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Show TEN E. RICH, former prwideat of the cater tates mission of tkc Mornisn cnurcn, wko died last nignt in New York City. APOPLEXY FATAL I WIFE AT SIDE I Former President of Eastern H States Mission of Mormon H Church Dies in New York ; H 111 One Month. I SON WINS FOUR-DAY I RACE WITH DEATH I Was Active in Church and H Political Affairs; At One H Time Newspaper Owner; H Moved to Idaho in 1 893. I Special to The Tribune. NEW YORK, Sept. 13. After am H illness of four weeks, Ben E. Rich, president of the eastern mission of tho Mormon church, died in this city at 8:10 o'clock this ovening. Four weeks ago Mr. Rich took to his bed with a complication of kidnoy and heart trouble. So serious was the eastern loader's condition that little hope was held out for his recovery by Dr. Or in Lu Rich, his son, who has had charge of the case, but the stricken man be-gan be-gan to improve and until Monday it was hoped' that he would recover. A change for the worse set in and during tho past few days his death has hourly been expected. This after-noon after-noon the crisis came and ho lapsed into unconsciousness aud remained iu that condition until the end. Tho last look of recognition from tho sick man camo yesterday when his wife, Mrs. Diana F. Rich, and son, Benjamin L. Rich, arrived from Lako. ' Tho patient recognized tu t but the disease had' sapped, up all of his vitality and he was too weak to welcome them. From that time until this afternoon Mr. Rich hovered bi'-twen bi'-twen life and death. At 4 p. m. Dr. Rich anounccd that his father's end might bo oxpectod at any mocnt. Hoped for Recovery. H "This was sad news to 1 of us," said L-. W. Jlichards, temporarily head of tho eastern mission. "We hud hoped so much that Mr. Rich would re- jH cover. Judge Albert Smith luft for Salt Lake two days ago and wo then expected Mr. Rich to recovor, but the relapse camo today and tho end was peaceful." Dr. Rich said that his father's body would probably be sent to Salt Lako jH tomorrow. Mr. Richards is now in charge of tho mission and matters aro progressing smoothly. Fifty-three years ago Ben E. Rich was born 'in Salt Lake City, the son of Apostle Charles C- Rich and Sarah Rich. His fathor was a Mormon pio- jH neor and prominont in church circles. Ho was the forbear of an unusually large family, 868 direot descendants of Apostlo Rich now living in Utah and Idaho. Ben E. Rich was one of fifty-two fifty-two children. Educated in Salt Lake. Ben E. Rich received his education in Salt Lako schools, and when 20 years old moved to Ogden, where ho served jH a term as county recorder, and for a timo managed the Ogden Equitable Co-operatlvo Co-operatlvo store In 1S80 ho was sent to England on a mission, remaining thore threo years. Ho returned at the head of a party of 700 Mormon immi-grants, immi-grants, whom he brought to Utah and Idaho. Il After returning from England Mr. Rich lived for Bovoral years in Ogden. He took an active interest in political nffnirs nnd was active in the campaign to securo statohond for Utah. He was Pl also prominent in tho Mormon church ffH and was a contributor to Beveral church publications. In Ja)d ho moved to itoxourg, Ida., lBH whoro he purchased the Roxburg Press, tho name of whioh he changed to the Silver Hammer. Later ho moved tho paper to St. Anthony, Ida. He was also owner for a timo of the Rexburg Stand-ard. Stand-ard. Ho was a candidate for the stato senate in Idaho on the Ropublicau ticket and a lieutenant of former United States Sonator Frod Dubois. His defont for the etato senate was gen-orally gen-orally attributed to tho activity of tho church, leaders in opposition to" him be-cause be-cause of his friendship for Dubois. Delegate to Convention. Mr. Rich vras a delegate from Idaho jH to the Republican national convention in St. Louis in 1896, and was one of the delegates who walked out of tho convention hall wheu tho proposod frco silver plank was rejected. During tho untion.il campaign of 1S90 Mr. Rich wus a strong Bryan supporter nnd worked hard for the success of tho Democratic ticket both in Utah and Idaho. Mr. Rich came to Utah in 1800 to manago tho campaign of Frank J. Can- (Continued on Pago Two.) APOPLEXY IS FATAL TO BEN E. RICH (Continued from Pago One.) IV non for tho United States senate. In this campaign he opposod some of the most prominent church leaders who woro arrayed against Cannon. He incurred in-curred the enmity of some of tho church leaders at that timo that is said to have prevented his securing the proferment prof-erment in the church that his subsequent subse-quent service seemod to merit. Tho exciting Cannon campaign and tho part Rich played in it is graphically graph-ically recounted in the articles by Frank J. Cannon recently published in Everybody's Magazine. At about the same' timo Mr. Rich was an active supporter sup-porter of Senator Fred Dubois in Idaho, and Senator Francis E. "Warren in Wyoming, Wy-oming, assisting both in their campaigns cam-paigns for election. In 1898 Mr. Rich was sent to tho southern states as head of tho Mormon Mor-mon missions in that section, and his service for the Mormon church in tho mission field had been continuous since that timo. The selection of Mr. Rich as president of tho southern states mission at a timo when ho was so actively act-ively interested in politics wns viewed with suspicion by many. In his autobiography auto-biography Senator Frank J. Cannon ox-presses ox-presses regret that in his second campaign cam-paign for the United States senate his campaign managor "had been taken away. ' ' Lived in Tennessee. For eleven years Mr. Rich lived at Chattanooga, Tenn., ns tho head of the Mormon missions in tho south. Four years ago he was transferred to New York as the president of t tho Eastern StateB missions. During his absence in the mission field Mr. Rich has maintained main-tained his legal residence in Salt Lako, frequently returning hero to vote. During Dur-ing the fifteen years Mr. Rich has returned re-turned to Salt Lake three times each year. Ho was always in attendance on tho spring and fall conferences of tho Mormon churc.li and usually spent a fow weeks each summer with his family at Centervillo. Mr. Rich was widely known throughout through-out Utah and Idaho and also in the torrltory covered by tho missions over which ho presided. Qualities of courage, cour-age, loyalty and independence havo won for him thousands, of closo friends. Ilis courago was proverbial among his friends. lie was brave onough to be independent of his church when loyalty to his friends demanded it. Because of his long sorvico in the church work ho had been frequently mentioned as a possibility for appointmont to the apostles' quorum, but his independence of action is said to Kavo militated against his appointment. While a missionary in the southorn states Mr. R.ich was with n- party of Mormons in Florida and was attacked by a mob. The Mormons wero stoned and driven to a nearby railway sta tion. While waiting for a. train Rich mounted a truck and rebuked the mob. At tho end " of his spoech the mob cheered him for his gameness. Work Very Heavy. The detail of the work of presiding over important missions for fifteen years finally began to wear on Mr. Rich and he suffered from a general nervous weakness. As president of tho missions ho was required to pass on all of the troubles of moro thai!, 300 young 'missionaries. 'mis-sionaries. In addition it was his, duty to direct tho work of attempting to convert reluctant pr.ostelytcs to an unpopular un-popular belief. Mr. Rica's health had remained vigorous up to a year ago when lie suffered a serious breakdown. Friends of Mr. Rich urged him to ask to bo relieved of his duties in tho mission mis-sion field and to return to Salt Lako for a long rest. He preferred, howevor, to romain at his post. Finally at tho request of tho first presidency of the Mormon church ho consented to take a six weeks' vacation, which ho spent on tho Mediterranean. On his roturn to work Mr. Rich felt greatly improved in health, but the recovery did not prove permanent. He failed rapidly and tho effects of ill health, wore remarked upon by his friends when ho visited Salt Lako last Juno to attend tho marriage of his daughter. A sharp return of the nervous trouble recurred early last month and Mr. Rich was forcod to remain away from his office. He insisted on continuing work, however, and while in bed carried on his ' correspondence and personally directod di-rectod the conduct of the mission licad-qnartdrs. licad-qnartdrs. Complications resulting from overwork resulted and three wcoks ago Dr, Lorin F. Jiieh of Ogden, his son, was called' to "New York. Uo found his father in a serious condition but hoped that under tlic attention of some of tho best specialists in Now York ho would recover siillieicntly to be brought to Salt Lake. Suffered Relapse. For some days a steady improvement was noted, but last Sunday thero came a turn for tho worse with the stroke of apoplexy that proved fatal in spite of the efforts put forth to save the stricken strick-en man. Mrs. "Rich and Ben L. Rich left Salt Lake Tuesday in response to a wire from Mr. Rich and readied I'Jow York twenty-four hours before the death of Mr. Rich. Mr. Rich is survived by his widow, Mrs. Diana F. Rich, who for several years has made her homo at Centorville, and eight children, Ben L. Rich of Salt Lako, t)r. Lorin F. Rich of Ogden, Fred Rich of Salt Lake, Dr. Homer E. Rich of Vernal, Mrs. Alvin C. Strong of Salt Lake, Don O'Neil Rich, who is at present pres-ent on a mission in New Yorlc; Mrs. Vivian Vi-vian Watkins of Vernal and Frank Cannon Can-non .Rich, who lives with his mother at Centorville. Mr. Rich had four full brothers and sisters. They are D. P. Rich of Boise and Fred C. Rich. Mrs. Milando Pratt and Mrs. Sarah Rich Mil-ler, Mil-ler, all of Salt. Lako. Mr. Rich was the author of a largo number of books and pamphlets used in the Mormon mission fields, the brst known of which is tho booklet, "Mr. Durand of Salt Lako," a missionary tract that has been translated into a dozen languages and of which several million copies have been printed. Two books written by Mr. Rich, "A Scrap Book of Mormon Literature," and "Prophets and Patriarchs" havo a wide circulation among mombers of the Mormon church.' |