Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-05-10
IAN M'LAREH" IS DEAD.
DR.. JOHN WATSON SUCCUMBS TO
BLOOD POISON CAUSED
BY TONSILITIS.
BRILLIANT LIFE CLOSES.
Was Known the World Over as Philan-
thropist, Writer, Thinker,
Lecturer and Educator.

BURLINGTON, Ia, May CT Spc-
cial. DIR. John Watson the noted Eng
lish writer and lecturer, died AT Mount
Pleasant today of blood poisoning caused
by tonsilitis. He had been on lecture
tour Of the United States tor some
weeks. When he reached this state he
became 50 i'll that Oh April p he WIS
compelled to take to his bed. Mrs. Wat
son was with him when the end came.
DR.. Watson arrived in New York from
England on February last, and the fol-
lowing day occupied the pulpit of the
Fifth Avenue Baptist church, where he
was warmly greeted and expressed his
qualification for what he termed An eX-
traordinary tribute to a visiting clergy
man" After leaving New YORK Or.
Watson went to Ottumwa, Ia, and on
April % it was announced from there
that he had been taken seriously i'll
with tonsiiitis. that he had been re-
moved to Il hospital and that all his en-
gagements had been Cancelled. \ sud
den change for the worse took place May
Poisoned by TonsiIitis.
DR.. Watson came to Mt. Pleasant on
April %, from Minneapolis to deliver a
lecture to the students of the Iowa Yves
leyan university. En- route DR.. Watson
became i'll and was compelled to cancel
the date for the lecture. The illness
which was declared to be tonsilitis, pro
crossed favorabIy. Last Monday and
Tuesday the patient was able to be up
and around and transacted some busI-
ness Wednesday an abscess formed OH
the right ear. The system absorbed the
pus, and i'll twenty-four hours developed
serious symptoms.
Wife Finds Husband Dead.
Blood poisoning set in and on Saturday
other assesses started to form in the
left ear and throat. The patients con
ditiOn was aggravated by a bad attack
of rheumatism. This morning the doc
tors sent for a Chicago specialist who
arrived this afternoon. Or. WatsOn's
end was sudden and unexpected and was
FASTENED by weak heart. His wife,
who was his constant companion in his
last illness, left the room at II O'Clock;
this morning. She was gone about tif-
teen minutes. and returning found her
husband lifeless.
Life of Dr. Watson.
DR.. Watson or Ian McLaren, as he
was popularity called, was born in Man
ningtree, Essex, England in 1850 He
went to the common schools of his vii
lage and later to Edinburgh university.
He was licensed to the church of Scot
land in 1874 and his first charge as a
clergyman was that of the Free church
a.
went to Glasgow and i'll 1880 to Liver
pool. He had begun to write by this
time and when he began his work il
Liverpool he was known throughout
England.
His Success as a Writer.
He became tremendously successful as
4 writer and his novels such as Beside
the Bonnie Briar Bush,'' The Days of
Aud Lang Syne," Kate Carnegie" "A
Doctor of the Old School, Afterwards"
and Rabbi Sanderson.' In 1896 DR..
Watson gave the Henry Beecher lectures
before the Yale Divinity school
DR.. Watson for the last several years
had taken to the lecture platform. He
was very successful, particularly i'll
America, where he was as much beloved
as III his native England. 1t was while
on one Of his lecturing trips that he fell
i'll with the malady which caused his
death.
Liked American Newspapers.
This was DR.. Watson's first trip to
America in nine years. DR.. Watson
was greatly interested in hospitals. He
was also active in educational work of
all kinds, lccturing principally at the
University of Liverpool and at one of
the colleges of Cambridge university. He
had degrees from the University of Edin
burgh, and from several German uniVer-
stiles and even from American Yale.
Nothing i'll America, judging from his
comments on things America, was of
greater interest to Ian Maclaren than the
American newspapers. He knew their
makeup and their tendencies in gather
ing news and placing it before their
readers He knew not a few of the edi-
tors of the great American dailies and
counted them among his friends.
DIR. Watson was Il lover Of nature, an
enthusiastic golfer.
Recently in Milwaukee.
DIR. Watson visited Milwaukee twice,
the first time being in 1899. His last
visit was early in April of this year,
when he delivered IL lecture on Books
and Bookmen' at the Grand Avenue
Congregational church. He also occu-
pied the pulpit of the Grand avenue
church on April {. While in Milwaukee
he was the guest of Mr.. and Mrs. j. Il.
Williams, 2S34 Cedar street.