The age-herald., 1900-11-27
P. H. EARLE DIES
 AWAY FROM HOME
Sudden End of a Long and SuC-
 cesSfuI Career
BIRMINGHAM'S RICHEST MAN
After Long slskness Death Comes Grevous Shock-RemarkabIe Ca reer of Remarkable Man.
 A Merchant and Banker.

Paul II. Earle of Birmingham died at
 Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, about
 o'clock yesterday afternoon, aged 61 years.
 Mrs. Earle was with him. Death is said
 to have been caused by kidney trouble
 Though Mr Earle had been in bad health
 for many months, his death very sud- den and was therefore a great shock to his family, and will be surprise to the com munity He went to Baltimore early in the year for treatment, got better, and in the summer travelled further north with much benefit to himself Early in the autumn he went to Charlottesville, Va, to join his son, Paul H. Earle, Jr., who is student at the University of Virginia. About two
 weeks ago his health, which had much inn
 proved became unexpectedly weaker, and
 at the suggestion of his home physician,
 Dr. Cunningham Wilson of Birmingham, he returned 10 Baltimore and became patient
 in Johns Hopkins Hospital. No very seri-
 ous result of his illness was anticipated,
 and there was talk of his soon returning
 home. Hence his death, due presumably
 to suppression of one of his organs, was
 wholly unexpected; members of his family
 at home having been entertaining guests
 at the moment when the mournful tldings
 Were received from Baltimore
 MT. Earle was born at Elylton 61 years
 ago, the Son of Dr. Samuel s. Earle, who
 came to Jefferson County from South Car
 olina in 1920, and was elected to the Legis-
 lature in 1882, and several times atterward
 His son grew up in Elyton, where he was a clerk in a village store when the war be- tween the States was begun. He enlisted in the Confederate service and made one
 Of the best soldiers, being promoted to a
 leutenancy for gallantry in battle. After
 his military service he went to Texas and resided in that State for several years.
 Returning to Alabama he, in 1870, opened
 a store of his own in Elyton which he
 conducted until 1877. In the latter year he removed into young Birmingham, and kept a store in Twenty first street until 1SS0, when he built and took possession of the building 1918 First avenue which he has ever since occupied as a general store. MT. Earle prospered greatly in business, and is believed to have died the wealthiest citizen of Birmingham. He was at the moment of his death, and had been for ten years, the president of the Birmingham Trust and Savings Company, one Of the strongest banking houses in Alabama He was also the head of the Earle-TerreI Company, one of the largest mercantile concerns of Birmingham; was director of the Alabama Shipbuilding Company and was until it's transfer to new owners sev tral months ago, vice president of the Bir- mingham Waterworks Company. For some years previous to 1890 he had been a director of the First National Bank of Bir- mingham. And he has been officially con nected with numerous other important business undertakings.
 MT. Earl's life in public office brief, but of very great importance. As a county commissioner he was largely instrumental in creating some fifteen years ago the present unsurpa ssed system of public roads for Jefferson, and in founding the present Jefferson County Almshouse and Farm, one of the best institutions of civic charity in this country. Nearly two years ago when the present county board of rev. enue was created by the Legislature, Mir. Earle was appointed chairman, position he retained until early In this year when i'll health impelled him to resign. For sev- eral years in the early history of Birmng ham he was Alderman of the young city.
 Surviving MT. Earle are his wife, who was Miss Mary Greene, like himself a na- tive or JenerSOn, whom ne married one years ago, and five children-Samuel
 L. Earle, Paul H. Earle. Jr., Miss Katie Earle, Miss Annie Earle and Mrs. Mary Earle Northingto ton, wife of Merrill North
 ington, eldest surviving son of Hon. w. T.
 Warrington, and Mrs. Northington, of
 Prattville. MT. Earle was the brother of Mrs. Gold
 smith w. Hewitt, of Birmingham. He was also the brother of the late Mrs. Mudd, wife of the famous Judge w. s. Mudd, and was therefore closely related by ties of blood to the Walkers, Jordans Martins. He was likewise related to the Morrows, the Porters and the Greenes, both his mother and his wife having been Greenes. Thus his death Is of close personal concern to the oldest and most influential families of Jefferson County. Arrangements for MT. Earles funeral have not been perfected, but the funeral
 will probably take place In Birmingham to-
 morrow. MT. Samuel Earle leaves Birm ingham this morning to meet his mother
 and brother with his fathers remains somewhere on the route from Baltimore to this city.