HARRISON, John H. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

John H. Harrison, 63, editor of The Commerical-News and president and treasurer of the Commercial News Company, died at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon at the St. Francis hospital in Miami Beach, Fla.

Mr. Harrison was stricken with a paralytle stroke Nov. 1, 1929 while in St. Louis, Mo., on business. He was taken to the Missouri Baptist hospital where his illness was first diagnosed as ptomaine poisoning. He had been taken ill following a hearty meal and his illness displayed symptoms of food poisoning, but later it was discovered that he had suffered a stroke of paralysis.

He recovered to the extent that Dec. 21, he was taken to Miami Beach, Fla., where he had since been staying with Mrs. Harrison at the Pancoast hotel.

Mr. Harrison enjoyed his stay at Miami Beach, exercising in the open air every day and displaying every indication of eventually recovering his health. Ten days ago he suffered a relapse and grew gradually worse. Saturday morning his condition was such that he was removed to the St. Francis hospital and Mrs. Harrison telegraphed Mr. Harrison's partner of nearly thirty-two years. W. J. Parrett, manger of The Commercial News .....(can't read)...she informed Mr. Parrett by long distance telephone that it would not be necessary for him to come as Mr. Harrison was improved.

Saturday night, in a long distance phone call, Mrs. Harrison said that he had passed the most comfortable day that he had in 10-days, but Sunday morning she reported that he was worse and death came at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a fitting close to a long newspaper career, that hour marking the "going to press" time of the Commercial News.

Funeral services will be held at 3:30 o'clock Thursday afternoon at the St. James M. E. church. Bishop Edwin Holt Hughes, of Chicago, and Dr. Thomas N. Ewuing will officiate. Interment will be at Springhill Cemetery.

The body will arrive in Danville at 11:20 o'clock Wednesday morning on the Dixie Limited over the C.&E.I. railroad. It will be accompanied by Mrs. Harrison, who will leave Miami Beach at 9:30 o'clock tonight. The body will be taken immediately to the Harrison home in the Hotel Wolford. Funeral arrangements will be in the charge of Albert Berhalter.

John Higgins Harrison was born Nov. 30, 1867, in Lebanon, Ind., the son of Thomas Henry and Minta Higgins Harrison. His father was the publisher of the Lebanon (Ind.) Pioneer. He was a direct descendant of Col. Richard Harrison, an officer under Oliver Cromwell, and his forefathers fought in both the revolutionary and civil wars.

He graduated from the Lebanon High school in 1884 and began his newspaper career as an office boy on his father's paper. Later his father moved from Lebanon to Michigan City, where he purchased another paper. Mr. Harrison went to DePauw university where is graduated in 1891 with an M. A. degree.

His father died before his completion of his college course and the Michigan City paper was sold. Mr. Harrison leaving the univeristy to start as a reporter ....(can't read) where he received his biggest thrill when he interviewed Benjamin Harrison on the day the ....(can't read) the United Stated by the Republican Party.

Mr. Harrison spent three years as a reporter, most of which was on the Chicago Tribune, after which he engaged in publicity work for three years as press agent for a ....(can't read) and a theatrical company.

He came to Danville in December, 1837, and with a cousin Robert P. Harrison, bought the Evening Commercial. May 1, 1838, W. J. Parrett came to the Evening Commercial as advertising manager and a little more than a year later became business manager with the withdraal from the firm of Robert P. Hrrison, who accepted a dposition as clerk in the federal court in Muskeogee, Okla. When he left, Mr. Harrison changed his position in the paper from business manager to editor.

In 1903, the Evening Commercial was merged with the Danville News and a final merger was made in 1927, with the Mornign Press making the Commercial News the only daily newspaper in Danville.