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(ſeneral it. #. §axter.
SUCCESSFUL career, especially where
success has been achieved by manly
straightforward effort, is always watched
with keen and admiring interest during
its progress, and at its close is held up in the pulpit,
the press, and in biography for guidance, imitation
and instruction. It is because of the great interest
that the world takes in the sayings and doings of
successful men that biography has been called the
most attractive of all reading. When it is con-
sidered that the failures in life outnumber
the successes by more than twenty to one, it
is small wonder that we wish to discover the
methods, modes of thought, and plans of action of
those who know no such word as fail. . Nothing
better or more attractive can be offered for our con-
templation than the careers of manly, enterprising,
successful, self-made men. Among such men, GEN-
ERAL H. H. BAXTER held a conspicuous place.
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6
His birth and early surroundings were good. His
father, a man of fine presence and bearing, was a
lawyer and judge of distinction in the State of Ver-
mont. He intended to call his son to the bar, but,
like Disraeli, young Baxter had no thought of re-
maining a clerk to an attorney, even though the
lawyer was his own father. Like the great Hebrew
statesman and orator, his motto was “the world's
mine oyster,” and he wisely concluded that he could
not open the bivalve with the quill of a barrister.
When he really got at it a crowbar was the lightest
instrument he ever used, and dynamite and steam
were active agents in removing the shell of the
mollusk.
His business education began in Boston, where *
he was employed as assistant book-keeper in a
prominent dry-goods commission house.
He had held this position less than a year, and was
but sixteen years of age, when the head accountant
was taken ill. Young Baxter was asked whether
he thought he could fill the vacant place. His an-
swer was “yes,” and from that time until over-work
compelled him to resign his place and seek rest
among his native hills, he had entire charge of the
accounts of his employers. The knowledge gained
at the desk in Boston was of the greatest value to
him in after-life. It made him a master of detail, a
7
point in which most men who plan and conduct
great enterprises are sadly deficient. He knew not
only the importance of keeping correct accounts, but
knew also the great value of closing up, clearing up,
and tying up, business transactions. His motto
was “no loose ends—let us tie up and docket this
operation,-and do it now.” Half the failures in
life come from a lack of this trait in business men.
Back among the green hills he soon recovered
health and strength and began to look about for a
business in which he would be principal and not
subordinate. - He decided to open a store in Bel-
lows Falls with a stock of general merchandise.
Here occurred the first and last failure of his life.
The broad-gauge open-hearted man knew not how
to Say “no”—whoever wanted goods got them, and
when the non-paying community had worn out his
dry goods and eaten up his groceries the business
was closed.
In his case misfortune was really good fortune.
Had he succeeded he might have lived the life of a
prosperous retail country merchant and died leaving
an estate worth twenty-five thousand dollars. But
he was much too big a man in every way to be a
clerk or a country store-keeper. In his next work
he found vent for the dormant power that was
within him. He was a born commander of men.
8
Had he been educated at West Point he would al-
most certainly have gained military distinction. To
mass bodies of men and assault opposing forces,
whether those forces were other men or were forests,
rocks and streams, was exactly the kind of work
he delighted in, and was fitted for. If he had been
in command of an army there is no sort of doubt
that he would have moved on the enemy's works,
and there is just as little doubt that his men would
have followed him. The towering form, the hand-
some honest face, and the cheery strong musical
voice, were well calculated to inspire those whom
he commanded with confidence. No doubt the pos-
session of these qualities contributed in no small de-
gree to his success as a railway contractor and
builder. He knew and called his men by name,
and took a kindly, generous interest in their welfare,
and when he rode along the lines and said, “Tom,
do this; Mike, do that,” the ready response was “yis,
Giniral.” He began the successful work of his life
by taking a contract to grade the depot grounds at
Bellows Falls, and construct a few miles of railway
leading from that place. He threw so much spirit
and energy into the work and finished it so promptly
and satisfactorily that he was employed by the Hon.
Timothy Follett, President of the Rutland & Bur-
lington R. R., to finish up a number of other con-
9
tracts which the original takers had failed to com-
plete. This sort of work was especially congenial.
A half-finished job was an abomination to him, and
through his whole life whatever he undertook was
as thoroughly performed as time, labor and expense
could do the work. After completing the unfin-
ished contracts of others, he next took one for him-
self. The grading and masonry on about twenty
miles of the Western Vermont Railroad was
awarded to him by public letting. He threw all
his natural spirit and energy into the work, and its
successful completion not only gave him prominence
as a railway contractor and builder, but left him with
a substantial profit. “To-morrow to fresh woods
and pastures new.” Leaving his native State he
went into northern Ohio and built the Cleveland &
Toledo road. Those who ride over this fine prop-
erty—now a part of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern route—in a palace car have little idea of
the struggles of the energetic men who, in 1854,
brought the work to successful completion. Dense
forests to be cleared of trees and stumps, Swamps to
be crossed, hills to be levelled, and streams to be
bridged, and all to be done with the imperfect ma-
chinery of thirty years ago, presented a mountain of
labor which bold men might have shrunk from con-
templating. At times during the progress of the
2
IO
work it was impossible to ride over the route the
engineers had surveyed even on horseback—wagon
carriage being practicable only when the ground
was frozen or after it was thoroughly settled in sum-
mer. Often in after life General Baxter would
speak of the extreme difficulties encountered by
himself and associates during the progress of the
work, but labor conquers all, and he had a genius
for directing labor; the result being that this, the
most important work of his life thus far, was com-
pleted and handed over to its projectors within the
contract time, and to their entire satisfaction. The
enterprise brought him position and profit. He re-
turned to Vermont a substantially rich man, and
located at Rutland, which was thereafter his home
in that State. Although he had as much money as
would have enabled him to live a life of ease, he had
no thought of giving up the activities of business.
He was still very young—only in his thirty-seventh
year—and idleness had no attractions for the active
energetic man who had been on horseback most of
the time for the ten previous years, riding along the
muddy highways and byways of Vermont and Ohio,
giving directions to hundreds of laborers and having
general Supervision over the construction of impor-
tant public works.
His next business venture showed his natural
I I
taste for out-door work and for directing the minds
and energies of others. In company with two asso-
ciates, he bought the well-known marble quarries at
Rutland, and took personal control of their man-
agement. His desire for supreme command soon
led him to buy out his partners, and from that time
until he sold the property to parties in New York,
represented by Leonard W. Jerome and the late
Elisha Riggs, he managed every department of
these famous quarries with energy, ability and suc-
cess. His whole attention, however, was not given
to business. Stirring events were attracting
the attention of the nation and, indeed, of the
civilized world. Lincoln had been elected ; South
Carolina had passed a formal ordinance seceding
from the Union, and the whole country was agitat-
ed and racked by the throes which preceded our
civil conflict. There is no doubt that the entire
North, and thousands of conservative men in the
South, shrunk with horror from the contemplation
of internecine strife. Amongst the means taken to
avert it was the assembling of the historic Peace
Convention, called to meet at Washington. The
delegates to this Convention were appointed by the
Legislatures of the various States, and they were
earnestly besought to send to Washington practi-
cal, clear-headed, conservative men, and not politi-
I 2
cians of extreme views, either from the North or
South. High hopes were entertained that the de-
liberations of the Convention might result in avert-
ing civil war, and its personnel was closely scanned
and freely criticised. To this Convention, General
Baxter was appointed as one of the delegates from
the State of Vermont. So deep was the interest
felt regarding the result of the Convention's
labors, that the newspapers of the day published
short sketches of the lives, careers and personal ap-
pearance of the delegates who composed it. Gene-
ral Baxter could not have helped being a conspicu-
ous figure among his fellows if he had tried. Nature
made him. So, and he could not undo her work.
His towering form, open, manly face and affable
manner at once made him a favorite with the whole
body of delegates. Southern men saw at least one
“mud-sill” who was made of finer clay and cast in
a more heroic mould than any one of themselves,
and it was soon found that his good sense and
good judgment were quite equal to his good looks.
The failure of the Convention to reconcile the dif-
ferences that existed between the contending sec-
tions is now a matter of history. Mr. Seward, our
most philosophical statesman, with the possible ex-
ception of Mr. Calhoun, had correctly stated the
position of the North on the slavery question as
I3
being “an irrepressible conflict between opposing
and contending forces.” General Baxter, with his
clear, practical Sagacity and Sound judgment, Saw
that the conflict was at hand. No abasement or
surrender that could have been dictated to the
North would have long averted the inevitable.
Peace with honor he was willing to strive for; but
he would hardly have been welcomed back among
the green hills of his native State—popular as he
was if he had been willing to surrender one jot or
tittle of the honor or conscience of the North, or
one iota of the principles which had triumphed in
the election of Lincoln. He, however, was a thor-
ough believer in those principles, and had not the
remotest thought of yielding them under any press-
ure or at anybody's dictation. He went from
Washington to Montpelier and told Governor Fair-
banks there was going to be a war, a long and bit-
ter war, and the best thing Vermont could do would
be to make preparation to bear her share in the con-
flict. It is difficult now to comprehend the feeling,
at that time almost universal, that in some way
bloodshed would be avoided. Even after Sumter
had been fired upon, Governor Seward, wise and
Sagacious as he was, predicted that the whole thing
would be over in ninety days, and there were few
military men who did not think that the 75,000
I4.
troops first called for by the President would be
ample in number to suppress the revolt. It was
mainly owing to the different views held by Gene-
ral Baxter that Vermont was ready to respond so
promptly to the President's call. No one except
an eye-witness can have any idea of the enthusiasm
with which the first troops from the North and
East were received in New York as they marched
through our streets on their way to the seat of war.
Their movements were fully chronicled by the
press. The date and hour of arrival, the route
through the city to the point of embarkation, where
recruited, and by whom officered, were carefully de-
tailed. If it was a Massachusetts, Rhode Island or
Connecticut regiment, natives of those States long
resident in New York made ample preparation to
give the boys a hearty welcome and an earnest God-
speed. Those who saw the first troops from Ver-
mont file down Broadway will never forget the
scene. The street was packed with one dense mass
of humanity. From a thousand windows along the
way, countless eyes looked forth. Flags and hand-
kerchiefs fluttered in the air, and cheer upon cheer
broke forth as the brave boys marched by. They
were given no chance to doubt that the descendants
of the men who had fought with Allen at Ticonde-
roga, and Stark at Bennington, held a high place
I5
in the regard and affection of their fellow-citizens
of New York. General Baxter rode at the head of
the column. It was largely due to his liberality
and energy that so fine a body of well-organized
and equipped men was so promptly on its way to
take part in the great struggle. He was not then
forty-four years of age. Time had not bowed his
stalwart form, although it had already silvered his
locks. There was one continuous acclaim of admi-
ration and enthusiasm as he piloted the Green
Mountain boys to their point of departure. It may
be safely said that the man on horseback was one
of the best specimens of American manhood who
ever rode down Broadway at the head of a body of
troops. The enthusiasm of the early hours of the
great struggle for the Nation's life was never re-
peated; it gave way to a steadfast purpose and un-
yielding determination which delay and defeat only
intensified and strengthened. But it is well to com-
mend the patriotic, intelligent and well-directed ef-
forts of General Baxterin support of the government
at that critical period of its existence. Let it not be
supposed that enlisting and forwarding the troops
of his native State was for him a labor of love. On
the contrary, he had a loving, pitying tenderness for
the brave boys who went to lay down their lives
, that the Nation might live. With many of the of
I6
ficers and not a few of the men he was personally
acquainted. Colonel Roberts, of the Seventh Ver-
mont Volunteers, who was killed in battle, was his
wife's brother, and Colonel Holbrook, who suc-
ceeded him, was the son of Governor Holbrook,
General Baxter's life-long friend. He might well
have said to them :
“I could not love you half as much,
Loved I not honor more.”
But his first solicitude was for his imperilled coun-
try, his next that Vermont should do her whole
duty to avert the peril. His watchfulness over the
men he had sent forward never ceased. Learning
that a regiment of them had been stationed in the
far South, where they were fast being thinned by
malarial and miasmatic fevers, he went to Washing-
ton and represented the facts to Mr. Lincoln ; told
him that these boys were accustomed to pure air and
a bracing atmosphere, that it was worse than UISC-
less to leave them to perish in Southern Swamps,
and begged that the half-decimated regiment might
be sent home, recruited to its full strength, and re-
turn to active service farther north. The kind-
hearted President at once granted the request.
General Baxter's pay as Adjutant-General of the
State of Vermont was $75 per annum. There is
17
no doubt that he spent from his private fortune, in
arming and equipping troops and paying bounties,
more thousands than he received dollars in any one
year for his services to the State. He was emphat-
ically one of the men who did not make money out
of the war. When it ended, General Baxter, who
no longer had any business interests of importance
in Vermont, removed to New York, where he at
once became conspicuous, associating with men of
mark in finance and railway management. His
first large venture in Wall Street was made in con-
nection with the late Henry Keep, whom he joined
in a movement to advance the price of Michigan
Southern Railway stock. The operation was very
profitable, and from that time until the death of
Mr. Keep, he and General Baxter maintained a cor-
dial intimacy, and were interested together in many
important business enterprises. Their next great
move was to obtain control of the New York Cen-
tral railroad. Mr. Keep was made President, and
the management succeeded in having a law enacted
at Albany, raising the passenger fares from two to
two and a half cents per mile. Governor Fenton,
however, vetoed the bill, and Mr. Keep shortly
after resigned the presidency of the road. General
Baxter succeeded him and remained at the head of
affairs, until the property passed into the hands of
3
18
Commodore Vanderbilt. He was the only one of
the old managers retained for any length of time by
the Commodore, and it was because of his persis-
tent advice to provide ample terminal facilities for
handling the business of the road, that the Grand
Central Depot was erected and Grain Elevators
built on the North River to accommodate that de-
partment of traffic. * .
Meantime, General Baxter was engaged in other
important enterprises. In connection with Mr.
Keep and others he obtained control of the Chicago
& Northwestern Railway Co., and advanced the
stock from 40 to par. He was a director of that
Company for a number of years. About the year
1869, he practically retired from business. He was,
however, never idle. He busied himself about this
time in erecting a handsome country house in Rut-
land, Vermont. This residence with its surround-
ings is one of the finest in the State, and will long
remain a monument of his good taste. He also
established the Baxter National Bank at Rutland,
and built a fine banking house for its accommoda-
tion. He was practically the owner of the bank,
which is one of the Soundest financial institutions
in New England. In the summer of 1870, he
joined Mr. Trenor W. Park in buying the Emma
silver mining property in Utah. To purchase this
19
property he advanced nearly $400,000 in cash,
and it is absurd to suppose that he did not fully and
honestly believe in the great value of the mine.
Men of his experience and shrewdness do not part
with nearly half a million of good money for prop-
erty that is at best precarious upon the chance that
they may resell it to some one for a profit. The
value of the mine had been irrefragably demon-
strated. The ore was of exceeding richness. Hun-
dreds of tons of it had been shipped to New York,
to Liverpool and Swansea, and the result in solid
silver had been ascertained by assayers in those
places. The mine was worked by its owners and
for its owners for many months with most gratify-
ing results, and without any thought on the part of
General Baxter of selling it to any one at home or
abroad. He was satisfied and delighted with the
property, and thoroughly believed it would yield
him a large return upon his investment. Mean-
while the fame of the mine had attracted attention
abroad. Its ores had been reduced and assayed
at Liverpool and Swansea, and English chemists
and smelters were aware of their extraordinary
richness.
A proposition came from London to organize
the property into a stock company, and place the
shares in that market. Mr. Park went there, and,
2C)
after consultation, an agreement for the sale of the
mine to an English company was concluded. Be-
fore the papers passed or a share of stock was
offered for sale, the buyers sent their own mining
experts and a geologist to Utah to examine the
property. Their unanimous report was that nothing
that had ever been said about its richness and value
was equal to the simple truth. The trade was com-
pleted and the stock was brought out on the Lon-
don market. Englishmen had made a minute
examination of the mine, they had assayed the ore,
and they fixed the amount of capitalization. No
fairer or more open trade was ever made. The
stock was eagerly taken and soon sold at a large
premium. The English promoters of the company
made more than $3,000,000 by the scheme. If any
one was wronged, Englishmen wronged English-
men. But the fact is that no one was wronged.
The transaction differed in no way from hundreds
of others which have been brought forward, some
of which have succeeded, and some of which have
failed. There is no certainty that if the mine had
continued under the management of private parties
it would not have been to-day a valuable prop-
erty. There are plenty of experienced miners who
believe that it still contains large quantities of pay-
ing ore. Whether this be so or not, there is but
2 I
one rule to govern all such transactions—Caveat
emptor. The Courts so decided.
Suit was brought in the United States Court in
New York City before Judge Wallace by parties
claiming to represent English shareholders, the
ground of complaint being that fraud and misrepre-
sentation had been used in regard to the property and
in placing the shares on the London market. The
allegations utterly failed. After a long and exhaus-
tive trial the jury found promptly for the defend-
ants. Further and final litigation confirmed the
original verdict against the English complainants,
and fully established the fact that the sale of the
mine was open, free and fair, and that no misrepre-
sentations of any kind were made regarding it. If
the mine had continued to yield as it was doing at
the time of its transfer to the English company, the
shareholders would have received in dividends
ten times their original investment. That it
was badly worked, allowed to be flooded and finally
abandoned, was no fault of its venders. There is
no doubt that General Baxter made money in this
undertaking, but is there a capitalist anywhere, or
was there ever one, who would put $400,000 at risk
in a mining enterprise unless there was a chance of
getting back many times the original investment?
General Baxter's profit was small in proportion to
22
his risk, and he was as fairly entitled to it as he ever
was to any dollar that he ever made. -
Other things actively engaged his attention about
this period. In Vermont he purchased a large and
beautifully located farm about two miles from Rut-
land, and fitted it up as a breeding place for thorough-
bred stock of all descriptions. It was a pet scheme,
and into it he literally poured his ample means. The
surplus labor of the town and surrounding country
was employed in making it as perfect as possible.
The old railroad building life came back to him as
he rode about the fields giving his men directions
in their work. If an able-bodied man approached
him in Rutland and asked aid, he would say to
him : “You look as though you could pick stone
or pitch hay. Go down to my farm and tell my
head man to set you to work, and come up to the
Bank Saturday night and get your pay.” It would
be interesting to know how many thousand days
of labor and how many thousands of money were
expended upon this complete and handsome farm.
The care of it, and of his house and grounds, en-
grossed a considerable part of his attention in sum-
mer. His winters he passed either at his home in
Fifth Avenue, New York, or in Florida. Business
he did not wholly put aside. In the period be-
tween 1875 and 1880 he was a director in the Pa-
23
cific Mail Steamship Company, the Hannibal & St.
Joseph Railway Co., the Panama Railway Co., and
the Continental National Bank of New York.
He bought quite largely of the Bank stock when it
was at a low figure. It is now one of the Soundest
and best managed institutions in the city—paying
dividends at the rate of Io per cent per annum.
He was an early and large investor in the bonds
and stock of the Pullman Palace Car Co., and sup-
ported Mr. Pullman's enterprise at a time when few
were willing to embark in it. The flattering suc-
cess of the Company and the solid dividends he re-
ceived for many years are proofs of his sagacity
and business forecast. He had a habit of always
keeping large sums of money at command. This
enabled him to act at times when others were pow-
erless. In the panic of 1873 he bought securities
while the Stock Exchange was closed which he sold
within ninety days at a large profit. While a con-
firmed invalid, he invested $100,000 in the Con-
struction Company which built the elevated roads
in New York, and realized more than $2OO,OOO
profit therefrom. Numerous other instances of his
boldness and good judgment might be cited, but
these are sufficient to illustrate his business capaci-
ties. He did not know how to make a hundred
dollars or a thousand, but he knew how to make a
24
hundred thousand. Little matters he had no taste
or time for. An instance may illustrate this. He
loaned to a friend a small sum of money, taking
$5,000 of Lake Shore bonds as security. The trans-
action resulted in his taking the bonds in adjust-
ment. Handing them to his broker, he said, “Go
and sell them.” The broker ventured to suggest
that they were a good security to keep. “Oh,” said
he, “I know they are good enough, but I don't
want to be bothered with five thousand dollars
worth of anything.”
Emerson says: “Wealth is an application of
mind to circumstances. It does not consist in in-
dustry, much less in economy, but in a better order,
in forethought, in being at the right spot.” Gene-
ral Baxter was not industrious in the general sense
in which the word is used, and he certainly was not
economical; but he was frequently at the right
spot, and was always well provided with means to
take advantage of the opportunities which the
“right spot” afforded. Hence he is as good an ex-
ample as could be cited of the Concord philoso-
pher's idea of the way wealth is gained.
From what has been said of him, a general idea
may be formed of his personal characteristics. He
was open, affable and charitable. He was a
stranger to deceit and subterfuge. He greeted the
25
laborer, the mechanic and the tradesman in the
streets of Rutland with as much cordiality as he did
the clergyman, the judge or the banker. “With-
hold not thy hand,” was to him the law and the
gospel. He gave freely wherever assistance was
needed. Although not a communicant, he was a
liberal contributor toward the building and subse-
quent support of the Episcopal Church in Rutland.
His bounty, however, was not hedged in by race
or creed, but was shared alike by Catholic and
Protestant. If he had been a candidate for office
he would practically have polled the votes of
every laborer in the vicinity. His greatest and
truest benevolence, however, was not in almsgiving,
but in the employment he gave during all his act-
ive life to so many scores and hundreds of persons.
When an able-bodied man accepts alms, he has
taken the first step toward degrading his manhood
and becoming a public charge. He who gives him
work and wages is much more his benefactor than
he who gives him money. The soldier languishing
in a Southern prison, or the laborer prostrated by
disease, always commanded his sympathy and his
purse. “Sick and in prison, and ye visited me !”
How much beyond human possibility is the prom-
ised reward * *
In Social life he was an attractive and welcome
4.
26
figure. In his handsome home in Rutland he dis-
pensed an old-time baronial hospitality. His guests
came and went at pleasure from June until October.
Billiards, bowling, croquet, lawn-tennis, music, danc-
ing, four-in-hand driving and picnicking made the
time pass merrily in and out of doors. There were
no dinner-parties, because each day there was a din-
ner-party. While his strength remained, he was
particularly fond of every proper and healthful
kind of sport and amusement. He sang a good
song, told a good story, enjoyed a good play, and
was a sunshiny, cheery companion. His presence
was welcome in the counting-house, in the director's
room, in the club, at the festive board and in the
drawing-room. His wardrobe was rich, tasteful,
ample and becoming, but he was as far removed
from anything like foppish affectation in dress as
possible. The clothes and the man were suited to
each other, or went well—va bien—as the French
say about a tasteful, well-fitting wardrobe.
For the last eight years of his life he suffered
from a complication of disorders which practically
closed his active career: He bore his illness with
unflinching fortitude, and fought the battle for life
inch by inch, and with a faith and courage that
would have removed mountains. At times it seemed
as though he would triumph for a while over the
27
last enemy and regain his health, but exhausted na-
ture finally abandoned the unequal contest, and he
passed away peacefully, having full possession of
himself, and arranging all matters connected with
his large estate so that a stranger could have settled
it in a day. At the desk in Boston, nearly half a
century before, he had learned to keep a clear and
explicit record of all business transactions, and the
habits there formed were never abandoned.
What are the lessons taught by such a career?
They seem to be, first, that in order to succeed
largely a man must not only be clear-minded, active
and energetic himself, but he must know how to
employ the minds and energies of others in further-
ance of the work in hand. Second, that success
may be achieved without resort to questionable
methods, and that deceit and chicanery, so far from
being desirable elements of character, are in a great
majority of instances a bar to good fortune. A
great rascal may build up a great estate and keep it;
but he is an exception, and is usually a man of un-
common genius and ability. The great majority of
dishonest men end their lives in poverty and disgrace.
Lastly, it may be said that General Baxter will
not be remembered so much because of his success in
life, as for his sterling qualities as a citizen, a neigh-
bor and a friend. Scores of men have acquired
28
greater wealth, but few have used it for public and
private ends more worthily than he. The best esti-
mate of a man, “take him for all in all,” is what his
tenants, his employés, his friends and his neighbors
say of him when he has gone. Judged by this esti-
mate, the career of General Baxter goes far to-
ward answering in the affirmative the question now
so often asked, “Is life worth living 7"
Tributes.
WHAT IS WEALTH P
ºzsi ENERAL BAXTER, whose body was
6 ! borne to the grave yesterday, was a
rich man; he was rich in the material
sense of the word, rich in wealth that he
had won by his youthful energy and enterprise and
the confidence with which his display of these qual-
ities had inspired his fellow-men; but while General
Baxter was rich in this sense, we are glad to say that
he was always rich in a far higher sense: he was
rich in natural gifts of body, mind and heart, and
it was the tenacious and inspiring memory of his at-
tractive and impressive personality in his days of ac-
tivity that makes Rutland mourn him sincerely and
recall him with pleasure and respect. If General
Baxter had lived and died a comparatively poor
man, he would have been followed to the grave by
quite as large a concourse of persons as formed his
funeral yesterday. Why? Because his personality
was of the sort that creates friends and popularity
without much reference to whether he is rich or
only moderately successful. Nature gave him a

32
handsome face and a tall stately figure, and these
rare physical advantages go far to prepossess men in
favor of the exceptional man to whom they are
given; nature also gave General Baxter a genial
and generous nature; he was a bold, frank man;
he liked to be successful, but his methods were those
of gallant assault and open warfare, not those of
stratagem; he had nothing of the financial fox or
burrowing, grovelling mole about him ; he am-
bushed no foe; it was always with him upright and
downright field fighting, and when he won he al-
ways used his victory generously ; he was not a sor-
did man in any sense, and with all his remarkable
gifts of person he never gave any suggestion of a
dandy aristocrat or snob in his dress or manner;
what he won fairly he was disposed to dispense with
a royal hand ; he was warm-hearted and hospitable ;
quick to resentment, but there was no cowardly
craft or deceit about him ; in his days of activity no
man was ever a more manly or generous citizen of .
Rutland than General Baxter; he leaves nobody
behind him that has equalled or promises to equal
his royal record in this respect. He had his faults
of character and temper, as the best of us have, but
the popular tribute paid his memory yesterday WaS
extorted by a sincere respect and kindly regard for
his real riches of manly character and courteous
33
bearing among his fellows rather than to any thought
of his pecuniary power and consequence while in
life. The people were sorry when their handsome
and genial neighbor and friend was prostrated in
the prime of his life by incurable disease, and while
his compulsory inactivity has necessarily made him
a less visible and potential figure than formerly, to-
day their memory of him is that of twenty years ago
when he strode the streets with the port and stately
bearing of a natural king among men ; a frank,
kindly, brave, honorable and hospitable man ; a man
who would not tamely submit to wrong, but would
accept or offer apology for wrong wrought with
equal quickness. When a man is dead the people
view him with just and generous glance; they cease
to care about his coincidents, his social accidents ;
they forgot all his petty faults of temper or impul-
sive action ; they look at him in a large way; they
ask themselves, have we lost a man in the main of
large, kindly and generous dimensions; shall we
miss his personality; shall we remember any warmth
of heart and honest humanity of feeling when he
is gone P. We think we pay but a just tribute to
General Baxter's memory when we say that nature
made him so captivating, attractive and impressive
a figure that had he died in very moderate circum-
stances he would have been followed to the grave
5
34
by about as many troops of friends as yesterday paid
respect to his remains, from the whole length of this
side of the State. And it is this sense of the essen-
tial riches of the man ; the impalpable, immortal
wealth that every man at once takes out of this
world with him and yet leaves behind him as a pre-
cious memory, that brought the great mass of
mourners to his funeral yesterday; it was the hom-
age of his fellow-citizens paid, not to his wealth, but
to his essential manhood. “General Baxter,” said
a farmer to us yesterday, “was a good deal more
than a rich man ; he was always a man among all
classes of men ; he was a frank, bold, honest, hon-
orable man of business; he had a pride that lifted
him above the temptation of trickery.” It is some-
thing to lose a wealthy man from the activities of
business, but the memory of General Baxter that
prompted the respect paid him yesterday was based
and rooted in the popular feeling that the deceased
was rich in that sort of manhood that makes his
personality Sorely missed and mourned whether he
dies rich or dies poor. General Baxter was a man,
who, when dead, it is easy
“To think of some generous deed, some good word spoken,
Of hearts bound up he found all sad and broken.”
It was this manly, generous side to General Baxter
that moved his fellow-citizens chiefly to follow him
35
so largely to his honored grave. The immortal part
of General Baxter, in this world and the next, is the
good that he has wrought rather than the wealth
that he won; he won it honorably and he used it
kindly and generously; he was a whole-souled man,
and he is gratefully remembered for his manhood,
not for his money; he is gratefully remembered be-
cause he always remembered the friends of his
young, struggling manhood, because he remembered
their children, because he used his wealth sometimes
“to soften the weight of adversity's touch on the
faded cheek of a fallen man;” for these things that
are the immortal part of him, General Baxter is
gratefully remembered, and the lesson is a plain one ;
men are not remembered or honored after death be-
cause they are rich, but according as they won their
riches fairly and used nobly or ignobly what had
been ably and honestly won.—Rutland Herald and
Globe, Feb. 21, 1884.
LETTER FROM EX-GOVERNOR HOL-
BROOK OF VERMONT.
52 BoyLSTON STREET,
BosTON, April 16, 1884.
MY DEAR MRS. BAxTER :
Your note of the I Ith inst. was forwarded to me
here, where I am visiting my niece Mrs. Dr. Wm.
P. Wesselhoeft for a week Or two. The Peace
Conference occurred in the spring prior to my elec-
tion, and General Baxter's appointment as a dele-
gate was by Governor Fairbanks. The Adjutant-
General's appointment is by the Legislature, and ,
not by the Governor, unless to fill an unexpired
term, made vacant between the sessions of the
Legislature. He was elected to the office by that
body. I should most certainly have appointed him
to both these places had it been for me to make the
appointments.
When I came to the office of Governor, I ap-
pointed General Baxter my chief of staff, which
place he held throughout my administration, and
rendered to me, the State of Vermont, and the
General Government most valuable service. There
37
was probably not a month in the entire period that
he did not go on some mission of public business
outside the State, as well as be with me more or
less at Brattleboro.
His services were gratuitously and most cheer-
fully rendered: His natural and intuitive percep-
tions in all business matters were remarkably quick
and clear, his judgment most excellent, and his
business capacity unrivalled. I had the greatest
confidence in his qualities in these regards, and his
large experience in practical affairs was of very
great value in those trying times of the war, when
everybody in office was put oftentimes to the
severest tests to determine just what should be
done. The people of Vermont never knew of the
extent and value of these gratuitous labors of Gen-
eral Baxter, and will probably therefore never fully
appreciate them. But I knew them well, and they
were of great value to myself as well as to the
State. I felt the attachment of a brother to Gen-
eral Baxter, as well as high regard for his abilities
as a man, and had entire confidence in his honor
and integrity of character.
I am, with high regard, your friend,
F. Holbrook.
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT EDMUND
D. RANDOLPH.
CoNTINENTAL NATIONAL BANK,
NEw York, February 20, 1884.
Hugh H. Baxter, Esq., 588 Fifth Avenue,
MY DEAR SIR :
-*
To-day being our first meeting since your father's
death, the painful duty devolved upon me of formal-
ly presenting to our Board the loss of an associate
who had always been so true a friend of the bank
and of us all ; and there followed from each direc-
tor in turn, kindred expressions of sincere regard
and of appreciation of what your father had been to
the bank and to the community, which I am sure it
would have been grateful to your feelings to hear.
Mr. Agnew then presented the following com-
memorative record to be made upon the minutes:
“On motion it was ordered that record be made
on the minutes of the death, after long illness, on
February 17, 1884, of General H. H. Baxter, who
was elected a director of the Continental National
Bank, January 13, 1874, his associates desiring thus
39
to give expression of their regard and esteem for
him, of their sorrow at his death, and of their re-
cognition of his unvarying interest in the welfare of
this bank.”
Although your father's visits to the bank have
necessarily been infrequent since I have been in
office, yet the cordial relations which it has been
my good fortune to enjoy with him throughout
that period, make me fully appreciative of what I
have lost, and the bank has lost, through the long
illness which deprived us of his attendance and
valued counsel. *
Asking your acceptance for yourself and for Mrs.
Baxter, of the sincere sympathy of myself and my
fellow officers and directors,
I am very truly yours,
EDMD. D. RANDOLPH, Areszdent.
RESOLUTIONS.
THE following resolutions of respect were passed
by the directors of the Baxter National Bank of
Rutland, and spread upon the records:
A'esolved, That this board has heard with deep
regret and sorrow of the death, in New York City,
of General H. Henry Baxter, our late capable and
faithful president.
Aesolved, That as a testimony of respect for the
memory of the deceased, this bank be draped in
mourning and closed upon the day of his funeral,
and that its officers and directors attend the same
in a body, wearing the usual badge of mourning.
Aesolved, That we hereby tender to the family of
the deceased our deepest sympathy in their sad
bereavement, and that a copy of these resolutions
he transmitted to them by the cashier.
At a meeting of the directors of the Clement
National Bank, held this day, it was voted to close
the bank at 1 o'clock P.M., on the 20th of February,
4. I
on account of the funeral of General H. H. Baxter,
and as a mark of respect to his memory. The
officers and directors of the bank are requested to
meet at our banking rooms at 1:30 o'clock to at-
tend the funeral in a body.
P. W. CLEMENT, Cashze?".
RUTLAND, VT., February 19, 1884.
AT a meeting of the directors of the Killington
National Bank held to-day, it was voted to close
the bank at one o'clock P.M., on February 20th, be-
cause of the funeral of the late General H. H.
Baxter.
GEO. K. Montgomery, Cashzer.
RUTLAND, February 19, 1884.
At the regular meeting of the directors of the
National Bank of Rutland, held this day, it was
voted to close the bank at I o'clock P.M., on the
20th day of February, 1884, by reason of the fu-
neral of General H. H. Baxter.
CHAs. W. MUSSEY, Cashzer.
RUTLAND, VT., February 19, 1884.
6
42
ON account of the funeral services of General
H. Henry Baxter, late President of the Baxter
National Bank, said bank will be closed for busi-
ness the entire day of Wednesday, February 20,
I884.
GEO. R. Bottu M, Cashzer.
39tess glotices.
THE DEATH OF GENERAL BAXTER.
UR citizens will learn with deep sorrow
that General H. H. Baxter is dead ; he
died in New York city at nine o'clock
#5&S&§
§
$3. N&
().
º
N
º
º
ºf Sunday evening. While his death was
not unexpected, as he has been for many days
past in a sinking condition, nevertheless the
deceased has been for so many years a popular
and familiar figure in this community, that the
news of his demise will be painful intelligence here,
where he has lived for a long time, and by his gene-
rous and hospitable nature had endeared himself to
so many of our people of all classes and conditions
of life. Horace Henry Baxter was born in Sax-
ton's River, January 18th, 1818; he was the eldest
son of Horace Baxter, Esq., who was for many
years a practising lawyer in Rockingham, Judge
of Probate, and a very popular and eminent citi-
zen of Windsor county. Judge Baxter was a very
handsome man, and from him General Baxter in-
herited the manly beauty of face and figure and the
affable disposition and attractive manners for which
he was distinguished during all his active life.















46
General Baxter was married to Eliza Wales, of Bel-
lows Falls, December 21st, 1841, who died Septem-
ber 8th, 1849, leaving no children. For his second
wife General Baxter married Mary E. Roberts, of
Manchester, Vt., December 18th, 1851. By her
he had two children—Henry, born May 18th, 1856,
who died March 20th, 1860; and Hugh Henry,
born October 24, 1861, who survives him. Of his
immediate family, two brothers survive—A. Sidney
Baxter, of New York city, and John N. Baxter, of
this village. General Baxter commenced life as a
clerk in the establishment of Blake & Appleton in
Boston, and after a few years returned to Bellows
Falls and engaged in mercantile business with in-
different success, and abandoned it about the time
of the construction of the Rutland & Burlington
Railroad, of which Hon. Timothy Follett was then
president, under whose administration he was
awarded the contract for grading the depot grounds
at Bellows Falls and the construction of some three
or four miles of railway from Bellows Falls. This
kind of work was congenial to his tastes, and his
natural spirit and energy were shown by his rapid
and successful completion of this contract. It was
first finished and accepted on time, and the manner
in which the work was done was so satisfactory to
President Follett that he was employed by the
47
2.
company to finish up contracts of other parties be-
tween Bellows Falls and Rutland, which for vari-
ous reasons the original contractors had failed to
perform. About this time there was a public let-
ting for the construction of the Western Vermont
Railroad (now Bennington & Rutland Railroad),
for which he made proposals, and had awarded him
the grading, and masonry on about eighteen miles
of the line, Factory Point being about midway, and
where he, during the performance of the work,
maintained his business office and residence. Fol-
lowing this he went to Ohio, taking with him as as-
sociates Mr. Chandler and Mr. Brown, of Cuttings-
ville, and obtained the contract for grading and
laying the iron for the entire road then known as
the Cleveland, Norwalk & Toledo Railroad. In all
these enterprises he was eminently fortunate and suc-
cessful. Returning from Ohio in the year 1854, he
located in Rutland, and soon after, with associates,
purchased of William F. Barnes the marble property
at West Rutland, of which he subsequently became
the sole owner, and which he caused to be incorpo-
rated, and was afterwards known as the Rutland
Marble Company. In the year 1861, seeing the
need of greater banking facilities in Rutland, he was
mainly instrumental, against vigorous opposition, in
procuring a charter for the Rutland County Bank,
48
in the organization of which certain methods were
resorted to which he considered unfair, resulting in
depriving him of the controlling management of
the institution he had labored to establish. The
treatment thus received, more than anything else,
induced him to withdraw his business interests from
Rutland and make his residence in New York. In
1863 he made a sale of the Rutland Marble Com-
pany's property to New York parties, and soon
after engaged in business in the city of New York,
always, however, spending his summers in Rutland,
and taking an active interest in all that tended to
promote her welfare. He was the founder of the
Baxter National Bank, of Rutland, of which at his
decease he was president. This is one of the strong-
est financial institutions in the State, and occupies
an elegant structure, built specially for its use by
General Baxter. Previous to the appearance of a
disease commencing nearly ten years ago, and
which he has endured with heroic fortitude, and to
which he had partially to yield, he was an active
participant in the direction of several railroads,
banks, etc.; and for the year previous to the Occu-
pancy of the Vanderbilt party, was president of the
New York Central Railroad. During his residence
in Rutland he took an active interest in town af-
fairs, in her public buildings, streets and various or-
49
ganizations, to the success of which he always con-
tributed with a liberal hand; he filled the place of
selectman and highway-surveyor, and was at one
time Captain of the old “Rutland Light Guard;”
he was Adjutant-General under the administrations
of Governor Fairbanks and Governor Holbrook.
He mustered in the early regiments of the State,
commencing with the firing on Fort Sumter, and
was a member from this State of the celebrated
Peace Convention, appointed by Gov. Fairbanks.
He was among the corporators of the Evergreen
Cemetery, and always took a deep interest in its
adornment.
He, with a few others, was instrumental in the
building of the present Episcopal Church, and to
these and all other matters which concerned the
welfare of the town he was always ready to lend a
helping hand.
His taste in the matter of house and grounds
and making them beautiful to the eye was some-
thing wonderful. Probably there is not in the
State a private residence which has so charming
a site and beautiful surroundings, and his stock-
farm, with all its appointments, combines in a
wonderful manner the useful and beautiful, and
these with the bank building are left as monu-
ments of his taste.
7
5O
In carrying out his plans it was always done with
a lavish hand, and he delighted in giving work and
employment to a large force of laborers, whom he
always greeted cheerfully, and not a few will shed
tears to know of the death of their patron.
He was genial and affable; his address was that
of a gentleman in his daily intercourse with every-
body, and, take him for all in all, we shall not soon
look upon his like again.—Autland Herald and
Globe, Feb. 21, 1884.
GENERAL H. H. BAXTER.
GENERAL H. H. BAxTER, once a well-known
railroad magnate and a successful operator in Wall
Street, died at 9 o'clock last evening, in his residence,
No. 588 Fifth Avenue, at the age of 66 years. Gen-
eral Baxter was born at Saxton's River, Vt., in the
year 1818. He was a son of Judge Horace Baxter, of
the Superior Court of the State. He attained only
a common-school education in Bellows Falls, and at
the age of 16 years went to Boston, where he be-
came a clerk with a large mercantile firm. He re-
mained in that position until he was 21 years old.
5 I
Soon afterward he began business in his own name
and became a railroad contractor. His first contract
was the construction of the Rutland and Benning-
ton Railroad, and he next went to Ohio and built
the Cleveland & Toledo Railroad. He came to
New York and became a large speculator in Wall
Street. He was a director of the New York Cen-
tral when Commodore Vanderbilt acquired control
of the road, and was the only one of the Directors
who was retained under the new management. He
succeeded Mr. Keep as President of the New York
Central Railroad, and was an intimate friend and
confidential adviser of Commodore Vanderbilt until
the latter's death.
At the beginning of the war Mr. Baxter was liv-
ing in Rutland, Vt. He was appointed Adjutant-
General of the State by Gov. Fairbanks. Gen.
Baxter personally superintended the fitting out of
the several Vermont regiments, and personally as-
sumed a large share of the expense. At the close
of the war he established the Baxter National Bank
of Rutland, where he was the sole proprietor of the
celebrated Rutland Marble Quarries. Mr. Baxter
built an elegant residence in Rutland, and estab-
lished the most valuable and complete stock-farm in
Vermont. He was an ardent Republican, and
evinced a deep interest in politics, but he was never
52
a candidate for any public office. He was a mem-
ber of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and the
edifice of that denomination in Rutland was erected
mainly through his benevolence. He was also emi-
nently charitable, and subscribed largely for all be-
nevolent objects in Rutland and this city. During
the last seven years Mr. Baxter has been an invalid,
and for the last five or six months he has been con-
fined to his house from disease of the heart and kid-
neys, which ultimately caused his death. He leaves
a widow and one son, who has just attained his ma-
jority. Funeral services will be held in the family
residence on Fifth Avenue to-morrow afternoon, after
which the body will then be removed to Rutland
for interment.—Mew York Times, Feb. 18, 1884.
H. H. B.AXTER.
H. H. BAxTER, the well known railroad con-
tractor, died last night at his house, No. 588 Fifth
Avenue. He had been sick seven years with diseases
of the heart, kidney and liver, and died from ex-
haustion. General Baxter was born at Saxton's
River, Vt., in 1818, the son of Judge Horace
Baxter, of the Vermont Supreme Court. While
53
still a young man he went to Boston, and there be-
came a clerk in a mercantile house. Shortly after
reaching his majority, a contractor who was building
a railroad from Boston to Burlington was compelled
by various reasons to relinquish his contract.
Young Baxter took it up and finished the road suc-
cessfully. After his good fortune in New England
he went to Ohio, and after building several railroads
there came to this city about 1860. He was made
President of the New York Central, succeeding Mr.
Keep. When Commodore Vanderbilt obtained con-
trol of the road he turned out all the directors ex-
cept General Baxter, who remained for a long time
one of Mr. Vanderbilt's confidential advisers. In
1879 he built a country-seat at Rutland, Vt., and
established the Baxter National Bank of Rutland,
of which he was president when he died. He was
appointed by Gov. Fairbanks, of Vermont, Adju-
tant-General, and in that capacity superintended the
enlistment and equipment of the Vermont troops in
the rebellion. Near Rutland General Baxter had a
large stock-farm, and bred thoroughbred horses.
He had for a number of years control of the Rut-
land Marble Quarries. He was a director of the
Continental Bank of this city and a member of the
Union Club.
He leaves a widow and a son, Hugh H. Baxter.
54
The funeral will take place here on Tuesday after-
noon and the burial will be at Rutland.—AVew York
Trzöume, Feb. 18, 1884.
GENERAL H. H. BAXTER.
GENERAL H. H. BAxTER died yesterday at his
residence in this city. He had been in ill-health
for about Seven years, but by taking good care of
himself he was able to go about up to within two
days of his death. The General was the son of
Judge Horace Baxter, of Saxton's River, Vt. In
early life he embarked in mercantile pursuits in
Boston. When the Boston & Burlington Rail-
road was being constructed the contractor failed,
and the General took hold of the property and
completed the road. This gave him prominence in
the railroad business, and he was afterward engaged
in the construction of the Cleveland & Toledo
road. He succeeded Mr. Keep as the president of
the New York Central, and when Commodore Van-
derbilt got control he retained General Baxter in
the board of directors. He was one of the original
owners of the celebrated Rutland Marble Quarry.
He built the Baxter National Bank, of Rutland, of
55
which he was president at the time of his death.
Some years since he bought a large farm in Ver-
mont, which he stocked with thoroughbred cattle,
sheep and horses—a farm which has gained a world-
wide reputation as one of most complete in the
world. The General was in the sixty-seventh year
of his age. He leaves a wife and one child, Hugh
H. Baxter, who is about twenty-one years of age.—
Mezy Poré Herala, Feb. 18, 1884.
DEATH OF GENERAL BAXTER,
GENERAL H. H. BAxTER died last night at his
residence, No. 588 Fifth Avenue. He was born
in Saxton's River, Vt., about 1819, and was the son
of Judge Baxter, of Vermont. He was for many
years a director of the New York Central Railroad,
and was its President for a short time after the
death of Mr. Keep. For many years he was a pro-
minent operator on Wall Street, but has virtually
retired from business since 1869. He was for some
years a partner of Rufus Hatch, and was one of the
owners of the celebrated Emma Mine with Trenor
W. Park. He was also prominent in the Panama
Railroad, and amassed a fortune estimated at
$2,000,000. To his efforts and expenditure much
56
of the present prosperity of the flourishing town of
Rutland, Vt., where he had a magnificent country
residence, was due. The celebrated West Rutland
Marble Quarries were once his property. He mar-
ried a Miss Roberts, of Manchester, Vt., and his
wife and one son survive him.—New York World,
Feb. 18, 1884. }
£umeral šexuices.
º Lº Wº.
ſº
FTER the appropriate funeral services
of the Episcopal Church at the late
residence of General Baxter, No. 588
Fifth Avenue, New York City, his
remains were taken to the Grand Central Depot,
and conveyed in a special car to Rutland, Vermont,
where they arrived by the 2:30 train on the morn-
ing of February 20th. Notwithstanding the early
and unseasonable hour, a large number of citizens
had assembled at the depot awaiting the arrival of
the remains. Business was nearly suspended in
Rutland during the day of the funeral. The remains
lay in state in the president's room at the Baxter
National Bank from 9 o'clock till 2, “Grove Hall,”
General Baxter's summer residence, being closed
for the season. Both the bank building and Trinity
church, where the services were held, were crowded.
The burial was at Evergreen Cemetery, and the pro-
cession was escorted there by the Kingsley Guard,
which, with the Baxter Hose Company, had made a
guard of honor at the bank.

6o
ALL that was mortal of General H. H. Baxter was
consigned to its last resting-place in Evergreen
Cemetery yesterday afternoon. The lot is a beauti-
ful mound, half natural, half artificial, laid out and
arranged under the direction of the deceased. Here
are buried Harry, a son of General Baxter, the gal-
lant Col. Geo. T. Roberts, Miss Sally N. Rice and
an infant child of Mrs. Rees. The grave is on the
west side of the lot, near one of the drives. Yes-
terday was ushered in by boisterous winds and in-
creasing cold, accompanied by rain and sleet, a fit-
ting accompaniment to the grief of the mourners.
The remains were placed in the president's room of
Baxter bank, which was profusely draped, while
flowers and plants added their mite in dispelling the
gloom and awe. A large portrait of the deceased,
heavily draped, hung over the mantel, while family
portraits hung around the room. Cut flowers in a
variety of forms and devices were placed on the
casket at the head and foot. A guard of honor
from the Baxter Hose Company and the Kingsley
Guard were stationed in the room from 9 till 1, and
during that time hundreds paid their last respects to
the dead. At 2 o'clock a procession was formed, .
the cortege passing slowly to Trinity church, es-
6 I
tººk
corted by the above organizations, where the service
for the dead was performed by Rev. Mr. Denslow
and Rev. Mr. Lee. The chancel, desk, and font
were covered with beautiful flowers and vines. Ap-
propriate music was furnished by a quartet consist-
ing of Misses Kingsley and Simpson and Messrs.
Merrill and Benton. The bearers were Judge Vea-
zey, C. E. Clark, J. W. Cramton, W. C. Landon,
A. F. Walker, Judge Dunton, and Jesse Burdett.
Geo. R. Bottum had charge of the services. At
the conclusion of the services the remains were taken
to Evergreen Cemetery. The following relatives
and friends from abroad were present: Mrs. H. H.
Baxter, Hugh H. Baxter, A. Sidney Baxter, Mr. and
Mrs. Rees, Geo. W. Hodges, J. H. Hodges, Miss
Hodges, Miss Roberts, D. D. Blodgett, Reginald
Sayre, New York; Horace Baxter, D. N. Baxter,
Boston; L. S. Drew, W. W. Henry, Wm. Wells,
Geo. H. Bigelow, Burlington; H. C. Nevins,
Methuen, Mass; Geo. F. Davis, Cavendish ; A. L.
Miner, Manchester; N. T. Sprague, Brandon, and
many other prominent persons.—Rutland Herald
and Globe, Feb. 21, 1884.
GENERAL BAXTER'S OBSEQUIES.
THE remains of the late General H. H. Baxter
arrived in Rutland on the 2:30 train over the Ben-
nington road, Wednesday morning, and were imme-
diately taken to the president's room in the Baxter
bank building, where they lay in state from nine to
one o'clock. A detail from the Kingsley Guards
was stationed at the bank and did guard duty. The
bank was appropriately trimmed with mourning,
and a large display of floral offerings was placed at
the head of the coffin. Notwithstanding the se-
vere rain storm and wet, chilly weather, hundreds
of people availed themselves of the opportunity to
take a last look at the face of him who, in life, they
had loved so well as a citizen and as a man ; among
them being many old railroad employees who had
known him while engaged in the railroad enter-
prises of his early life, and nearly all the prominent
citizens of the town and county. In respect to the
memory of the deceased, the stores of the village
were all closed, including the banks and other offices.
The bank building and the Baxter hose house were
appropriately draped and flags waved at half mast
over them.
63
At 1:45 the family took their last view of the re-
mains, after which the escort, consisting of the
Kingsley Guard and Baxter Hose Company, es-
corted the remains to Trinity church. The bearers
were J. W. Cramton, Charles Clark, W. G. Veazey,
W. C. Dunton, Jesse Burdette, W. C. Landon, and
A. F. Walker. At the church door the two Epis-
copal clergymen of Rutland, Rector H. M. Dens-
low of Trinity, and Rector E. P. Lee of Grace
church, proceeded the remains up the broad aisles
of the church, Mr. Denslow reciting the impressive
words:
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in
Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again.”
The impressive services of the Church for the
burial of the dead were conducted by Rev. Mr.
Denslow, assisted by Rev. Mr. Lee.
The musical exercises of the occasion were ap-
propriately rendered by the choir, they also singing
the hymn “I would not live alway.” The chancel
of the church was beautifully decorated with floral
offerings. At the conclusion of the exercises at the
church the escort re-formed and followed the funeral
cortege to Evergreen Cemetery, where the final
church service was performed over the grave.—The
A’zatland Revzew, Feb. 21, 1884.
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