Las Vegas Age, December 18, 2003, Clark County, Nevada Copyright © 2003 Gerry Perry This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ LAS VEGAS AGE 10/25/1913 COL. GIVENS IS DEAD PROMINENT VEGAS MAN PASSES AWAY AT INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA At Indianapolis, Indiana, Thursday, October 23, 1913, at 6 a.m., James G. GIVENS passed away after a lingering illness. While in Kansas City during the intensely hot weather of July and August he was overcome by the heat and barely escaped complete heat prostration. He was attacked by fever and was very ill. As soon as he was able to travel he was taken to the home of Mrs. GIVENS in Freedom, Indiana. He became worse the day after arrival there and was taken to the hot springs and bath cure at Martinsville, Indiana, but did not improve. During the latter part of September he was taken to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment by the best physicians, but continued to sink until the end. Four years ago, in November, Col. GIVENS came to Las Vegas. He believed in the great future of this section and with boundless hopes and a happy enthusiasm threw himself into the work of attracting the attention of capital to Clark County. His life and his hopes were bound up in the fate of his chosen home, and when the disastrous washout on the Salt Lake Road in 1910 and the strike in the shops in September, 1911, caused temporary delays in the march of progress he suffered grievous disapointment in the wrecking of cherished plans. Brought up to the old Kentucky ideals of personal honor and himself by nature warm in his friendships and loyal and trusting in his nature, Col. GIVENS was, perhaps, to a certain extent out of his natural element in the rough informality of the West. He was extremely sensitive and often grieved over real or fancied personal affronts. Yet his spirit of cheerful optimism would soon triumph and place him again in the fight for what he believed to be best for the interest of his city. His hearty and never failing enthusiasm was appreciated by those who knew him best. In recognition of his spirit he was made the first president of the Chamber of Commerce after its formation and performed good work in that capacity. His services were recognized in a message of condolence sent to Mrs. GIVENS by President GRIFFITH and a committee of the Chamber of Commerce appointed by him, as follows: "We express to you the keen sympathy of the Chamber of Commerce and of the entire community in your affliction. In the death of Col. GIVENS, our first president, we lose a good citizen who was loyal and true to his city and his friends. Signed, E. W. GRIFFITH, President, Peter BUOL, Roy W. MARTIN, Chas. P. SQUIRES, Committee." The writer of these lines enjoyed intimate friendship with the genial soul who has but preceded us on the voyage across the dark river, and we feel keenly the loss of his kindly presence. To those knew him less well than did the writer we would say that we valued his friendship highly and will ever treasure the memory of his quaint humor and cheerful enthusiasm. In bidding our friend "God speed" upon his last journey we know that we voice the sentiment of nearly all in this community when we say our heart is filled with grief at the parting. We somehow feel that the lines of that beautiful song, "Crossing the Bar," are the ones he might have had in mind as he was about to begin the last voyage. "Sunset and evening star And one clear call for me And may there be no moaning at the bar When I put out to sea." LAS VEGAS AGE 11/1/1913 COL. GIVENS FELL TO DEATH ACCIDENTAL PLUNGE FROM THIRD STORY WINDOW CAUSED FATAL INJURY A headlong plunge of 35 feet from an attic window to a cement walk at 8:45 o'clock last night caused the death of James GIVENS, 57 years old, at the city hospital at 6 o'clock this morning. GIVENS fell from the window of a rooming house at 421 East Michigan street. He received a fractured skull, broken shoulder and ribs, which caused internal injuries. He did not recover consciousness after he was found. GIVENS has been ill. He suffered from a nervous complaint, and relatives believe he was overcome with a spell of dizziness and plunged from the window to his death. As he plunged from the attic window his body struck the telephone wire which extended from a pole to the house. The wire snapped and he plunged downward. His feet struck a window of the dining room. The screen was torn and the window splintered. A man and woman, whose names were not learned, witnessed the death plunge. They rushed across the street and were the first to reach the injured man. According to Mrs. GIVENS, her husband was in the habit of going to the attic, where he would sit near the window. From that place he would watch the work of the athletes in the German house gymnasium. It is thought this is what he was doing last night, and in an effort to obtain a better view climbed through the window to a gutter that extended around the house about two feet out from the window sill and about the same distance below it. While attempting to reach this gutter, his wife believes, he slipped and fell. That he climbed through the window is shown by the scratches on the sill. GIVENS came to Indanapolis about six weeks ago from Nevada in the hope of improving his health. He was a real estate dealer and promoter in Nevada and is reputed to be the owner of ranch lands. He was born in Kentucky. Mrs. GIVENS married him in the west. GIVENS was her second husband. They had been married more than 12 years. Mrs. GIVENS, who was Mrs. Esther GENTRY, was a school teacher at Spencer, Ind. many years and is well known in that city. Before her first marriage she was Miss Esther KELSY. She is a writer of short stories and many of her articles have appeared in the Ladies Home Journal. GIVENS was a member of the Masonic lodge. He was much interested in Christian Science. Both Mr. and Mrs. GIVENS have many relatives in this city. Mrs. GIVENS rented some of the rooms of her home on Michigan Street, and at the time of her husband's fall a number of the roomers were present. These men, J. S. BLAKE, W. H. KIRKIM and G. W. BROWN, were in an upstairs room and were among the first to reach the injured man. KIRKIM said today that he heard a noise like some person moving furniture in the attic and this was followed by a crash of broken glass. In company with the other two men he hurried to the attic, where he thought the noise came from. It was dark and the men lighted matches. They heard Mrs. GIVENS call: "He is down here." Believing that some person had fallen downstairs the three men hurried to the first floor of the building, where they went to the west side window, being attracted by the cries of Mrs. GIVENS. BLAKE attempted to call a physician and, finding that the telephone was not in working order, he ran to a corner drug store, where he called a physician and also the ambulance from the city hospital. KIRKIM and BROWN, assisted by the stranger who witnessed the death plunge of GIVENS, carried the injured man into the house.