Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-29

nected. In reading the notices Father Cor
coran, pastor of the church startled the
congregation by stating that Mr.. Barr was
seriously i'll and requested the prayers OF
the congregation for his speedy recovery.
Even as the pastor was telling his people
of Mr.. Barr's illness and request
ing their prayers, his spirit went
out on its fight from earth, and
before the good pastor had finished the
! well-known citizen had breathed his last
He died about 8 o'clock, surrounded by his
family, but was unconscious at the time.
HIS PLANS FOR REST.
Mr. Barr took tea with 7. J. O'Leary, Jr.,
at the latter's residence, Friday evening,
and stated he intended to 60 to the country
the next day. He said he was going to
place near Greensburg to look
after some mountain land. On Saturday
morning he started, accompanied by Thomas
Donahue, of this city, and drove five miles
in an open buggy under hot sun. He came
home in the evening and complained of
feeling unwell. He stated that he had Sc
we're pains in the head, and in q few minutes
he became so bad that the family summoned
Father Corcoran. To the latter Mr..
Barr said he was sick, and the
priest becoming alarmed administered
the last sacraments of the church,
to him. Dr. j. j. Connell, who had been
sent for in the meantime, arrived, and said
the sick man was suffering from congestion
of the brain. DR.. M. o. Jones was called
in as consulting physician, and in few min
utes said the patient would not recover.
The physicians prescribed remedies, but
soon saw that the case was hopeless. He
Law until 7:45 o'clock yesterday morning in
a semi-unconscious condition, when he ex-
pired.
Last night it was stated that about six
years ago while walking on a very warm
day through the streets of Washington, Mr..
Barr was sun struck. Since that time his
head became weak, and he could not walk
in the sun unless he had an umbrella over
him.
Mr.. Barr is son of David II. Barr, of
Donegal His mothers maiden name was
Mary Haney, and resided in West Chester.
They came to this country in 1920, and had
ten children, three of whom are now dead.
They were James P, Charles B. and John
C. Barr.
John C. Barr was born in September, 1887,
in Blairsville, Indiana county. He re-
ceived the rudiments of a common educa-
tion and learned the business of telegraphy.
When quite young he was an operator in
charge of an office on the old Fort Wayne
Railroad He afterward went to Chicago,
where he worked in the postofice at that
place. He came back to this city and read
law with John Mellon. He afterward was
appointed to a clerkship in the Surveyor
Generals Office at Harrisburg and remained
there from 1868 to 1866.
HIS CAREER AS EDITOR.
In the latter year he came to this city
and accepted the position of city editor on the
Post. Afterward he went to Washington as
correspondent for that paper and, becoming
tired of that, returned to the city and re-
sumed his law studies. He was admitted
to the bar and formed a partnership with
the late Marshall Swartzwelder He was
appointed to an official position in the
Philadelphia Office of the Texas Pacific
Railroad.
He changed his base again and accepted
q position in the Coast Survey Office in
Washington. He corresponded for the
New York World and Times, and afterward
came to this city to engage in the newspaper
business. He occupied responsible posi-
tion in the editorial and business depart
ments of the Chronicle Telegraph, which |
position he held at the time of his death.
made national reputation for his terse and |
peculiar way of saying things. HIS articles |
from the coal and coke country to his paper |
were remarkably, intensely original.
Mr.. Barr was a man of remarkable dol
mestic qualities. While actively engaged |
in politics and during the heat of the cam
paign he was always to be found at his home |
with his family. Between the years 1860 |
and 1882 he was one of the foremost |
81 fsosor ofD
sylvania. He attended every national con-
vention of the party, beginning with the |
one at Charleston in 1860 up until the one
before the last. He was one Of the chief |
managers in the campaign which elected
Robert Pattison for Governor.
Mr.. Barr was man of remarkable politi-
cal sagacity. 1t was stated that he had
greater knowledge of the politicians than |
any other newspaper man in the country.
Mr.. Barr was Secretary of the Democratic |
State Committee for a number Of years and |
conducted the Wallace Senatorial fight in
rs. He also was successful in the selection
of Samuel f. Patterson, of this county, to
the Speakership in 1873. He.prepared all |
the campaign literature for the Hancock
campaign which was used in 1880.
A wELL-READ MAN.
He left one of the most complete political
libraries to be found in the country to-day.
His fund OF political information was mex
haustible. He was close student of gen.
eral literature as we'll as political matters.
He wrote several annotations of Shake
speare. which turned out to be a very valu.
able treatise. 1t was compiled by himself
for his own amusement, and he refused
several offers to have it published.
Mr.. Barr was married in 1868 to Sarah A.
Toner. OF his brothers and sisters but six
survive. His brothers are d. o. Barr, Col
lector of the Port OF Pittsburg, and a twin
brother of the latter, Rev. Father Hugh X.
Barr, who is now a member of the Passion
ISIS Order. His sisters are Mrs P. Mahan,
of Roanoke, Va; Mrs. j. McMannis, of
Illinois; Mrs. William Donnelly, of Derry,
Pa. and Teresa M. Barr. lately admitted
into the Convent of the Sacred Heart at
Albany. He has niece in the same con-
vent.
He leaves six children, Mary, Annie,
Maude Carroll Toner and Arfhur