22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Ji Tribute to a Friend 



James Elliott Defebaugh was my friend for nearly a quarter of a 

 century. 



For years we have been ' ' Jim ' ' and ' ' Henry ' ' to each other, and as 

 I write, tha thought that I shall never hear his voice again strikes 

 upon my heart with inexpressible grief. 



Memories of our business and personal association come crowding 

 thick and fast, but it is when we feel most deeply that words come 

 haltingly. 



In 1886, Mr. Defebaugh, 

 then proprietor of The 

 Timberman, went to To- 

 ledo, where I was engaged 

 in the lumber business, and 

 solicited my cooperation as 

 a writer on lumber topics 

 for the publication he had 

 recently started. Our rela- 

 tions immediately broad- 

 ened into intimate friend- 

 ship and a close busLaess 

 alliance, and when The 

 Timberman was consoli- 

 dated with the Northwest- 

 ern Lumberman, I con- 

 tinued on the staff of the 

 ' ' new ' ' paper, which is 

 now known as the Amer- 

 ican Lumberman. .Although 

 in 190.5 I severed my con- 

 nection with the American 

 Lumberman, my friendly 

 personal relations with Mr. 

 Defebaugh have known no 

 diminution until now that 

 Death's inexorable man- 

 date has cut them off. 



James Elliott Defebaugh 

 was a self-made man in 

 the best acceptation of the 

 term. He was born at 

 Williamsburg, Pa., in 1854, 

 of Dutch ancestry. He was 

 educated at the common 

 schools, but when twelve 

 years old his ambition for 

 work impelled him to ob- 

 tain a position in a print- 

 ing office. In three years 

 he was working ' ' at the 

 case" in the otfice of the 

 Pittsburg CJazette. In 1876 

 he was assistant cashier 

 of the Philadelphia Times. 

 During the Centennial cele- 

 bration of that year he 

 became acquainted with 

 the Eev. J. B. McClure, 

 who, the following year, 

 induced him to move to 

 Chicago, where he took 

 great interest in the Young 

 Men 's Christian Associa- 

 tion, and also connected 

 himself with a number of 

 eastern trade papers as 

 their Chicago representa- 

 tive. While thus engaged, 

 he substituted f.ir the sec- 

 retary of the Lumbermen's 



Exchange of Chicago, and in this way came in touch with the lumber 

 business. This interest resulted in the establishment of The Timber- 

 man, a modest, sixteen-page, weekly publication. On January 1, 

 1S99, The Timberman was consolidated with the Xorthwestern Lum- 

 berman, W. B. Judson, proprietor of the latter paper, assuming the 

 business management, and Mr. Defebaugh earing for the editorial 

 end. In 19C6 Jlr. Judson sold his interest to Mr. Defebaugh and 

 retired from active business. 



As a trade .iournal publisher, James E. Defebaugh has been an 

 almost unparalleled success. Perhaps the reason for this may be 

 found in the estimate given of him the other day by a business 

 acquaintance and friend: "His was the most intensely commercial 

 mind I ever have known, and when you combine this kind of a brain 

 with the highest ideals of honor and business integrity, success is 

 certain. ' ' 



A man's character is largely fashioned by his philosophy of iife. 



JAMES E. DEFEBAUGH, 

 1854-1909 



With James Elliott Defebaugh, life was serious from the beginning, 

 and from the time he was twelve years old to the day of his death 

 he met toil gladly and constantly. He discharged his duties always 

 with honesty, fidelity and ability. He was a clean man in language, 

 in thought, in personal habits, and in action. He was careful of his 

 influence, and any young man would profit well by following his 

 example. 



Mr. Defebaugh was in 

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^a^^^^^^^^^fi many ways a lonely man, 



but to those who knew him 

 best, he was most affable, 

 and particularly interested 

 in tlieir business success. 

 He was a man of indomita- 

 ble will and in no way did 

 he illustrate this better 

 than in the last year of his 

 life. Although he was sat- 

 isfied that he was suffering 

 from an incurable disease, 

 he spent all of his time 

 last spring at Washington, 

 battling for what he con- 

 sidered the best interests 

 of the great lumber trade, 

 whose cause he had es- 

 poused — to the tariff issue 

 he gave his time and his 

 wonderful energy, without 

 thought of what it might 

 mean to him physically. 

 Even after he was stretched 

 upon his last bed of pain, 

 he fought death with this 

 same courage. At last, 

 when he knew that defeat 

 was inevitable, he did not 

 even then allow those dear- 

 est to him to suspect that 

 he had given up hope ; as 

 he said recently to an ac- 

 quaintance, ' ' I know I am 

 going to die, but I haven't 

 told my wife nor my 

 brother. You see, I can 

 bear it better than they." 

 This was indicative of the 

 strength of his character. 

 He bore his burdens single- 

 handed and unassisted; he 

 relied on himself. Mentally 

 he was the embodiment of 

 self-reliance and strength. 

 He never would acknowl- 

 edge defeat. 



Looking about me for 

 such another stern, un- 

 yielding, and still gentle 

 soul. I experience a sense 

 of bewilderment. The air 

 resounds with paltry decla- 

 rations of righteousness 

 and friendship, but the 

 world is poorer today for 

 the loss of a man of in- 

 flexible integrity, and I 

 for the loss of a friend, in 

 the death of James E. 

 Defebaugh. 

 friend, 

 bend 





■'Just a word ere you go, old 

 Just a word ere the oarsmen 

 .\nd your boat speeds out on the unknown sea. 

 Whose further shore is eternity. 



' ' The night is closing, our eyes are wet, 

 But see! There's time for a signal yet — 

 Quick! Ere thy bark has left the sand, 

 Give us a wave of your cheery hand. 

 And hark to our answer, swinging back. 

 Far o'er the waters, cold and black. 

 Straight to the foot of the great white throne. 

 Where the Master waits to claim His own. 



"Christ! Be good to him to the end. 

 For he was a friend — a friend — a friend. ' ' 



— Hexry H. Gibso.x. 



