Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-13
Brother-in-LaW of President
Put Bullet in Brain.
ATTEMPT TO HIDE FACT
Physicians Ascribed Death to Cere-
bral Apoplexy.
CORONER REVEALS TRAGEDY
Taft Expected to Attend Obsequies.
Funeral to Be Held
Today.

PITTSBURG, Pa, March 12.-Suicide
by shooting caused the death Of Thomas
MoK. Laughlin. the assistant treasurer
of the Jones & Iaughlin Steel Com
pany, and a brother-in-law of President
and Mrs. Taft.
The confirmation of many rumors to
G. Jamison, after visit to Mr..
Laughlins home in Woodland road this
afternoon
While Mr.. Laughlin is reported to
have died at 10 O'Clock yesterday morn
Ing, the coroner did not receive news of 1t
until / o'clock in the afternoon today.
when the physicians certificate of death
was returned. This stated the cause AS
cerebral apoplexy. and was signed by
Dr. T. NJ. r. McKennan.
Bullet Caused His Death.
Persistent calls for information from the
coroner caused him to investigate the
case. After q visit to the .Laughlin
home he said the physicians return was
technically correct although the cerebral
he,norrhage had been caused by a bullet.
Efforts to conceal the fact that Mr..
I.aughlin had ended his life had been
made because of the prominence of the
family. b. J.. Jones, partner of Mr.
Laughlin, did not know of the actual
cause until the coroner publicly confirmed
it,
II was not intended that even the Presi-
dent or any members OF the family be-
yond George NJ. Laughlan, brother, and
the widow should know the actual cause
All traces of the wound are said to have
been removed from the body in embalm-
ing
The rumors of suicide are thought to
have been spread through the family
servants.
Physicians Will Not Explain.
The attending physicians to Mr. Laugh
lin yesterday were T. NJ. T. Mckennan
and ". II. Ingram. No statement could
be obtained today from either of them.
The death of Mai G. NJ. Laughlin some
months ago. deeply affected his son,
Thomas Nick. Iaughlan, and is said to
have preyed upon a naturally nervous
temperament. He Travelled much, pre-
vious TO his death, in the hope that his
lesftf might be benefited.
Iypon his return from Europe to his
home last Sunday night Mr.. I.aughlin
appeared to be in better health ana
spirits than for some months, SO that the
end came as a severe shock to the FAMILY
as we'll as friends.
The shock to Mrs. Daughiln mas pros
tFated her.
In the early spring Of 1907. Thomas
O'Connor Jones, another of the Junior
members of the firm of Jones d Laugh
lin was found dead in his rooms at the
Hotel Schenley I'm this city. He had blown
out his brains with a revolver
Rich and Respected.
Mr.. Iaughlin was prominent in the
business world here and was one OIL
Pittsburs's richest men. His wealth was
conservatiyely. estimated at Sa0,o0O,OOO.
He was popular among the younger
business men as we'll as the older heads
of industries. BY his associates he was
characterized a ''clean, upright citizen.
He was member of all the more
prominent clubs OF the city, director In
several banking institutions and assist
ant treasurer of the Jones & Laughlin
Steel Company
The funeral will be held tomorrow at 3
o'clock from the Laughlin home The
Rev Maitland Alexander of the First
PRESBYTERIAN Church, a cousin OF Mr..
Iaughlin by marriage, will off1ciafe at
the services.
The honorary pallbearers will be rep
resentative banking and industrial men
with whom Mr.. Iaughlin was associated.
They are: IT. n. Schwartz, J. Bissel
Speer, Douglas Stewart. Herman Griffin,
Frank Sproul. +, G. Perkins. John Ricket-
son, Carroll FitZhugh, Fritz Byers, W. g..
Moreland b. +. Jones, jr., and William
I.arimer Jones
President Taft is expected to attend
Mrs Tart Is reported TO be too i'll to
leave Washington.
1t was at the Laughlin home that
President Taft, while here last May, as
sembled about him Mr.. and Mrs. Laugh
lin, their two children and Capt. Archibald
Butt, and was photographed on the lawn
al the Presidents request.
Married Mrs. Taft's Sister.
CINCINNATI, Ohio. March 12.-Mrs- T.
X. I.aughlin was Miss Lucy Hayes Her
ron. She is a sister TO President Taft's
wife and the daughter of John w. Her
ron OF Cincinnati
Before her marriage to Iaughlin she
was prominent In Cincinnati society and
was an expert golf player.