Three Newspaper Brothers All Die Young

 Three brothers, sons of Orlando Erastus Chamberlain and Mary Cram, all became newspaper men. These three, Ernest Orlando Chamberlain (1859-1898), Wilbur Johnson Chamberlain (1866-1901), and Walter N. Chamberlain (1869-1900) are my first cousins, three times removed. They all died between 1898 and 1901. Ernest had reached the pinnacle of his profession as managing editor of the New York Evening World working for Joseph Pulitzer, but the pressures of work then seemed to affect his health, and he finally succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 38. Wilbur and Walter likewise had health problems and died at 37 and 30 years of age respectively. Only Wilbur had surviving children. Here are newspaper notices about them.

[The Philadelphia Enquirer, Thursday, 8 January 1885, page 8] Elizabeth, N.J. -- The libel suit of ex-mayor L.V.F. Randolph, of Plainfield, against ERNEST O. CHAMBERLAIN, formerly editor of the Plainfield Bulletin, for $20,000 was tried yesterday. The jury returned a verdict for six cents.

[New York Herald, Tuesday, 19 April 1898, p. 13]
ERNEST O. CHAMBERLAIN, managing editor of the Evening World, died last night of pneumonia at his home, Rockledge, at Edgewater on the Hudson. Although Mr. Chamberlain had been ill for a month, his death came as a shock to his friends. Reports from his home told that he was improving, and that he would return to his place in the field of newspaper work after a period of rest. Mr. Chamberlain's condition became so alarming on Sunday afternoon that his physicians were hurriedly summoned. He continued to grow worse until the end last night. Mr. Chamberlain was thirty-eight years old and had earned for himself a conspicuous place among the editors and writers of the country. He was born at Great Bend, Pa., in 1860, and received a common school education and began writing for the Great Bend Reporter when quite a young man. He afterward went to Dunellen, N.J., and edited a newspaper called the Rock. Just after attaining his majority, Mr. Chamberlain bought the Plainfield (N.J.) Bulletin. His treatment of the politics of New Jersey resulted in his being called to edit the Trenton Times. Afterward, he went to Philadelphia and became New Jersey editor of the Philadelphia Press. In 1886, Mr. Chamberlain came to New York and was employed on the New York Sun, where he remained until 1892. His principal work was of a political nature. From the Sun he went to the World, becoming the city editor. For five years he had charge of either the morning or evening editions of the World, except during brief periods when he had charge of the gathering or writing of news of special importance. In August 1897, Mr. Chamberlain went to Europe and on his return wrote a series of articles on the government of European cities, which were widely quoted and favorably commented upon. Mrs. Chamberlain survives her husband. Two of his brothers are newspaper men.

[Batavia Daily News, Thursday, 21 April 1898, page 2] ERNEST O. CHAMBERLAIN, news editor of the New York Evening World collapsed a few weeks ago from overwork getting out extra after extra of the yellow journal. He became crazy, and his death occurred this week.

 W. J. CHAMBERLAIN DIED AT CARLSBAD -- New York, Aug. 15 -- Word has reached here from Carlsbad, telling of the death of W.J. Chamberlain, one of the best American newspaper men. His death occurred yesterday. Death was due to cerebral congestion and heart failure. Chamberlain was born in Great Bend, Pa., on March 12, 1866. He did his first newspaper work in Jersey City and joined the staff of the New York Sun in 1890. He continued in the services of the paper until his death. He had a part in the most important news getting exploits of his day. His story of the fight at Santiago during the Spanish-American War caused widespread comment. When war broke out in China, Chamberlain was sent there. Illness forced him to return to London some weeks ago. [The Buffalo Enquirer, Buffalo, New York, Thursday, August 15, 1901, page 8]

[Philadelphia Enquirer, Wednesday, 18 July 1900, page 4]
Plainfield, N.J., July 17 -- WALTER N. CHAMBERLAIN, who has been engaged in newspaper work in New York for the past ten years, died at his home in this city this morning after an illness lasting about two weeks. Mr. Chamberlain was born in Plainfield 31 years ago, and was a brother of the late Ernest Chamberlain, who was managing editor of the New York World for a time. While engaged in professional work at the burning of the steamship piers in Hoboken June 30 he contracted a cold which caused his death. He was unmarried.  

Death of a Young Woman

 My 5th Cousin, 3 times removed, a young girl by the name of Grace Dearborn, came to a tragic end when she tried to obtain an abortion. Here is the story as reported in the Boston Globe.

Map of New Haven, Connecticut with Wooster Street near the bottom right and Orange Street diagonally on the upper left. These are the streets mentioned in the article.

 

[The Boston Globe, Sunday, 19 December 1897, page 1]
WAS PRETTY GIRL. Grace Dearborn Died in New Haven. Belonged in Everett and Was a Clerk in Treasurer's Office. Left Home Ostensibly to Attend a Wedding. Was Ill One Week Before Parents Were Informed. Dr. Bond Held Without Bail on a Charge of Murder.

   Dec 18 -- The body of Miss Grace Dearborn, who died in this city yesterday as a result o a criminal operation, was taken to her late home this afternoon by her father, Daniel O. Dearborn, an assessor of Everett, Mass.
   Miss Dearborn died at 1 yesterday afternoon at the house kept by Mrs. Frederick Mathis, at 186 Wooster st. Mrs. Mathis and Miss Dearborn became acquainted last summer at Asbury Park, N.J. Miss Dearborn came here about 7 days ago and told her friend she wanted to stay at her house a while. She visited Dr. Elijah A. Bond, so the authorities say, and he has been arrested by order of Coroner Mix and locked up at police headquarters, charged with murder. The coroner refused to admit him to bail.
   Bond had been in trouble before. About three years ago a young girl complained to the city attorney that he had subjected her to an operation, and he was arrested, but the evidence was insufficient and he was released.
   Miss Dearborn had been sick one week at the boarding house on Wooster st. and shortly before her death Dr. Welch was called, and he summoned Dr. Russell, but it was too late to save her life.
   The girl during her sickness refused to give her name, telling the attendants to call her 'Grace,' and she also refused to give her parents address. Just before her death, however, she gave their address and a telegram was sent to them. Her father reached this city late in the afternoon. He was prostrated over the death of his daughter...
   Miss Dearborn was 24 years old. She had been employed in the office of the city treasurer of Everett, and was a pretty girl, well liked by everybody. Her betrayer, it is said, lives in Everett, and it is rumored that he is an official in that town, but the authorities here, although claiming to know his name, refuse to divulge it at present. Miss Dearborn, when she left home, said she was going to attend the wedding of a friend in New Britain.
   An autopsy was performed on the body of Miss Dearborn this afternoon, and after it was over, medical examiner White reported to Coroner Mix that death was caused by criminal maltreatment.
   The coroner turned the body over to her father, and made the following statement: "This young woman's name was Grace Dearborn. She was 24 years of age and the daughter of Daniel O. Dearborn, on of the assessors of the city of Everett, Mass, three miles from the city of Boston. She was a clerk in the office of the treasurer of Everett. She left home the latter part of last week, and told her parents that she was going to New Britain, this state, to attend the marriage of a friend. Instead of going to New Britain, she came to this city and stopped with friends at 186 Wooster St. In a couple of days she called at the house of Dr. Bond on Orange St. He performed the operation in his own house, and the young woman returned to 186 Wooster st. Mrs. Mathis called in Dr. W. C. Welch. He saw that she was a very sick girl, and it was decided to telegraph her people that she could not live through the day. This was done and her father started at once for this city.
   "Dr. Welch called in Dr. Thomas Russell at 11:30 yesterday morning. He saw that she could not possibly live through the day, and he at once drove to my house. I went with him in his carriage to the Wooster st house, and found the girl to be dying. I took her antemortem statement.
   "I wired her people that she was dying, and she died at 1 in the afternoon, before her father could reach here. I ordered the body removed at once to the morgue, and requested Dr. White to hold an autopsy this morning."
   It seems Miss Dearborn came to this city with a young man whose name the coroner or any one else will not divulge. She tried to be admitted into a maternity hospital in this city, but a physician, who was first consulted, declined to take charge of the case. This is given as the reason why she finally decided to go to the home of the Mathis family on Wooster st. without telling them her plans.