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James W. Harrison, one of the best known and estimable citizens of Con shohocken, was found dead in his of fice, in the rear of his residence, 207 Harry street, at noon last Sunday. The circumstances surrounding his de mise seem to prove that Mr. Harrison's death was self-inflicted, while suffer ing from temporary derangement of mind incident to severe pains in the head following a recent stroke of par alysis on the left side. During the past few weeks he has complaints of intense pains in the head, which followed a recent stroke of paralysis, and at times his mind seemed anything but normal. hese symptoms emanated from the stroke of paralysis with which he was afflict ed on the left side, a short while before Christmas. Mr. Harrison was seen about as us ual on Sunday morning, although he had expressed himself as spending a sleepless night. Being left alone for short while he sought the privacy of a frame office, on the rear of the lot on which his residence is located. He frequently spent many hours there in either experimenting, writing or some other pursuit. When a neighbor went to the office to consult him regarding some matter he found Mr. Harrison leaning against a table. He was dead and by his side lay a two ounce bottle of commercial laudanum, half empty and the fumes of the drug emanating from the inanimate body proved con clusively that the laudanum had been a prime factor in causing Mr. Harri son's death. Coroner McGlathery was notified and held an inquest this morning, when the jury rendered a verdict In accord ance with the facts as adduced from an examination of the body and the testimony of witnesses who had dis covered the dead man. Mr. Harrison was born in Norris town on February 5, 1835. At the age of twelve years he became apprenticed to the iron business (in 1847) and fol lowed that vocation for fifty years When Alan Wood, Sr., started in bus iness Mr. Harrison was one of his first employees and he was employed in Mr. Wood's industries in this State and Del aware. After Mr. Wood's death he still continued in the employ of the in dustry established by the senior Mr. Wood and continued to work forth various controlling Interests of the Alan Wood family until he left the mill in 1897. Besides his employment at the Iron works Mr. Harrison used to devote some of his leisure hours to the busi ness of auectionesring and continue in this capacity for about thirty years Aside from his other pursuits Mr. Harrison, about fifteen or twenty years ago, Invented a roofing paint wheel was found to last from three to six times longer than any other roofing paint. This commodity gained con siderable reputation and many of the roofs in this section of the county are protected with Mr. Harrison’s inven tion, which is known as “Harrison's asphalt rubber paint.” Mr. Harrison was a member of George Smith Post 79 G. A. R., and during his lifetime was a prominent member of the Red Men, Odd Fellows and other secret organizations and was the organizer and first president of the Schuylkill Iron Works Relief Association. He also was of an inventive turn of mind and although the inventor and patentee of a number of processes and articles, his inventive ventures, with few exceptions, did not prove profit able. Although Mr. Harrison was a Re publican he never cared to figure in political fe. He was a strict disci plinarian in all things, attended strict ly to his own business, and the thou sands of receipts, book accounts and other documentary forms prepared by himself to the last, and covering near ly every transaction during his life show how careful he has been to re cord everything of a financial nature in which he was interested, Deceased is survived by a widow two son—William H. Harrison, of Philadelphia, the well-known journal ist, and Alexander G. Harrison, of the vennaylyvania depot, this borough Brothers and sisters also survive as follows: Franklin Harrison, Joseph Harrison and Mrs. John H. Gayser, of this borough, and Mrs. John Shade and Mrs.Edgar Bellis, of West Phila delphia. The funeral will take place on Thurs day next, when services wil be held at his late residence, 207 Harry street, commencing at ten o'clock in the morning. The interment, which will be private and attended only by the immediate relatives, will take place in the family lots at the cemetery of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church at Wynnewood, near South
Newspaper Details
Conshohocken Recorder
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Jan 24, 1900
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Deborah D.
USA 02 Jul 2026
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