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Lyon County, Kansas

ENDS HIS LIFE

Editor Eskridge of Emporia, Shoots Himself

WAS HOPELESSLY SICK

Committed Suicide Rather Than Suffer Slow Death By Disease---Story of His Busy Life in Kansas

Emporia, Kan., July 16---Charles V. Eskridge, ex-Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, shot and killed himself at about 3 o'clock this morning. He ahd been sick abed for nine weeks from cancer of the liver and said he wanted to cut short his suffering. The revolver with which he shot himself, a 38-caliber Smith & Wesson hammerless, he bought at the time of the suicide of Charles Cross.

His son, Edward, was watching by the bedside when he heard the report of a revolver and the room filled with smoke. The son thought some one had fired through the window screen, so he jumped out of the window and ran around the house but saw no one. When he returned to the chamber he found his mother, sister and aunt there and that his father was wounded in the left breast. He at once telephoned for doctors and awoke Charles Harris, telling him that his father had been shot. Harris took a revolver and accompanied Edward Eskridge home. As they approached the house they heard another shot. The room was filled with smoke and Miss Dickson, Mrs. Eskridge's sister, said the shot had seemed to come from under the bed.

Search was made and it was found that Mr. Eskridge was holding a revolver under the bed clothes. He was conscious and said he had secured the revolver Friday from a box containing his papers and had concealed it until Sunday morning.

All day telegrams and messages of sympathy have been coming in to the Eskridge home. His brothers and sisters living in Illinois have been notified of his death, and are expected here tomorrow. At 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon the funeral will be held at the Eskridge home. The services will be in charge of the Masons, of which he was a charter member in Emporia. He was also a member of the Preston B. Plumb post of the G.A.R., and both G.A.R. posts of the town will attend in a body. The funeral sermon will be preached by the Rev. J.F. Sauber, pastor of the First Presbyterian church.

Mr. Harris, a former partner in the Republican Publishing company, is managing the Emporia Republican of which Mr. Eskridge was proprietor. After the funeral Miss Mattie Eskridge will assume its management.

She has been connected with the paper for years and during her father's sickness has had entire control. His son, Edward, has also been connected with the paper during his sickness. This morning Miss Eskridge said that the paper would undoubtedly be sold; that neither she nor her brother cared to go into the newspaper business.

The death of Mr. Eskridge is the second suicide that is traceable almost directly to the First National bank failure. When Cross committed suicide, Eskridge bought the revolver with which he ended his life.

It is said that Mr. Eskridge left about $40,000 in life insurance for the benefit of his wife and children.

SKETCH OF HIS CAREER

Charles Vernon Eskridge was born in Virginia in 1833. In 1834 his parents removed to Ohio, and in 1838 to Lewiston, Ill. When about 13 years of age he ran away from home. After six months of adventure, most of which was put in as cabin boy on a Mississippi river steamboat, he returned home, and soon after began to learn the printing business. In 1855 he came to Kansas, locating at Lawrence, where for a time he worked on the Herald of Freedom. While there he participated in the military movements developing at that time. In 1856 he came to Emporia, which was then only a paper town. He became agent of the town company, and on the organization of the town corporation he was chosen county clerk and recorder. In 1859 he was appointed probate judge and elected a member of the first Legislature, re-elected in 1862, and in 1863 appointed on the Governor's staff with the rank of colonel. In 1864 he was elected State Senator, and in 1868 Lieutenant Governor. In 1871 he was again elected to the Legislature, and in 1872 was a candidate for nomination for Governor.

The principal work of his public career, and the one in which he took most pride, was the development of the educational interests of the state, and more especially the establishing of the State Normal school, which was largely due to him, and which, through his efforts was located at Emporia. He was the author of th law by which school districts may issue bonds to assist in construction of school houses. He was also the first to offer a proposition to extend the right of suffrage to the colored race.

An amendment to the state constitution proposing to extend the elective franchise to women was defeated mainly through his efforts.

During the early part of his residence in Emporia Mr. Eskridge was engaged in mercantile business. He also dealt extensively in real estate and accumulated a handsome property. A number of the finest buildings in the city were erected by him.

As editor of the Emporia Republican, which he established in January, 1881, and was conducted ever since, he was widely known, especially throughout the west.

He was married in 1861 to Mary E. Dixon, at Donaldson, Ill., who survives him. Four children also survive: Miss Mattie, who, for several years has ably assisted her father in conducting the Republican, and during his illness has had entire control; Edward, who is connected with the law firm of Lambert & Huggins; Mrs. Mezzie Barnard, who resides at Los Angeles, Cal., and Miss Clara, at home with her mother.

An elder brother, John T., also resides in Emporia, and has been connected for years in business matters with the deceased.

STORIES OF ESKRIDGE

Mr. Eskridge first appreas in Wilder's annals on page 108 and is mentioned frequently thereafter throughout the volume. According to Mr. Wilder, he made a speech at a printer's festival held at Lawrence January 17, 1856. He was prominent in the history of Lyon country from the time the town company of Emporia was organized until his death. He was especially active in the early days in advancing railroad projects, and always stumped the county whenever a bond proposition came up.

While a member of the Legislature he was one of the most active men on the floor. As stated above, he engineered the bill creating the State Normal school and locating it at Emporia. Before starting on this campaign, however, he made a fight for the location of the State university at Emporia, and was beaten by Lawrence by a very narrow margin.

There is an interesting story in connection with his nomination for Lieutenant Governor in 1868. It came about through his uncompromising opposition to the woman suffrage amendment which was voted upon and defeated that year. The Legislature at its previous session had submitted the proposed amendment to the people and the campaign for its adoption was booming along in merry fashion. Susan B. Anthony, George Francis Train and a host of eastern advocates of the measure had swarmed to the state and were carrying everything before them. The politicians seemed to be afraid to handle the subject and it was apparent that the amendment would be adopted.

Eskridge at that time was running a little store in Emporia and was not known in politics outside of Lyon county. One day, shortly before the Republican state convention met, the Emporia News, owned by Jacob Stotler and the late Senator Plumb, appeared with a communication over the somewhat pecular nom de plume of "Elm Peeler." It was an attack upon woman suffrage, and was full of incisive argument, keen satire and good natured wit. It took the state by storm. A few opponents of suffrage at Lawrence got together and formally petitioned the local newspapers to reprint the article. The papers did so, being careful to state that such action was taken by request. This gave the "piece" a start, and it soon became familliar to the entire state. The modest Emporia storekeeper soon found himself famous, and was flooded with letters and telegrams urging him to keep up the "Elm Peeler" letters. He readily responded to the appeal, and in subsequent letters gave the cause of suffrage sledge-hammer blows. When the Republican state convention met the anti-suffrage peopel had gained so much force through the Elm Peeler letters that the politicians of the party felt it necessary to make their peace with them. Harvey, a pronounced advocate of suffrage, was nominated for Governor, and the leaders then began to cast about for some one prominently identified with the opposition to run for Lieutenant Governor in order to present a well-balanced ticket. Naturally, the author of the "Elm Peeler" letters was suggested and he was taken up and nominated.

The suffrage amendment that in the beginning seemed certain of victory was defeated by an overwhelming vote, and it was generally said that the "Elm Peeler" letters did it.

The "Governor," as he was familiarly known in Emporia, had a keen sense of humor, a good memory and an apparently inexhaustible fund of anecdotes. He was especially well-supplied with stories of the early days in Kansas, with which he was more familiar than any other man in Emporia. In the evening after the paper was out the Republican office was a favorite resort for the "old timers" and stories of pioneer days were recounted almost daily.

It was while he was serving as Lieutenant Governor that he built the business block on the corner of Sixth and Commercial streets. He was somewhat careless in his dress and was always working about among the men he employed. These two characteristics gave rise to a little story "on" himself that he greatly enjoyed telling. One day a part of eastern excursionists arrived in Emporia and were being shown about the town by some real estate boomers. Among other places they of course inspected the Eskridge building.

"Who is that?" asked one of the visitors, pointing to a man who was poking around among the employes, trying to find something to do.

"That," replied the boomer, with some show of pride, "is Lieutenant Governor Eskridge."

"Great Scott!" exclaimned the easterner. "If that is the kind of material they make Governors of out in this country I will move here at once."

Another story that the Governor took great satisfaction in telling was about the first law suit ever tried in Lyon county, in which he won as attorney for the plaintiff. It seems that two farmers had become involved in a quarrel about a line fence and one of them brought suit against the other in the probate court, that being the only court then established in the county. There was only one lawyer in the county, and he was engaged by the plaintiff. The defendant being acquainted with Eskridge, came to his store, related the circumstances and urged him to become his attorney. Eskridge protested tha the was not an attorney and could not undertake to appear in court. But the farmer insisted and Eskridge finally consented to undertake the case and do the best he could. He then went to the probate judge and informed that dignitary of the situation. He pleaded ignorance of the law and asked the judge to tell him how to present his case. The accommodating juge at once proceeded to unfold the mysteries of the law, and the new attorney was told in detail how to proceed. The trial came on and the side of the plaintiff was ably presented by the county's lone lawyer. Eskridge then took his turn and followed the judge's instructions to the letter. When he had concluded, the judge promptly rendered a decision in his favor.

"Of course," Eskridge would say in telling the story, "the judge could not afford to go back on his own instructions."

Governor Eskridge was famous as a write of resolutions and was a firm believer in that method of setting forth principles and accomplishing thiings politically. He rarely ever attended a public meeting without being loaded with resolutions. To illustrate his penchant in that direction Emporia people tell an exaggerated story of an alarm raised there about an Indian raid. The story runs that a courier came to town one night with the news that hostile Indians were coming to sack the town. Eskridge was a leader in all things, and word was at once carried to his house.

"What shall be done?" asked the excited citizen when Eskridge responded to his knock.

"Well," said Eskridge, rubbing his eyes and speaking in that slow, deliberate way of his, "we will call a meeting at the court house and pass resolutions denouncing the Redskins."

A few years ago, a reporter on his paper reminded him of an approaching Republican county convention, and suggested that it was about time to fix up some resolutions.

"No," the Governor replied, "I am going to keep out of it this time."

The day prior to the convention the reporter noticed the Governor, perched on his high stool at his old familiar desk busily engaged in writing. The paper had gone to press and the reporter inquired the occasion of his industry.

"Well," said the Governor with a laugh, "I thought I would fix up a few resolutions for the convention tomorrow."

The Governor enjoyed remarkably good health up to within a few weeks of his death, and had been almost constantly at his desk in the Republican office since the paper was established in 1886. He was a graceful writer and was the author of many bits of verse. He was the originator of the story of the Populist orator at the funeral, which has been worked over in a thousand different forms by political orators since it first appeared in the Republican in 1890. The Populist boom in Lyon county was at its height at that time, and the sub-treasury was the leading article of the faith. The story as Eskridge wrote it was to the effect that a town preacher was called to conduct the funeral of a citizen of Waterloo township, who was of somewhat unsavory reputation. After the usual prayer, the minister excused himself from pronouncing a eulogy, but extended an invitation to anyone in the audience to speak regarding the life and character of the deceased. There was no response and the invitation was repeated. After a long pause, an old farmer with a luxuriant crop of whiskers, rose into the back part of the hall and said: "Well, if nobody's got anything to say about the corpse, I would like ot make a few remarks about the sub-treasury."

The Republican was the first Republican newspaper in the state to openly attack Senator John J. Ingalls. Governor Eskridge began a bitter fight on the Senator early in 1889, and kept it up until Ingalls was retired by the election of Peffer in 1890. He always insisted that he entertained no personal ill feeling towards the Senator, but thought it was time for "a change." After his defeat, Eskridge frequently took occasion to manifest his friendship for the fallen chief. Only a few months ago, he printed a long editorial nominating the ex-Senator for Vice President.

There are many who believe that the war upon Ingalls was merely to pave the way for opposition to Plumb. It is known that Plumb himself held this view. But one night the news of Plumb's death was flashed from Washington and the making of a lot of political history was thereby prevented.

In the early days Eskridge was an enthusiastic champion of Jim Lane and never quite forgave the Robinson faction. Like his famous chieftain he ended his own life, though, of course, from different motives.

Governor Eskridge had intimate personal and business relations with William Martindale and the Crosses and was of course deeply involved in the failure of the First National bank. He never quite recovered from the shock of that disaster, and it is more than probable that his death was hastened by it.

Governor Eskridge was an ardent believer in the free cornage of silver, and only his high regard for William McKinley held him in line for the Republican ticket in 1896.

His party faith at the time of his death was somewhat uncertain. It is evident that he himself had not made up his mind which party to support. Only last Friday he said in a dictated editorial, after quoting a statement on the money question made by McKinley in 1890:

"The Republican stands on the money question just where McKinley stood in 1890. Not for a gold standard nor for a silver standard, but for both metals. That is where McKinley would stand body if the trusts did not control the party.

"When the Democrats get their double tailed ticket fixed up we will determine whether the Republican will support Bryan or McKinley."
(The Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital ~ 17 July 1900)