Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-01-20
Head Of Equitable, Former
Secretary Of Navy
FRIENDS FEARS REALIZED
Though Mr.. Morton Not
Aware of the Imminence
of Death He Had Been
Rejected by Medical Elk
aminer for Own Company

New York, Jan. 19.-Paul Morton.
president of the Equitable Life As
surance Society and secretary of the
navy under Theodore Roosevelt, died
today of cerebral hemorrhage in the
Hotel Seymour. He was stricken in
the hallway of the hotel and died
an hour later without regaining con-
seriousness. His wife and eldest
brother, Joy, were summoned to his
side, but he died before they arriv-
ed. His close friend. Z. ]. Ber-
wind, arrived ten minutes before he
breathed his last, but the stricken
man was unconscious from the mo-
ment of the stroke and neither re-
cOgnized those about him, nor spoke.
The body was removed to his
house but no statement of the fun
e'al plans was made. The coroners
office is satisfied that death result
ed from natural causes, so that there
will be no autopsy.
Mr.. Morton himself had no idea
that his life was in danger but his
family, his physicians and a few
close friends knew that his condi-
ton was precarious. Joy Morton,
after he left the room where the
body lay. gave d full account of his
brothers i'll health and sudden death.
Paul and took luncheon to-
gether at noon today" he said. 4
came from Chicago this morning
and FaUl met me at the station. We
went to the Equitable building,
where at Paul's request, / attended
q meeting of the board of directors
at which he presided. Then we
had luncheon together in the build
ing. sat together talking until, per-
hsps 2:30 when we parted. At 5
O'Clock l dropped into his office
thinking we might go uptown to-
gether, but he had gone. So / went
on up to the house, where l met
Mrs Morton and we drank tea to-
gethar.
Il told her Paul promised to be
home at and as it grew late she
said: Joy, isn't it odd that Paul is
late? He's always so punctual.' The
words were hardly out of her mouth
before the telephone rang. The but
Ter answered and then he said: Mrs.
Morton, the Hotel Seymour tele-
phones that Mr.. Morton has just
tainted We jumped into an auto
mobile and were there in a iiffy.
He was stricken on the fifth
floor, where he had an appointment
with d lawyer, whose name I'm not
sure of. They told us he had faint
ed in the hallway, on his way to
IL. hot had
carried him to a vacant apartment.
About the first of last Decem-
her the Equitable got out what is
called a Christmas policy and when
everything was in readiness it was
susge sted that it would be fitting to
make cut the first policy in the
lame of the president of the com
rany Paul was examined and DIR.
Wells, the chief examiner of the
company. rejected him.
of course. it was a shock, but
Paul never dreamed how serious was
his condition. II alarmed his fam
liz. however. and we had him go to
Chicago to be examined.
Paul laughed at us. They're only
trying to scare me- he said.
of course. DIR. Billings did not
tell Paul, but he did tell me, Your
brothers blood pressure is too high.
He has auto-intoxication. Then he
explained that auto-intoxication is
that condition i'm which the body
does not rid itself of the toxins it
secretes and so poisons itself. In ad-
dition he diagnosed the ailment as
cerebral thrombosis. My father
died of precisely similar conditions
on April q, 1902.
Then l came to New York to
find out what they thought here.
DR.. Isaac Adler, the family physi-
clan. told me Paul was suffering
from kidney and arterial condition,
indicating Bright's disease.
He was induced to take vaca-
ton. and was to have sailed for
Europe on February %. He had
complained at the directors meeting
of not feeling we'll"
Mr. Morton was a son of ]. Sterling
Morton, secretary of agriculture during
the last Cleveland administration. He
was born at Detroit May %. 1857. He
entered the service of the Burlington
system at the age of IA as a clerk in
the land office of the b. & NJ. road. He
passed various promotions until he
became general freight agent of the
Burlington system. In 1890 he severed
his connection with the road to be-
come vice-president of the Colorado
Fuel e. Iron company. He was third
vice president OF the A. T. & 8. +. from
1898 to 1904. In 1904 he became q
member of President RoOseyelts cabi-