THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: Tributes paid to editor on his leaving a local newspaper

From the News Letter, April 15, 1878
High Street, Portadown, Co Armagh. NLI Ref: L_ROY_09282. Picture: National Library of IrelandHigh Street, Portadown, Co Armagh. NLI Ref: L_ROY_09282. Picture: National Library of Ireland
High Street, Portadown, Co Armagh. NLI Ref: L_ROY_09282. Picture: National Library of Ireland

A number of friends of Mr William Lutton had met in the Magistrates’ Room of Portadown Town Hall to pay tribute to him on the occasion of him leaving “the charge” of the Portadown and Lurgan News.

Mr Thomas Shillington, Esq, JP, “in a few well chosen words” explained that they had gathered that evening to testify to the esteem in which Mr Lutton was held.

He said that Lutton had raised himself to “an honourable position among us” and that he had at all times shown great “uprightness and straight forwardness”.

During the meeting a Mr Eccles read a remarkable which had been sent to the meeting by Lord Lurgan which praised Mr Lutton’s skills as a reporter and editor for the paper.

The letter read as follows: “I am sorry that a prior engagement will prevent me from having the pleasure of attending your interesting meeting tomorrow night. I wish you every success and beg to add my testimony, as presiding chairman of the Lurgan Board of Guardians, to the clear, satisfactory and intelligent reports Mr Lutton gave of our proceedings. He had the rare talent of catching they keynote of the meeting and reporting the particular matters requiring public attention without overloading his reports with unnecessary details. He was always perfectly impartial. I wish him success wherever he goes, and I will always take an interest in his welfare.” A number of friends of Mr William Lutton had met in the Magistrates’ Room of Portadown Town Hall to pay tribute to him on the occasion of him leaving “the charge” of the Portadown and Lurgan News.

Mr Thomas Shillington, Esq, JP, “in a few well chosen words” explained that they had gathered that evening to testify to the esteem in which Mr Lutton was held.

He said that Lutton had raised himself to “an honourable position among us” and that he had at all times shown great “uprightness and straight forwardness”.

During the meeting a Mr Eccles read a remarkable which had been sent to the meeting by Lord Lurgan which praised Mr Lutton’s skills as a reporter and editor for the paper.

The letter read as follows: “I am sorry that a prior engagement will prevent me from having the pleasure of attending your interesting meeting tomorrow night. I wish you every success and beg to add my testimony, as presiding chairman of the Lurgan Board of Guardians, to the clear, satisfactory and intelligent reports Mr Lutton gave of our proceedings. He had the rare talent of catching they keynote of the meeting and reporting the particular matters requiring public attention without overloading his reports with unnecessary details. He was always perfectly impartial. I wish him success wherever he goes, and I will always take an interest in his welfare.”

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