Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/676

642 moderate circumstances, when desire for travel led him to enlist in 1547 on a ship that was bound for Brazil. He returned, 8 Oct., 1548, and, going to Seville, enlisted as a volunteer in an expedition for La Plata river, which sailed in March, 1549. On reaching the mouth of the river two ships sank in a storm, and, after vainly trying to build a bark, part of the shipwrecked crew set out overland for Asuncion, while the other sailed upon the third vessel for the island of São Vicente, but were also wrecked, and Staden, with a few survivors, passed to the continent and established themselves at São Marco in 1552. A few weeks later Staden, while engaged in a hunting expedition, was captured by a party of Tupinamba Indians, who carried him to their village, where he was to be devoured at the next festivity, but he won the friendship of a powerful chief, whom he cured of a disease, and his life was spared. The Portuguese tried several times to negotiate for Staden's ransom, but the Indians declined all overtures. At last he made his escape on a French ship, and on 22 Feb., 1555, arrived at Honfleur, in Normandy, and thence went immediately to his native city, which he never left afterward. His interesting narrative &ldquo;Geschichte eines Landes, gelegen in der Neuen Welt, America genannt, von Hans Staden aus Homburg in Hessen&rdquo; (Marburg, 1557), which contains also a summary of the manners of Tupinamba Indians and a description of their villages, has been translated into French and reprinted in the collection of Henry Ternaux-Compans.  STAGER, Anson, soldier, b. in Ontario county, N. Y., 20 April, 1825; d. in Chicago, Ill., 26 March, 1885. At sixteen years of age he entered into the service of Henry O'Reilly, a printer, who subsequently became a pioneer in the building and operating of telegraphs. He followed O'Reilly in his enterprise, and when the latter established a line from Philadelphia to Harrisburg he was placed in charge of the first office at Lancaster, Pa., in 1846. He then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he made several improvements in the construction of batteries and the arrangement of wires, and in 1852 he was made general superintendent of the principal lines in the west at that time. After the consolidation of the Western union company with these he was still superintendent, and to his industry and ability the success of these lines is much indebted. At the opening of the civil war he was asked to take the management of the telegraphs in southern Ohio and along the Virginia line, to which he consented and at once prepared a cipher by which he could safely communicate with those who had the key. In October he was called to Wellington and appointed general superintendent of government telegraphs in all departments. He remained in service till September, 1868, and was brevetted brigadier-general of volunteers for valuable services. In 1869 Gen. Stager returned to Chicago, and, in addition to his duties as general superintendent, he was the promoter of many enterprises, among which was the Western electric manufacturing company, one of the largest of its kind in the United States. He was also interested in the Babcock manufacturing company and several others. He secured a consolidation of the two telephone companies in Chicago, and was president of them and also of the Western Edison electric light company, and a director in many corporations.  STAHEL, Julius, soldier, b. in Csongrad, Hungary, 4 Nov., 1825. After being educated at Budapest, he entered the Austrian army and had risen from the ranks to be 1st lieutenant when the

Hungarian revolution occurred. Stahel joined the revolutionists and served on the staffs of Gen. Arthur Görger and Gen. Richard Debaufre Guyon. After the success of the Austrian arms he went to Germany, thence to England, and finally to New York city. There he essayed journalism, and in 1859 was editor of the &ldquo;Deutsche illustrirte Familienblätter,&rdquo; an illustrated German weekly. He became, in May, 1861, lieutenant-colonel of the 8th New York volunteers, commanded that regiment in the first battle of Bull Run, and was made colonel. He was promoted brigadier-general, 12 Nov., 1861, given a brigade in Gen. Louis Blenker's German division, and took part in the battle of Cross Keys, Va., 8 June, 1802. He was subsequently in command of a division of Gen. Franz Sigel's army corps, the 11th, and on 14 March, 1863, was commissioned major-general. He resigned from the army, 8 Feb., 1865. In 1866 he was made U. S. consul at Yokohama, Japan, but after three years' residence there he was compelled to return on account of impaired health. He was engaged in mining from 1870 till 1877, when he was again appointed consul to Japan. There he remained until March, 1884, when he was made U. S. consul-general at Shanghai, which latter office he resigned in 1885. He has since been engaged in business in New York city.  STAIGG, Richard Morrell (stag), artist, b. in Leeds, England, 7 Sept., 1817; d. in Newport, R. I., 11 Oct., 1881. When he was about thirteen years of age he was placed in an architect's office, and he subsequently received a few weeks' instruction in portrait-painting. In 1831 he came to the United States with his father, and four years later he settled with the family in Newport. In his artistic efforts he met with encouragement and advice from Washington Allston, and soon devoted himself entirely to miniature-painting. Among his portraits are those of Washington Allston, Edward Everett, Daniel Webster, William H. Prescott, and others. Some of his miniatures were exhibited at the Royal academy, and received warm praise. He was a regular exhibitor at the Academy of design, New York, of which he was elected an associate in 1856, and an academician in 1861. He visited Europe in 1867-'9, and again in 1872-'4. The last twenty years of his life were devoted to painting life-size portraits in oil, as well as genre pieces and landscapes. Among his works in oil are portraits of himself, of Russell Sturgis and George H. Calvert, and the &ldquo;Crossing Sweeper&rdquo;; &ldquo;The Sailor's Grave&rdquo; (1862); and &ldquo;Cat's Cradle&rdquo; (1863).  STALL, Sylvanus, clergyman, b. in Elizaville, Columbia co., N. Y., 18 Oct., 1847. He was graduated at Pennsylvania college, Gettysburg, in 1872, and at the theological seminary there in 1874, after studying also in Union theological seminary, New York city. He was ordained by the Hartwick Lutheran synod in 1874, and has held pastorates at Cobbleskill, N. Y., in 1874-'7, Martin's Creek, Pa., in 1877-'80, and Lancaster, Pa., in 1880-'7. In the last-named year he retired from the active duties of the ministry in order to devote his time to &ldquo;Stall's Lutheran Year-Book&rdquo; (Lancaster, Pa.), which he originated in 1884. He has been statistical secretary of the general synod since 1885. He has published a &ldquo;Pastor's Record&rdquo; (Albany, 1876); &ldquo;Hand-Book to Lutheran Hymns&rdquo; (Philadelphia, 1879); "How to pay Church Debts and how to keep Churches out of Debt" (New York, 1880); and &ldquo;Methods of Church Work&rdquo; (1887). 

STALLO, John Bernhard, diplomatist, b. in Sierhausen, Oldenburg, 16 March, 1823; d. in Rome, Italy, Jan., 1900. He came to this country, and