The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-07-13
SUDDEN DEATH
JUSTICE LURTON
HEART FAILURE ENDS EVENT.
Full CAREER OF SUPRE E
COURT JUSTICE.

Atlantic City, n. j., July 12.-As-
sociate Justice Horace Harmon Lur-
ron of the United States supreme
court died suddenly in a hotel here
Sunday from heart failure, superin.
duced by cardiac asthma. He was
20 years old.
The justice, who came here July ],
was in his usual health before retiring
Saturday night and had taken his
customary evening outing on the
board walk. Shortly after midnight
he complained of feeling i'll, and al
though his physician, DR.. Ruffin, who
arrived SATURDAY from Washington,
was summoned Immediately, Justice
Lurton died at O'Clock Sunday morn
ing. His wife and son, Horace II.
I.urton, Jr, of Nashville, Tenn. were
at the bedside. Mrs. Horace VanGe-
venter, a daughter, and her husband,
arrived Sunday night from Knoxville,
Tenn, and other members of the fam
lily are expected Monday.
The body will be taken to Clariss-
vile, Tenn. for interment, the funer-
al party leaving here at o'clock
Monday afternoon. 1t was at that city
that Justice LIrton began the prac-
tice of law and lived for twenty years.
Funeral services will be held there
Wednesday, Chief Justice White and
several assistant justices of the su-
preme court, as well as many friends
from different parts of the country,
are expected to be present
Not UNEXPECTED.
Washington, July 12.-News of the
death of Justice Horace Harmon Lur-
ton of the supreme court at Atlantic
City Sunday was received with pro-
found sorrow by friends and asso-
ciates in Washington. The know
ledge had been general for months,
however, that the justice was a very
i'll man and that death might be ex-
pected at any time.
For a year or more Justice Lurtons
condition had been serious, but he
insisted on performing his duties un-
til last December, when he was com
PEELED to go to Florida. At that time
it was reported he would resign. but
after fighting for health in the south
until April, he resumed his place on
the bench to take an active part in
one of the busiest sessions in the
courts history. The court adjourned
June % for the summer and ten days
ago Justice Lurton went to Atlantic
City with his family, hoping to gain
strength in the salt air.
Served Under Morgan.
Born at Newport, Campbell county
KY, Justice LIrton was attending the
county schools when the war between
the states began. Though only II
years old he enlisted in the Con
federate army and became a trooper
under General Morgan. Three years
later he was captured and imprisOn
ed. A personal appeal by his mother
to President Lincoln brought about
his release on parole and when the
war closed he was studying law at
Cumberland university. He gradu-
ated in 1867 and began practicing
law in Tennessee.
After serving four years as a Ten
nessee division chancellor, Judge Luc
ton returned 70 the practice of law in !
1878 and eight years later was elected !
a judge of the Tennessee supreme
court, of which he became chief jus
tice in 1898. The same year Presi- |
dent Cleveland appointed him jud-e |
of the second judicial circuit of the
United States.
AS a federal iurist, Judge Lurton .
was closely associated with former |
President Taft, then a circuit jud ge, |
and when the vacancy on the supreme |
bench occurred in 1909 President Taft
appointed him to the post. He TOOK
office January s, 1910, being the
fourth Confederate soldier to become
a member Of the country's highe t
court.