The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-28
OBITUARY..
John Mclaughlin.

After long life and one of varied
experiences Mr.. John Mclaughlin, one
of the best known and oldest residents
of Savannah died at his home No. 224
Park avenue, east, yesterday after
noon at o'clock. The end came as the
result of cold contracted some
months ago though Mr.. McLaughlins
advanced age, Sc years. probably had
much to do with the fastening of the
end.
Mr.. McLaughlin's good health had
been his boast and even in this illness
he did not give up until three weeks
ago. He went to bed then and gradual
ly grew weaker as the days passed by
until death came.
The funeral will take place from
the Cathedral of st. John the Baptist
this morning at 1890 o'clock. The
services will be conducted by Right
Rev. B. j. Kelley. The pall-bearers will
be Messrs. Emile Newman, 1. d. La
Roche, M A. O'Byrne, Charles Il.
Heron, Jordan F. Brooks and Frank
]. Murray. The burial will be in
the Cathedral Cemetery.
Mr.. McLaughlin's near surviving
relatives are two sons, Mr.. Andrew
Mclaughlin, Of New York, and Mr..
John Mclaughlin of Savannah, and
two daughters. Mrs Frank f. Rebarer
and Mrs. George Rebarer. He leaves
ten grandchildren.
Mr.. Mclaughlin was born in Belfast,
Ireland, April 6, 1917. His father was
a commission merchant of that city and
besides being prominent in business
circles, was the friend and associate of
some of the most prominent men OF
Ireland. Young Mclaughlin was in
constant association with these men,
and from them gained many of the
ideas and the tastes that later marked
his own life.
While a boy of 16, he ran away from
home, going to Nova Scotia, where, for
awhile he taught school. He came to
Savannah in 1910, entered a banking
institution and by his abilities soon rose
to a position of trust and RESPONSE
bility. Five years later he returned to
Belfast and began the conduct of
newspaper which he secured through
the disposal of his fathers business
which the elder Mclaughlin had turn
ed over to him.
1t was while in this work that he met
and knew the most prominent men of
Ireland, among them Daniel O'Connell,
Gray Tom Steel, MITCHELL Meagher,
John Martin Mangam and others. In
fact, Mr. Mclaughlin was connected by
marriage with some of the most prom
inent men of the time, among them Sir
Charles Gavan Duffy, who was his
brother-in-la law, and Sir Charles Rus
sell, late lord chief justice of England.
He lost heavily in his newspaper in
vestment, however, and finally sold out
his interests and returned to America,
settling in st. Louis though he later
went to the wilds of the North of Can
ada, in the region of the trappers. Here
for some reason he became antagonis-
tic to the Hudson Bay Company and
attacked the validity of it's charter an
act for which, upon a subsequent visit
to Ireland. he was arrested and for
time kept in Jail in London.
Though not in America during the
Civil War he was an ardent sympa
thizer with the South in its great
struggle and his home in Belfast be-
came a recognized resort for South
erners who by stress of circumstances
were in England or Ireland. SO pro-
nounced We're his sympathies that he
! hoisted a Confederate flag in his yard
and caused another to be placed over
his door.
Because of this the United States
consul to Belfast complained to the
English government, and sought to
have the objectional flags removed, but
Mr. Mclaughlin resisted the effort and
the flags remained until he saw fit
himself to have them removed. 1t was
his sympathy with the South that
caused him to meet heavy financial
losses for he invested the bulk of his
fortune in securities of the Confederate
states and when these were defeated
he lost his all.
1t was because of this that, at the
close of the war, he returned to Sa-
vannah, here to make another fortune.
He was a connoisseur in art and liter
allure and at one time had many fine
pictures and books, though most of
these he disposed of in his later years.
He was also a gifted writer and both
in prose and verse had often contrib
uted to the local papers and to mega
zines. For many years he had carried
on a real estate and auction business.
He was a frequent contributor to the
Morning News ON various topics WIT
ing mostly in verse under the name
Paul Pry." One of the best known
of his efforts was "Pauls Epistle to
Timothy" indicted to Rev. Timothy
Harley, a former pastor of the First
Baptist Church. Mr.. Mclaughlin was
fluent conversationalist as we'll as
writer and his "reminiscences were
always interesting. Few men were
better known in Savannah than John