OBITUARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21515, 12 June 1933, Page 9

OBITUARY

DR. E. J. DILLON AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST MADRID, June 9 The death has occurred in Barcelona, Spain, of Dr. Emile Joseph Dillon. Dr. Ti. J. Dillon, linguist, author and international journalist, was born in Dublin in 1864. It was intended to make him a Roman Catholic priest, but, objecting to this, he went to Paris when he was a youth and attended the College de France. Renan's lectures there aroused in him an enthusiasm for Oriental languages and literature and he studied Sanskrit, Arabic and Hebrew at Innsbruck and Persian at Lcipsig and Tubingen. After a visit to Russia to learn other tongues he went to Lou vain and took the degree of doctor of Oriental languages and literature. Returning to Russia ho secured similar degrees and at Tvharkoff he became a professor. He also contributed to newspapers and periodicals. . Appointed in 1887 correspondent in Russia of the Daily Telegraph, Dr. Dillon was associated with that journal for more than 40 years. In 1894 when Turkey was accused of trying to exterminate the Armenians, Dr. Dillon went to find out the truth. Writing for his paper a series of articles describing the horrors bo had witnessed, he stirred up the entire Christian world to intervention. After acting as war correspondent during the Spanish-American conflict. Dr. Dillon vent to China in 1900' with the international force organised to crush the Boxer rebellion. In 1906 during the Dreyfus trial at Rennes he telegraphed vivid reports of the proceedings. Afterwards for several years ho wrote brilliant articles on international questions as they arose. Dr. Dillon was on intimate terms with some of the greatest statesmen of his time. Illness compelled Dr. Dillon to cease work for some years during which lie lived in Spain. In May, 19:12. however, liis name reappeared in the press as the author of a series of articles on IHe Truth A-bout Spain." Tip wrote a number of works of linguistic and tlieologicA interest, stories in Russian, translations from various languages and a biography of Maxim Gorky AVli\ Italv Went to War." "Ourselves and Oermanv," "The Kelipso of Russia, "Mexico on the Verge. 1 resident Obregon, a World Reformer "Russia To-dnv and Yesterday" and in April, 1932, "Leaves From Life.