The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-02-28
N. O. Kitten Succumbs to
Pneumonia Following
Illness of Few Days
FUNERAL SERVICES
SATURDAY MORNING
Was Actively Identified
With Business of City
For Many Years

Martinus o. Kitten, who for TWEEN.
ty years has been prominently iden.
titled with business life of this com.
munity, died at o'clock yesterday
morning at his home on Kennewick
Avenue. Death was directly due te
an attack of pneumonia which seized
Mr. Kitten only few days ago
although he had been in i'll health
and suffering from heart disease for
some time.
Funeral services will be held in
the Congregational church at 1886
Saturday morning and the body will
be taken from there to the S. P. & s.
station for shipment to Long Beach
California. The funeral sermon will
be preached by DIR. l.. j. Aldrich
former pastor of the Congregational
church and members of the Kennewick
Masonic Lodge will attend as an order
Mr.. Kittens death brings to a
close an unusually busy and success
full life. He was born July IL, 1858
in Denmark and was 65 years, seven
months and ten days old. He came to
the United States in 1875 and in 1888
came to Reardon, Washington and
engaged in the mercantile business.
This business prospered and later he
founded the Reardon National Bank.
He came to Kennewick soon after
irrigation was begun in this district
and he and Mrs. Kitten founded a
small private college and opened the
Columbia Hotel. These buildings were
destroyed by fire and were not re-
built. Soon afterward Mr.. and Mrs.
Kitten left Kennewick but retained
the property interests they had ac-
quired here.
They returned to Kennewick in
1909 and saved Kennewick from a
bank failure by coming to the rescue
Of the First International Bank which
was then in financial difficulties. The
bank was reorganized and operated
BY them for some time as the Bank
OF Kennewick. After the institution
vas well established they disposed Of
their controlling interest and went
to California. They again returned
to Kennewick and once more pur-
chased control of the Bank of Kenne-
wick, reorganized it and changed the
name to the American Security Bank,
after operating it for time they sold
1t to the present owners.
Through transfer of California
property to H. A. Hover they became
the owners of the Hotel Kennewick,
an ownership which they still retain.
For two years they successfully op-
Grated the hotel.
In 1921 when the Kennewick Flour
Mills, through the failure of the Pasco
Flour Mills company, with which it
was associated, was unable to carry
on. Mr.. Kitten put his capital into
the business and brought the mills
again into successful functioning.
Mr.. Kitten was a member of Ken
newlck Lodge No. 153, F. and A. NJ,
member of the Scottish Rite Mason
&c bodies at Yakima, and life men,
Der Of AL Malaikah temple of the Mys-
TIC Shrine of Los Angeles. He. has
long been member of the Congre-
gational church and was trustee and
deacon OF the local church.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Caroline
ln.iitten, who has always been ac-
.lVeiy associated with him in his bus
mess enterprises, he leaves a son,
nari and two grandchildren, of Los
angeles, two brothers and five sis