Thomas William "Tom" Doughty 1870-1920

DOUGHTY, KETCHEN, KETCHIN, HANKINS, NIVISON, NIVINSON

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 10/16/2014 at 22:48:16

T. Doughty Lost Life Monday
Burned to Death in St. Paul Athletic Club Rooms
Was Popular Banker
Had Host of Friends Throughout the County – No Particulars Learned
Tom Doughty, Armstrong banker and one of the best known and most influential men of the county was burned to death Monday [December 21, 1920] night in St. Paul, according to reports reaching this city Tuesday morning. Mr. Doughty had made a business trip to St. Paul and was staying at the Athletic Club rooms. The building caught fire and Mr. Doughty burned to death before he could make his escape or be rescued by firemen. The body, according to reports, was identified by a former Armstrong resident now living in St. Paul.

Mr. Doughty had been a resident of Emmet county for many years. We firmly believe that there was not a better known man, nor a man with more friends and fewer enemies in northwest Iowa than Mr. Doughty. He was one of those quaint Scotch characters with a smile on his lips all the time, ready to go out of his way to do a friend or neighbor a good turn. He was admired and respected by all with whom he came in contact. He was a man of simple tastes, not give to show of any kind.

He was recognized as one of the leading bankers of the country and had brought his bank to the point where it is considered one of the strong institutions of the country. He had made a success of life financially as well as in any other way. He will be sorely missed from the business circles of Armstrong and the county. He was one of the most ardent boosters for Armstrong and there never was a time but that he did more than his share to place that city where it is today.

The news of his death is a great shock to everyone and it is hard to believe that Tom has passed on to rest from his earthly labors. It is hard to think that no more will we feel his genial handclasp and hear his jovial words of greeting. And while he has reached the end of the race on this sphere, his name and the memory of his good deeds will live on in the hearts of his fellow men who knew Tom Doughty for what he really was and loved him as a brother.

No authentic reports of the accident have been received in this city at the time we go to press. It is said that the fire was confined to the room occupied by Mr. Doughty and that he was suffocated instead of burned to death. Reports of the accident are meager and vary greatly in the telling. There can be no question, however, but that the body is that of Mr. Doughty, as it has been positively identified.

Mr. Doughty is a cousin of County Sheriff Tom Nivinson and Mrs. George Lorimer who left for St. Paul Thursday evening. He is survived by one brother and one sister. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, December 22, 1920)

Thos. Doughty Dies in Flames
Long Time and Most Highly Respected Citizen Burned To Death in St. Paul
He Was There On Business
Had Rooms in the Athletic Club and Was the Guest of J.A. Reagan, Formerly of This County
Residents of the entire county were extremely shocked on Tuesday last when the news reached here that Thos. Doughty had been burned to death in the Athletic Club in St. Paul, Minn. There was a clamor for more details of the affair but none were available. In fact there will hardly be more as the building was fire proof and his room was the only one to burn. There may be some surmises as to how the accident occurred, but his death will probably always be a mystery as far as the details are concerned.

We have known Mr. Doughty practically ever since he came to this county and we believe we can safely say that there was not a more popular or more beloved man in the county than was Tom Doughty. He was a man of the finest qualities. Always pleasant and cheerful with always a kind word for all. One who did not put himself forward but one who was always at the front from the excellent qualities he possessed. His death will be a blow to Armstrong and to the entire county. There will be a place vacant in the hearts and minds of his many friends which will never be again filled. Words cannot express the fine tributes which could be paid to this man among men.

Thos. Doughty was born in Scotland June 19, 1870. He came to this county in 1892, after finishing his education commenced in Scotland and completed in Des Moines. He entered the Emmet County State Bank at Armstrong and has been there since that time. The bank has prospered and the bank and Mr. Doughty have gained the confidence of the people. Mr. Doughty is the holder of land in Minnesota, Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as tracts in Iowa and in this county. He was an Independent in politics and has been urged for office several times and we well know, was talked of strongly as a candidate for State Representative.

The remains are expected in Armstrong this afternoon and at present no arrangements have been made for the funeral services. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, December 22, 1920)

T.W. Dougthy [Doughty] Burned to Death At St. Paul
Cashier of Emmet County Bank of Armstrong and Was Well Known Here
T.W. [Thomas William] Doughty, 50, prominent Armstrong banker, was burned to death in his room at the St. Paul Athletic club shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Miss Anna Gasnen, maid, discovered the fire when she saw smoke pouring out of a crack in the door of Mr. Doughty’s room on the ninth floor. The [she] attempted to open the door with her pass key, but was prevented by a key in the lock on the inside.

Calling frantically for aid, Miss Gasnen attracted the housekeeper, Miss Della Berglund, who aroused Dr. G.R. Vigar and M.W. Pocock, who occupied adjacent rooms. Forcing open the door, Dr. Vigar crawled into the smoke-filled room on his hands and knees and carried Mr. Doughty to the hall.

Attempts at artificial respiration failed. Mr. Doughty died several minutes later.

Whether the fire was caused by a lighted cigaret has not yet been determined.

Mr. Doughty, who was cashier of the Emmet County Bank at Armstrong, arrived in St. Paul Monday afternoon to attend a bankers’ conference Tuesday. Early in the evening he conferred with J.A. Reagan, president of the board of directors on the Capital National Bank.

A brother, George Doughty, Armstrong business man, survives Mr. Doughty.

Mr. Doughty is well known throughout this entire section, and leaves a great number of relatives and friends to mourn his untimely end. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, December 22, 1920)

How Armstrong Banker Met His Death at Club
Lighted Cigaret Is Thought to Have Been Origin of the Fire
Hall Maid Discovers Smoke
Artificial Respiration Proves Unsuccessful – Fire Confined to Room
T.W. Doughty, cashier of the Emmet County Bank at Armstrong, and prominent in northwest financial circles, is thought to have perished by suffocation caused by a lighted cigaret which he was smoking in bed when he fell asleep. Another supposition is that he suffered a stroke of apoplexy. His body was found lying across the bed in his room at the Athletic Club, where he was introduced by his friend, J.A. Reagan of the Capital National Bank of St. Paul, Minn.

At first Doughty was believed alive, but artificial respiration attempted by Dr. George I. Viger, one of the house physicians, who dragged the body from the room, proved futile.

At 8 o’clock, Mr. Reagan, going down at breakfast, was surprised at the smoke-filled lobby and asked one of the elevator girls the cause he was informed there was a fire on the ninth floor.

On the impulsive thought that he had better arouse his friend, though knowing that the building was fireproof, Mr. Regan said he rushed to the ninth floor. It was there he learned that the fire was in Doughty’s room and his friend had perished.

The blaze was discovered at 8:15 a.m. by Miss Anna Gasney, a hall maid, who had just started her day’s work. At first she was unable to tell whether the smell of smoke came from Doughty’s room or room 918, next to it, occupied by A.J. Campbell of Lewis, Wis.

Inserting her passkey in the lock of 917 it was found the key from the other side of the door made it impossible to unlock it. Not knowing what course to take, she ran screaming for Miss Della Berglund, the housekeeper, who quickly responded, accompanied by William Jenson, a Janitor.

It was then Dr. Viger, awakened in his room on the floor above by the commotion, hurried downstairs. Jenson had pushed the key on the inside from the lock and had unlocked the door when he arrived on the scene.

The two men tried to get into the room, but the flames and smoke which belched forth every time the door was opened, kept them back. After two attempts, Dr. Viger crawled on his hands and knees to the bed, where he found the body and summoning M.W. Pocock, who was among the throng that filled the hallway, the two dragged the body from the room.

Doughty is survived by an uncle, William Hankins, and a brother, George, both living at Armstrong, and a sister, Mrs. Margaret Ketchen, living in Idaho. He was about fifty years old and wealthy.

Friends in Armstrong did not know Mr. Doughty had left town until they received word of his death. He left that city Monday morning and drove in his automobile to Fairmont, Minn. From there he made the journey by train. He was to have returned home Tuesday afternoon.

Thomas W. Doughty was born in Thornhill, Dumfries, Scotland, in June, 1850, and died in St. Paul, Minn., December 20, 1920, aged 60 years.

Mr. Doughty came to Emmet county in 1885. He took a course in the Capital City Commercial College a Des Moines, and when the Emmet County Bank was organized was appointed cashier of that institution, which position he held until his death.

He has one brother, Dr. Doughty, in Dalston, England, and another, George, who lives in Armstrong. A sister, Mrs. W. Ketchen, resided at Boise, Idaho. Sheriff Thos. Nivison is a cousin. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, December 29, 1920)

Doughty Funeral Monday
Armstrong’s Leading Citizen Laid to Rest
Held in Opera House
Friends From All Over State Gather to Pay Last Tribute
The funeral services for the late T.W. Doughty, Armstrong’s leading citizen and financier, were held in that city last Monday afternoon. No church in the city was large enough to hold the great throng of former friends and acquaintances, the services being held in the opera house which was so crowded to the extreme with those who wished to pay their last respects to the memory of one who had been so close to many.

Many out of town were present for the funeral, between twenty-five and thirty attending from this city. Throughout the entire ceremony there was that undercurrent of silent grief that touches the heartstrings far more than any outward manifestation. It was as though the loss was so great that it had completely overcome friends and neighbors and they were powerless to express in words what their faces plainly told.

Mr. Doughty was born in Scotland in 1870 being fifty years old at the time of his death. He came to this country while still a boy and settled in Emmet county in 1892. He established the banking business of which he was the head shortly after coming to Armstrong. He was a bachelor and at the time of his death was survived by two brothers, George of Armstrong and Dr. David of England and one sister, Mrs. Wm. Ketchin of Boise City, Idaho. Throughout all his years of residence in Armstrong he was known as an upright man, honest in his dealing and with a heart so large that he oftentimes granted favors when it was no according to his best business judgment.

The mystery of his death in the St. Paul Athletic Club last Tuesday night or Wednesday morning is as deep as when first announced. Mr. Doughty retired about eleven o’clock according to all reports. Hall maids first noticed smoke coming from the cracks around the door of his room in the morning and at once raised the alarm. Dr. George I. Vigar, one of the house physicians, was on the floor above and immediately rushed to the scene. Some time was lost in getting into the room because Mr. Doughty had left his key in the lock on the inside after locking the door. When entrance was gained hard work confronted the rescuers because of the flames and smoke busting through the door. The body was finally secured and every means employed to bring back the spark of life but all efforts were fruitless.

That Mr. Doughty did not meet with foul play is pointed out by the fact that his trousers hung at the head of his bed, the pockets containing some seventy-five dollars in cash. When found the body lay face down upon the bed as if he had fallen in that position after making an effort to get up. It was known to his friend in Armstrong that he was suffering from high blood pressure and they point out that he may have felt a stroke of aploplexy coming on or a falling in his efforts to rise.

A post mortem examination of the body failed to reveal the presence of any drugs or poison.

The Emmet County Bank, of which Mr. Doughty was the head has been closed following his death, and a receiver appointed. Mr. Mitchell of Fort Dodge has been appointed to that position. He is a brother-in-law of M. E.J. Breen, one of the heavy owners of the bank. This fact has caused a lot of rumors to be circulated around the Armstrong community, most of which undoubtedly be found untrue. In the course of time, The Emmet County Bank will pay every dollar to its depositors was the statement of the leading financiers in Northwest Iowa yesterday, and they are all men in a position to know what they are talking about. The bank, which was a private institution, is liable under the law for every dollar the owners are worth. On account of the fact that the bank was conducted as a private institution the death of one of the owners made it necessary to have a received appointed to wind up the business.

When it is taken into consideration that besides Mr. Doughty’s estate, there is the fortune of E.J. Breen of Fort Dodge and the Graves estate of this city behind the institution, it is hardly possible for the depositors to lose although it will take time for the process of law to take its course. [next sentences too difficult to read.] death of Mr. Doughty. The people of Armstrong strongly believe in him and their faith is one of the most touching tributes that was ever paid a man. With tears streaming down her face we heard one elderly lady defend the good name of Tom Doughty, even though there was no occasion to defend it. “He was the best friend I ever had,” she sobbed and her words are being re-echoed through the entire eastern part of the county. And though a few will try to make capital out of the mystery of his death and though rumors may spread to the far ends of the earth, there will always be a champion to arise to defend the name of one who held the respect and admiration of his neighbors in life and still has the confidence of all who knew him best, even though he is now resting beneath the cold ground awaiting the final judgment day. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, December 29, 1920)

T.W. Doughty Laid to Rest
Remains Taken To Armstrong Day After Death And Laid to Rest Monday
Cause of Death Is Unknown
The Following Story as Published by the St. Paul Dispatch is the Most Authentic
The following account taken from the St. Paul Dispatch gives the particulars as they found them:

In his room on the ninth floor of the Athletic club, T.W. Doughty, president of an Armstrong, Iowa bank, either suffocated or was burned to death in a fire which stripped the room of most of its furnishings shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Coroner C.A. Ingerson was to make a postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of his death.

The body was found lying half across the bed, as if the man had attempted to rise. Hall maids and roomers from the floor above, attracted by the smell of smoke, which was pouring from the cracks about the door, found the body.

Fail to Revive Victim
At first Doughty was believed alive but artificial respiration attempted by Dr. George I. Viger, one of the house physicians, who dragged the body from the room proved futile and examination showed Doughty had been dead for several minutes.

The cause of the blaze, which was confined to one room, had not been determined late Tuesday. It is believed, however, that Doughty had been smoking in bed or suffered a stroke of apoplexy, which caused him to drop the burning cigar or cigarette, thus setting fire to the bed clothes.

Came to St Paul on Business
Mr. Doughty, who was president of the Emmet County Bank of Armstrong, came to St. Paul Monday to transact some business with friends, whom he was to have seen today.

He was met on his arrival by J.A. Reagan, of Capital National bank a close friend for years. It was through Mr. Regan that Mr. Doughty obtained his room at the Athletic club late Monday.

The two had dinner together, after which Mr. Reagan entertained his friend until 11 p.m. Then fearing he would be unable to obtain accommodations elsewhere at that late hour because of throngs of Christmas shoppers from neighboring towns, Mr. Reagan made arrangements for his guest to sleep at the club. Mr. Doughty was given room 917.

Learns of Tragedy
At 8 a.m. Mr. Reagan was going down to breakfast, was surprised at the smoke-filled lobby and asking one of the elevator girls the cause, he was informed there was a fire on the ninth floor.

On the impulsive thought that he had better arouse his friend, though knowing the building was fireproof, Mr. Reagan said he rushed to the ninth floor. It was then he learned that the fire was in Doughty’s room and his friend had perished.

A preliminary examination by Mike Leonard, deputy coroner, showed the man had suffered severe burns about the chest and feet.

Doughty is survived by a brother, George, living at Armstrong and a sister, Mrs. Margaret Ketchin, living in Idaho and a brother living in England. He is said by his friends to have been about 50 years old and is wealthy.

Hall Maid Discovers Fire
The blaze was discovered at 8:15 a.m. by Miss Anna Gasney, 885 Margaret street, a hall maid who had just started her day’s work. At first she was unable to tell whether the smell of smoke came from Doughty’s room, or room 918 next to it, occupied by A.J. Campbell of Lewis, Wis.

Inserting her key in the lock of 917 it was found the key from the other side of the door made it impossible to unlock. Not knowing what course to take, she ran screaming for Miss Delia Berglund, the housekeeper, who quickly responded, accompanied by William Jensen, a janitor.

It was then Dr. Viger was awakened in his room on the floor above by the commotion, hurried downstairs. Jensen had pushed the key on the inside from the lock and had unlocked the door when he arrived on the scene.

Drag Body From Fire
The two men tried to get into the room but the flames and smoke which belched forth every time the door was opened, kept them back. After two attempts, Dr. Viger crawled on his hands and knees to the bed where he found the body and summoning M.W. Pocock, who was among the throng that filled the hallway, the two dragged the body from the room.

Fire apparatus from all downtown companies arrived immediately and the flames were quickly extinguished. Damages which was confined to the room, was estimated by club officials at $300.

Funeral arrangements for the victim were delayed pending word from relatives.

Friends in Armstrong did not know Mr. Doughty had left town until they received word of his death this morning. He left the Iowa town Monday morning and drove in his automobile to Fairmont, Minn. From there he made the journey by train. He was to have returned home this afternoon. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, December 29, 1920)