Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-05-06
Had Investments All Over Tho World
and Rads MilliO1s.
COL. JOHN A. NoRTu's CAREER.
Everything lie Touched Except Politics
Seemed 10 Become Turned
Inlo Gold.


fields are better than any gold mine In
existence. His expenses every year,
outside OF bis business, was more THAI
$500, 700. and his income 10 supposed to
be- more than 5000, 600 a year. He had
cement works In Belgium which
brought him fortune and which
were, until no saw them, nothing but n
brick yard.
lie was an EnRllshman by birth and
he came from Yorkshire. His father
was n coal merchant, who brought him
up as n civil engineer and put him In.
10 business ns soon hs he was able 10 do
anything for himself. He was connect
Cd a. An omploye In n stgamplow
works whon his iatheT diei, leaving
about $4,000 10 his family. Young
North, though he was then married, at
once gave his snare OF HE estate to nis
mother, and shortly after this hn went
10 South America with his wife
to seek his fortune. He went
there az civil engineer and soon saw
tho immense possibilities for fortune
making which exist on the wcsloTn
coast Of that country. He invested In
number NJ different epeculationa anu
made money. lie then began 10 buy
nitrate anu kept buying rom time 10
time until he nj last got control OF the
biggest nitrate helds In the world.
lie made millions by buying guano
aud II seemed that every thing he
touched turned iuto gold.
From Monday morning till Friday
every week he devoted bis whole vi.
toutiOn 10 business. But ut the und 0f
the week he sought TO obtain enjoy
f0 hN a "A
his county house TO guests and ffiendp,
entertaining laVishly. He was never
ashamed OF his humble beginnings,
and he secured social recognition
through the friendship Of the Prince Of
MaluF.
In 1885 no ran for Parliament and
was defeated. He had never before
interested himself In politics, aud WAS
not seriously dislurbed by tue rebuff.
Hts opponent WAS no less peTsonAgo
Than Gladstone himself, amt yet he
expected TO win. He told the voter.
that he did not know much about
politics ana that anything proposed by
Lord Salisbury was good enough Tor
him.
Colonel North was impulsive. liberal
and generous. In persOn lac was OF
medium height and moderately stout.
In mAnnsT he was blum anu hearty.
He leaves n widow and one daughter.
MS DEATH SUDDEN AND MYSTERIOUS.
LONDON, May 6.-The death OF Col.
John Thomas North, known through
out the world As the "Nltfate King" 10
the subject discussed here. Colonel
North died last evening In the oilice OF
tue EuAno syndicate, In this city. For
some reasons this officials Of the com.
pany were extremely TotlCent about
giving out the facts In the case, the
IumoT OF the death OF Colonel North
having been emphAtleally denied by
persons who knew the details OF his
sudden illness IN tho offices OF the
Lagunos company. dc mad not been
III up TO within a very shoTt time be-.
tore his death, aud Is the fatal sickness
occurred shortly after he had eaten
some oysters, which had been sent To
him from neighborlng restaurant, II
IL believed possible that his death may
have resulted from accidental poison.
ing. There have been suggestions that
poison might have been placed IN the
bivalves by some unknown enemy, but
this Ia not considered possible Ia view OF
the TACT that Colonel North was n man
OF many friends anu apparently no
enemies.
The police have taken charge Of the
| Oyster shellh Ia order that An inVstti-
cation may DO conducted, but a general
belief prevails that Col. NoTth's death
was due to some organic trouble. A
post morlem examination will Dc made
al once.
Col North's racing horses, Clwyd
A - NaN.N a. a.N .l.... -. r.
Kempland Park Jubilee state, but ow-
ing to his death the nomination will
DO cancelled.
Owing to the retioenee OF his hssocl.
| Ats-, II 10 impossible 10 obtain n de.
tailed statement OF the incidents sur
rounding the death OF Col. North.
Arrangements for the funeral have
not yet been perfected. one Of tho
rumors discussed at the club anu the
theAters tonight Ia the rumor that Ia
spite Of his reputation OF being one OF
the half dozen wealihiest men In tue
world, Col. North did not possess the
wealth which business men az we'll as
the social world credited him. Some
OF his European investments turned
out badly. his expenses were enormous,
and IL In known that his business In.
veslmenta IN South America during
recent years have not paid as well as
prior to his removal 10 this country.
THE CAUSE on DEATH.
LONDON, May 6,--As result OF an
Inquest today upon lne remains Of the
late Colonel North, u verdict OF death
from natural causes was returned. The
physician testified that be previously
had noticed symptoms Of heart disease
which no asserted was the cause OF the
c)lonops death.