The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-06
John Donoghnc's Body Found on
Shore of Lake Whitney, Near
New Haven.
FATE WAS UNKIND TO HIM.
Although His Talent Was Rec0g
niZrd on Both Sides of the At
lantiC. He Was Unable
to Make Money.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
New York. July 5.-Heartbroken because
a work of art. upon which he had based his
hopes Of lasting fame and fortune. had
failed to win the expected award John
Donoghue. . sculptor wandered away from
his homo in this city last Thursday and
committed suicide.
To-day his BODY. with bullet hole in the
right temple, was identified at the morgue in
New Haven. where the body had been taken
from the shores Of Lake Whitney. near New
Haven. on Friday.
Although he had executed some notable
pieces of sculpture and was known and
esteemed on both sides of the Atlantic,
Donoghue was so modest and retiring that
he failed to make the Roadway that some
OF his contemporaries had achieved. His
artistic temperament led him to lavish the
sums he received for commissions upon his
friends. and often he was on the verge of
poverty.
Donoghue was at work design for
Mckinley memorial for the city of Phtla-
delpha. He was a man of broad Ideas. and
the model he had prepared with symbolic
figures Of protection and fine bust OF
the former President required an expendi-
turc of at least 100000.
Tho committee did not want to spend
more than half that amount and the de-
sign was summarily rejected. When he
learned this. Dunoshue was broken hearted.
He refused 10 attempt any other work.
1t is known that the sculptor had rela-
tives living in Chicago. but he was 50 reti-
cent about himself that their address is
! unknown
No, i,,( "
six years ago. At Rome in 1885 he produced
one OF his best-liked works. The Hunting
| Nymph." and at Venice and in London his
Venus was praised by critics.
HIS BAD LUCK
Then he returned to Rome and planned
his greatest effort, 4 gigantic winged fig
IRE. THE Spirit" suggested by the lines
| of Paradise Lost"
He found the only place large enough TO
serve as n studio WIS the historic Baths
of Diocletian and there he began work
He hoped to have this accepted by the Art
Commission of the Chicago Worlds Fair
| in 1895. The Constitution was sent to Italy
by the Navy Department to bring the figure
| to America. but sailed before it was COM
pleted.
The enormous bulk of the statue neces-
stated its being sawed into eleven pieces.
and these were brought from Rome at
Donoghues own expense. Then 1t was
| feared that the huge figure. seventy-five
| feet high and with wings stretching forty
| five feet from tip to tip. might be over
turned by the winds from Lake Michigan.
| and the work was thrown back on the
| scuptors hands.
| Ever since It has remained in storage
| warehouse in Brooklyn.
| Discouraged, but still plucky. Donoghue
/ set to work TO convince the artists of this
= country that he was a coming man among
1 them He had his reward when the jury OF
| sculpture of the fine arts department of the
| Columbian Exhibition awarded to him the
| first prize among the seventy odd pieces
offered by sculptors from all over the
| world. including fourteen of his country
men. This was a superb nude figure of
| .Sophocles Leading the Chorus After the
| Battle of SalaTnis,' which is now on exhi-
| bition in the National Field Museum at Chi
| cago.
| Donoghue was an intimate friend Of many
of the leading sculptors here. including F.
! Wellington Ruckstuhl. Charles H Niehaus,
| VIM. Ordway Partridge and others