Day Of Mourning Was Declared In WV In 1901 Following Assassination Of President
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Well, sometimes it takes a little while to find an interesting enough letter for a Wagner Week. They’re all interesting to me but I understand that I am most certainly alone it that. So, I search for letters that I think might have some little nugget of interest to, hopefully, at least another person out there. But sometimes you reach into one of the boxes and immediately pull out a letter that contains a city-made flyer from Water Valley declaring a Day of Mourning over the assassination of President McKinley!
The first letter is from D.R. to his son Eugene, who’s off at Princeton. D.R. stays as dry as ever in his language but he shows a more relaxed parenting style toward his younger sons that he didn’t show to his first son, John Henry.
I guess like all of us with multiple children, he just sort of gave up after a while. The second letter is actually the flyer which was folded into the letter.
Wagner & Company
Cotton Buyers & General Merchants
Water Valley, Miss Sept 17th, 1901
Dear Eugene,
Your letter from York to hand, Hiram and Florence came home yesterday, they are well. Jessie staid in Denver, will be home soon. We are all sad at the loss of our President, everyone regrets it.
Yesterday was 1 1/2 yrs. since your mother’s death, we all miss her. Dudley and I took a bouquet out to her grave Sunday.
Kalista is well, Dudley started to school today. George is not well, he had a chill last night.
I suppose you are at work now. Hope you will do well as you did last year.
Crops are very poor. Mill aloud for past 2 weeks for repairs. Will start up in a day or two. No cotton coming in yet, only a few bales. We all send love to you.
Affectionately your father, D.R. Wagner
McKinley
Memorial Service
A deplorable tragedy has been perpetrated upon our nation, resulting in the sudden and untimely death of our President. Our nation today sits in the shadow of death. A serious assault has been made, not only on our Chief Executive, but upon our Government and Civil Liberty.
It is eminently proper at such a time as this that we, as a people, formally and publicly express our condemnation of this high-handed crime against our country and our appreciation of our president, both as a man and an officer.
THEREFORE, I, B.F. Tatum, Acting Mayor, do hereby designate and appoint next THURSDAY, SEPT. 19, 1901 the day in which the dead body of our president shall be laid in its last place, as a Day of Mourning, and further recommend that promptly at 11 o’clock on said day, all business houses be closed during the memorial Service which is to be held in the Presbyterian Church at that hour.
B.F. Tatum
Mayor Pro Tem.
City of Water Valley
Sept. 17, 1901