Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-03-18 | Page 11 | Dramatic Death of Gen. J. R. Thomas

DRAMATIC DEATH OF GEN. J. B. THOMAS Former Federal Appraiser at Port of Chicago Summoned Without Warning. CHICAGO, March 17. General J. R. Thomas, who was recently ousted as Federal Appraiser at tho port of Chicago, Chi-cago, dropped dead today. Heart disease is supposed to be the cause. The removal of General Thomas from office a .few weeks ago was one of the most plcturejKjuo Incidents known In politics here. Seated under tho folds of a United States flag, General Thomas remained at his desk, refusing to give way until dispossessed by tho actual arrival of his successor, Lyman T. Hoy, who was the manager of the campaign that re-fulted re-fulted In the election of Unlted States Senator Albert J. Hopkins. The reason assigned for the removal was tho desirability of securing a more vigorous administration of the office, but General Thomas maintained that the motive for the change was purely political and that the affairs of the appraiser's ap-praiser's ofilce wore being handled with an efficiency above the average. The Issue was made tho subject of an appeal to President Roosevelt and a controversy with Secretary Shaw. The death of General Thomas was as dramatic as his removal. He had served serv-ed In tho Civil war, but had never made an application for a pension, whllo In receipt of other Income. Today, after Ineffectual efforts to secure se-cure other work, he was In a lawyer's office preparing a pension application. It was while thus engaged that General Thomas fell dead. He was 70 years old. General Thomas was nppolnted appraiser ap-praiser of the port of Chicago by President Presi-dent MoKInley several years ngo, and ho served continuously until removed from tho position by President Roosevelt Roose-velt within tho last month. Dccoased was Adjutant-General under Governor Brownlow of Tennessee during the Civil war and was subsequently subse-quently speaker of the Illinois Legislature. Legis-lature. Upon arriving at the lawyer's office today Genoral Thomas sank Into a chair, panting and out of breath. Ho was unablo to speak for a moment, but seemed to rocover. "I have come to Inquire about a pension," pen-sion," he said at last. Ills chair was drawn up to a tablo and he was about to speak again when he was seized by a second fainting spell. His head fell on the table and a moment later he was dead.