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OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (WEST WILES.) 



tion to the office of Lieutenant Governor on the 

 Union ticket headed by Michael Hahn (see obitu- 

 ary in the Annual Cyclopaedia for 1886) in the 

 election ordered by President Lincoln for the part 

 of Louisiana that was held by the Federal forces. 

 In January, 1865, Gov. Hahn resigned his office 

 on being elected United States Senator, and Mr. 

 Wells succeeded to it. In May he provoked a 

 conflict with Gen. Banks by setting aside the 

 register of voters that had been made under the 

 latters direction. The Democratic convention 

 that met in October nominated him for Governor, 

 and he was elected with the entire Democratic 

 ticket. After the massacre of negroes in Grant 

 Parish and the fatal riots in New Orleans in 

 1866 Gen. Sheridan, commander of the 5th Mili- 

 tary District, officially accused Gov. Wells of 

 want of energy and vigilance. Early in 1867 an 

 effort was made in the Legislature to impeach 

 the Governor, but a special committee reported 

 that it would be inexpedient to press the matter 

 at that time. On June 3 Gen. Sheridan removed 

 Gov. Wells from his office for " having made him- 

 self an impediment to the faithful execution of 

 the act of Congress of March 2, 1867, by di- 

 rectly impeding the general in command in the 

 faithful execution of the law." Gov. Wells re- 

 fused to recognize the order of removal, where- 

 upon Gen. Sheridan sent Gen. Forsyth to eject 

 him forcibly and obtain possession of the official 

 records. Gen. Sheridan further charged him with 

 " subterfuge and political chicanery." Gov. 

 Wells made a determined fight for his office, but 

 Gen. Grant approved Gen. Sheridan's act of re- 

 moval. The particular act of which Gen. Sheri- 

 dan had complained grew out of the appropria- 

 tion by the Legislature of $4,000,000 for repairing 

 the levees broken by the overflowing of the Mis- 

 sissippi. Contrary to the act of the Legislature, 

 Gov. Wells appointed a board, and acknowledged 

 to Gen. Sheridan that his object was to disburse 

 the money in the interest of his own party, by 

 securing for it the vote of its employees (see Gen. 

 Sheridan's letter to Secretary Stanton, dated 

 June 3, 1867). Within five years Gov. Wells had 

 acted as a Democrat, a Republican, and again as 

 a Democrat. He next became conspicuous in na- 

 tional politics in 1876, when he was chairman 

 of the State Returning Board, which declared 

 that, through frauds in Vernon Parish and else- 

 where, the Federal election returns were false, and 

 that the Hayes presidential electors had been 

 chosen. In 1877, when the Democrats came into 

 power in Louisiana, he was tried and found 

 guilty for his participation in what the Demo- 

 crats called "the returning board steal," but 

 the State Supreme Court dismissed the finding 

 on a legal technicality. 



West, George Warren, soldier, born in Low- 

 ell, Mass., July 19, 1832; died in Athol, Mass., 

 May 27, 1809. At the outbreak of the civil war 

 he enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry, 

 but resigned to become a captain in the 10th 

 Maine Infantry. He was promoted to major and 

 colonel of the 17th Maine Infantry, and brigadier 

 general for bravery at the battle of Antietam. 

 After the war he served as special pension ex- 

 aminer for New York. 



Weston, Lizzie (Davenport, Mrs. Charles 

 Ma thews), actress, born in New York city in 1828- 

 died in Brighton, England, Jan. 4, 1899. She was 

 a daughter of Abram Wilbur Jackson, "Black 

 Jackson," manager of the Bowery Theater, New 

 Itork, in 1845. Her first appearance was at the 

 encan Theater, New Orleans, Sept. 12, 1849. 

 In 1851 she was a member of the company of the 

 National Theater, New York city. Aug. 29, 



1852, made her first appearance in Philadelphia 

 as Lydia Languish at the old Chestnut Street 

 Theater. For two seasons she was a favorite at 

 this theater, and she became celebrated as " the 

 beautiful Lizzie Weston." She, played for a time 

 at the Walnut Street Theater in the same city, 

 when she met and married Adolphus ("Dolly") 

 Davenport (Hoyt), a popular light comedian. 

 When Charles Mathews, Jr., came to the United 

 States in 1857 Miss Weston was at Burton's 

 Theater, and she married him in Jersey City, 

 N. J., Feb. 16, 1858, shortly after a divorce had 

 been granted from her former husband. She ac- 

 companied Mr. Mathews to England, and made 

 her debut in London as Lady Gay Spanker in 

 London Assurance, to her husband's Dazzle, at 

 the Haymarket Theater, Oct. 11, 1858. She con- 

 tinued to play the leading female roles with Mr. 

 Mathews at the Haymarket until 1861, and she 

 originated Mrs. Honeybun in Tom Taylor's Con- 

 tested Election, first played at the Haymarket, 

 June 29, 1859, and Mrs. Sebright in his Overland 

 Route, first played Feb. 23, 1860. In 1861 Mr. 

 and Mrs. Mathews took the Bijou Theater, Lon- 

 don, and instituted a bright entertainment, which 

 they repeated all over the British Kingdom for 

 years, called Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mathews at 

 Home. In 1864 she was the Marguerite in Bur- 

 nand's burlesque Faust and Marguerite. She 

 seldom appeared after that engagement. 



Whistler, Joseph Nelson Garland, military 

 officer, born in Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 19, 1822; 

 died in Fort Wadsworth, New York harbor, April 

 20, 1899. His grandfather, John, and his father, 

 William, were officers in the United States army. 

 He was graduated at West Point and appointed a 

 brevet second lieutenant in the 8th Infantry, July 

 1, 1846; was promoted second lieutenant in the 3d 

 Infantry, Jan. 7, 1847; first lieutenant, June 6, 

 1852; captain, May 14, 1861 ; major of the 13th In- 

 fantry, Dec. 31, 1864; transferred to the 31st In- 

 fantry, Sept. 21, 1866, and to the 22d, March 15, 

 1869; promoted lieutenant colonel, 5th Infantry, 

 Feb. 18, 1874; colonel, 15th Infantry, May 31, 

 1883; and was retired Oct. 19, 1886. In the vol- 

 unteer service he was commissioned colonel of 

 the 2d New York Artillery, May 9, 1863, and 

 brevetted brigadier general, March 13, 1865. Gen. 

 Whistler took part in the siege of Vera Cruz, 

 the principal battles that followed, and the cap- 

 ture of the city of Mexico. In 1861, while on 

 duty in Texas, he was captured by the Confed- 

 erates and parolea. He served thence till March, 

 1863, as assistant instructor of infantry tactics 

 at the Military Academy. After entering the 

 volunteer service he took part in the Richmond 

 campaign, participating in the battles of Spott- 

 sylvania, North Anna, Tolopotomoy, and Cold 

 Harbor and the asaults on Petersburg, where he 

 was wounded during the siege. He commanded a 

 brigade in the defenses of Washington, and at 

 the time of his retirement was in command of 

 Fort Buford, Dakota Territory. 



Wiles, Greenbury F., soldier, bornjn Zanes- 

 ville, Ohio, April 4, 1826; died in Windsor, N. Y., 

 June 14, 1899. He was a steamboat captain and 

 owner, and when the civil war broke out he was 

 caught with his vessel and cargo in the South. 

 He aided in recruiting the 78th Ohio Volunteers, 

 and went to the field as a first lieutenant in it. As 

 lieutenant colonel he commanded the regiment 

 in the battle of Champion Hill in 1863. At the 

 beginning of the operations against Atlanta in 

 1864 he was promoted to colonel, and during 

 most of the campaign he commanded a brigade. 

 For these services he was brevetted brigadier 

 general, March 13, 1865. 



