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OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (STOUT SWINTON.) 



education ; joined the New Jersey Conference of the 

 Methodist Episcopal Church in 1871, and held pas- 

 torates in Newark, Jersey City, and Plainfleld till 

 1880. He was then appointed a missionary to South 

 America, and, settling in Buenos Ayres, became pas- 

 tor of the first Methodist Episcopal church in that 

 city, the mother church of South American Metho- 

 dis'm. While ministering to this congregation he 

 planned the organization of a high-grade educational 

 institution, modeled after those in the United States, 

 for Buenos Ayres, and in that interest he made a tour 

 of the United States in the winter of 1891-'92. He 

 received large encouragement on this tour, and re- 

 turned with ample moral and financial support for 

 his projected college. 



Stont, Francis Aquila, civil engineer, born in New 

 York city, Oct. 21, 1833 ; died at the Thousand Is- 

 lands, N. Y., July 18, 1892. He completed his educa- 

 tion in Paris, making a specialty of civil engineering. 

 Eeturning to New It ork city, he studied law, and be- 

 came private secretary to Hiram Birney, when the 

 latter was collector of the port. Possessing an ample 

 fortune, he applied himself to scientific study and* to 

 charitable works, and became identified officially with 

 many charitable associations. Mr. Stout was the 

 senior vice-president of the American Geographical 

 Society, one of the founders and commissioners of 

 the New York State Survey, a former President of the 

 Nicaragua Canal Company, a trustee of the New York 

 Society Library, and a director or manager of the 

 New York Orthopcedic Hospital, the New York 

 Asylum for the Blind, the Cancer Hospital, and the 

 Samaritan Home for the Aged. He was also for 

 many years chairman of the Charities Aid Associa- 

 tion of New York. In 1889 he was a commissioner 

 to the Paris Exposition, and in 1891 one of the Amer- 

 ican delegates to and a vice-president of the Interna- 

 tional Geographical Congress at Berne, Switzerland. 

 Mr. Stout will be known long and favorably as the 

 father of the New York State Survey. 



Strakosch, Max, impresario, born in Selowitz, Austria, 

 Sept. 27, 1835 ; died in New York city, March 17, 1892. 

 He received a musical education with his brother 

 Maurice in Germany, came to the United States in 

 1855 as agent for B'ernard Ullmann, then managing 

 the New York Academy of Music, and afterward 

 joined his brother in organizing a company for oper- 

 atic performances. During the partnership of the 

 brothers they introduced to the American public 

 many of the most noted singers on the lyric stage, 

 including Christine Nilsson, Carlotta, Amelia, and 

 Adelina Patti, Pauline Lucca, Parepa, Clara Louise 

 Kellogg, Annie Louise Gary, Marie Bose, and Capaul, 

 Campanini, Maurel, Vieuxtemps, Brignoli, and Karl 

 Formes. In 1876 he surrendered the management of 

 the Academy of Music to Col. Mapleson, and. organ- 

 ized a traveling opera company, in which Marie Eose, 

 Clara Louise Kellogg, and Annie Louise Cary were 

 the principal female singers. Under his direction the 

 operas " Aiida " and " Carmen " were first produced in 

 the United States. 



Straight, Abdel D., manufacturer, born in Wheeler, 

 N. Y., June 17, 1829 ; died near Indianapolis, Ind., 

 May 27, 1892. In early life he was apprenticed to the 

 carpenter's trade, which he followed for several years, 

 subsequently engaging in book publishing. lie re- 

 moved to Cincinnati in 1858, and thence to Indianap- 

 olis. At the beginning of the civil war he recruited 

 the 51st Begiment of Indiana Volunteers at the re- 

 quest of Gov. Oliver P. Morton, was commissioned its 

 colonel, and in December, 1861, reported to Gen. Don 

 Carlos Buell at Louisville, when his regiment was at- 

 tached to the Army of the Cumberland. Soon after- 

 ward he led a raid into the enemy's country, creating 

 considerable consternation, and subsequently his com- 

 mand was captured, and he and all his officers were 

 sent to Libby Prison, where, because of this raid, they 

 were treated with unusual severity. Col. Streight 

 himself was ironed, confined in a dungeon, and forced 

 to live on corn bread and water for thirty days for 

 attempting to escape. On being released from the 



dungeon, he, with Col. Thomas E. Eose, of the 77t 

 Pennsylvania Volunteers, Major Hamilton, of the 12t 

 Kentucky Cavalry, and other officers, planned tl 

 memorable escape from Libby, and superintende 

 the excavation of the tunnel through which 108 offi- 

 cers secured their freedom. After a short retiremen 1 

 Col. Streight resumed command of his regiment, wa 

 promoted brigadier-general after the battle of Nash- 

 ville, and held important commands till the close of 

 the war. Eeturning to Indianapolis, he resumed the 

 publishing business, afterward engaging in the whole- 

 sale lumber trade, and in the manufacture of chairs. 

 Gen. Streight was a Eepublican, and was defeated for 

 Governor of Indiana by Albert G. Porter in 1876. 



Sweeny, Thomas William, military officer, born in 

 Cork, Ireland, Dec. 25, 1820 ; died in Astoria, L. I., 

 April 10, 1892. He came to the United States in 1832, 

 learned the printer's trade in New York city, and 

 served in the 1st New York Volunteers in the Mexi- 

 can War, receiving a wound at the battle of Churu- 

 busco which made it necessary to amputate his right 

 arm. On returning to New York he was brevetted 

 captain, and was presented with a silver medal by the 

 city government. He was commissioned 2d lieutenant 

 United States Infantry, March 3, 1848; promoted 1st 

 lieutenant, June 11, 1851 ; captain, Jan. 19, 1861 ; major 

 16th Infantry, Oct. 20, 1863 ; unassigned, March 15, 

 1869; and was retired as brigadier-general United 

 States army, May 11, 1870. After entering the regu- 

 lar army he was ordered to California, where for a 

 time he was commandant at Fort Yuma, and after- 

 ward he distinguished himself in campaigns with the 

 Indians. At the beginning of the civil war he was 

 placed in charge of the United States arsenal at St. 

 Louis, Mo., which he saved by threatening to explode 

 the 40 tons of gunpowder stored there, in case the 

 secessionists attacked him. He was second in com- 

 mand of the national troops at the surrender of the 

 Missouri State forces at Camp Jackson ; was commis- 

 sioned a brigadier-general of volunteers, May 20, 1861, 

 and at the battles of Wilson's Creek he was severely 

 wounded. After this he was given command of the 

 52d Illinois Volunteers, was attached to Gen. Grant's 

 army, took part in the capture of Fort Donelson, and 

 at the battle of Shiloh successfully defended a gap in 

 the line, for which Gen. Sherman afterward said : " I 

 attach more importance to that event than to any of 

 the hundred events that I have since heard saved the 

 day." In December, 1862. he was given command of 

 a division of the 16th Army Corps, and was engaged 

 in protecting the Memphis and Charleston Eailroad. 

 In the Atlanta campaign he commanded the 2d divi- 

 sion of the 16th Corps in the Army of the Tennessee, 

 with which he took possession of the Snake Creek 

 Gap twenty-four hours before the arrival of support- 

 ing cavalry, and held it against seyeral assaults. Sub- 

 sequently he took part in the battle of Eesaca, forced 

 a passage across Oostenaula river, and fought a suc- 

 cessful battle. He also distinguished himself in the 

 battles of Kenesaw mountain, and in the battle before 

 Atlanta, on July 22, 1864, his division repelled an as- 

 sault and captured four Confederate nags and 900 

 prisoners. After the occupation at Atlanta he held 

 the post of commandant at Nashville till July, 1865, 

 and was mustered out of the volunteer service on 

 Aug. 24 following. Gen. Sweeny was active in the 

 Fenian invasion of Canada in 1866, during a virtual 

 retirement from the army, and after that event was 

 reinstated in the army and assigned to duty in the 

 southern military district. He was presented by the 

 city of Brooklyn with a costly sword for his services 

 during the civil war. 



Swinton, William, author, born in Haddingtonshire, 

 Scotland, April 23, 1833; died in New York city, 

 Oct. 24, 1892. His father was a Scotch farmer, whose 

 ancestors resided in the Lothians ; his mother, Jean 

 Currie, belonged to a family of Scotch divines. In 

 1836 his father emigrated to Illinois, and the family 

 followed about 1843, but upon reaching Montreal 

 they received intelligence of the father's death, and 

 remained in that city. Williram was educated at 



