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Chase County Kansas Obituaries
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McCallum, John Last Friday evening the people of the two towns were shocked when the news came that John McCallum had died suddenly of apoplexy at the Lantry camps recently established at Las Vegas. At first some people were inclined to doubt the accuracy of the report, but it was soon confirmed.
McCallum was taken slightly ill about 10 o'clock Thursday night and complained of his head and stomach. He took a dose of some medicine he had been using and after being made as comfortable as possible, all retired, Joe Rettiger sleeping in another cot in the same tent as McCallum. About 1:30 in the morning he roused Rettiger and told him that one side felt numb and useless. Rettiger got up and fixed hot water bottles around him to warm him up and began rubbing him. All the time McCallum complained that his head felt like it was splitting.
A man was dispatched to the Montezuma Hotel about 2 1/2 miles distant for a doctor but the doctor had left the day before, so another man was sent to Las Vegas for a doctor who arrived at 7 o'clock.
After suffering until about 3 o'clock McCallum got easier and said he had no feeling whatever and from that time until he died did not speak. When the doctor arrived, he immediately said that a blood vessel had broken on the brain and that he would never recover.
Arrangements were made to take him to the hospital in Las Vegas but before a car could be brought he died at 10:05 Friday morning. Mr. Rettiger notified the family and had the body prepared and brought home Sunday morning and was met by a delegation of twenty Masons and representatives of the Odd Fellow Workman and Tripple Tie lodges of which he was a member.
The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon from the residence under the auspices of the Masonic Order and burial was in the Praire Grove Cemetery.
John McCallum was born in London, Ontario, Canada, Mar 9 1850. He was one of thirteen children, seven of whom preceeded him to the great beyond. He was well educated in the common schools and colleges of Canada and taught school one year. He studied short-hand and when a young man was delegated to take the speeches of some of the greatest speakers of the time just after the war.
He had traveled extensively, having been in nearly every state of the union.
He came to Kansas about twenty six years ago and entered the employ of B. Lantry, and he has been in the employ of B. Lantry and his sons ever since with the exception of four years, from January 1896 to January 1900, when he was sheriff of Chase County and he has helped in some of the most important feats of railroad construction in the last twenty years.
The funeral was under the direction of the Masonic Lodge and on account of the bad weather was held in the Auditorium which was packed. The pall bears, J.P. Norton, Geo. George, Bud Blacksheare, H F Gillett, Charles Burnett, and Will McNee are all thirty second degree Masons as was Mr. McCallum. He was also a Knight Templar and a large delegation of Knight Templars were at the funeral from Emporia, bringing the Second Regiment band with them to play the funeral dirge.
A brother and sister. Dr. H A McCallum and Miss Catherine McCallum of London, Ontario county, Canada were here to attend the funeral but his other living brother, Dr. A B McCallum of the University of Toronto and two sisters, Miss Margaret McCallum of Sarnia, Ontario and Mrs. Daniels of Chicago, were unable to come.
On March 1 1879 he married Miss Mary Brecht of Strong City, who with their four children, Miss Nellie and Masters Hugh, Niel and Charley survive him. While John's work compelled him to be away from home most of the time, no man liked to be at home better than he and his children were his idols.
Great big beared John McCallum was welcombed everywhere. He always had a kindly word and a good story for everybody and he will be missed as few others will. He is gone but his memory lives and long will his friends recall his amusing anecdotes and his wise counsel.
Chase County Leader News, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, Sep 24, 1903
by Lorna Marvin
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