with the belief that his father
was partial to his brother William sought and took his life in cold blood by
firing upon him from an outdoor window about 10 o’clock at night, which
caused his instant death. It seems that his brother was away from home that
day, and it was not known that he was in the neighborhood until the next
day, when parties traced or tracked the supposes murdered to a Negro cabin
nearby, and from the occupants found out that no one but this brother had
stopped there that night, and the footprints resembling his so much a writ
was issued for his immediate arrest. In the attempt to arrest the villain
he refused stubbornly to be taken, whereupon he was shot dead in his tracks
by the sheriff of Obion County. Thus ends the chapter of the murderer and
the murdered. The father is said to be a highly respected old gentleman,
and the unfortunate son has a good name in the neighborhood. |
