Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-06-30
THE LAsr HOURS OF Ex.PREsIDENT

Herald, contains the following account Of the
last hours II ex-Presdent Polk. l.
II is not a fortnight since that saw him
on his lawn directing some men, who were
removing decaying cedars. was struck
with his erect and healthful bearing, and the
active energy oe his manner, which gave
promise Of long lite. His flowing gray locks
alone made him appear beyond the middle
age of life, He seemed in full health. The
next day, being rainy he remained within
and began to arrange his large library; and
the labor Of reaching books from the floor and
placing them on the shelves brought on fati.
que and slight fever, which the next day as
sumed the character Of disease in the form
Of chronic diarrhpa which was with him a
complaint of many years. standing, and rea.
dily induced upon his system by any over
exertion.
For the three first days, his friends felt no
alarm. Bu, the disease battling their skill,
land for sklful physicians Nashville will |
compare with the first cities in the Union,)
DR.. Hay, his brother-in-aw, and family |
physician for 90 years, was sent for from Co.
lumbia. Bn, the skill and experience of this
gentleman, aided by the highest medical tai
ent, proved of no avail. Mr.. Polk continued
gradually to sink from day TO day. The dis
ease was checked upon him four days be-
fore his death, but his constitution was so
weakened, that there did not remain recup-
erative energy enough in the system for
healthy reaction. He sunk away so slowly
and insensibly, that it was eight hours be-
fore he died, after the heavy death respra-
tions commenced He died without strug-
gle, simply ceasing 10 Breathe as when deep
and quiet sleep falls upon weary man,
About half an hour preceding his death,
his venerable mother entered the room, and
kneeling by his bedside, offered up beau
,iful prayer to the "king of kings and lord of
lords" committing the soul of her son 10 his
holy keeping. The scene was strikingly i'm
prcssivc. Major Polk, the Presidents bro
ihcr, was also by his bedside, with other
members of the family.
Upon the coffin was a plain silver plate,
with these words:
J. X. POLK,
Born NOVEMBER, 1875.
DIED JUNE Is, lS49.
The body lies in state to-day. The noble
drawing rooms are shrouded in black and
every window in mourning with black scarfs
of Grape. The tall white columns of the ma
jestic portico facing the south are completely
shrouded in black, giving a solemnly majes
tic and funereal aspect to the Presidential
mansion.
The funeral took place at four O'Clock
this afternoon, masonic ceremonies being
first performed in the drawing room over the
body. He was habited in plain suit of
black, and copy Of the Constitution of the
United States was placed at his feet. Be-
fore taken to the cemetery, the body was
herme,ically soldered within a copper coffin.
From the house the funeral cortege, which
was very large, all places of business being
closed by order of our good whig Mayor, pro-
ceeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church,
where, after services performed by the Rev.
MIR. MFerren, it was conveyed to the GENE.
terry, followed by vast concourse of citizens.
The body was deposited in the Grundy
vault, temporarily; but it will soon be re-
moved to vault on the lawn of the ex.Presi-
DENTAL mansion, where a willow now stands,
and over it will be erected Il stately marble
cenotaph. Mr. Polk, by will, the evening
before his death, gave the lawn to the State,
in perpetuty, for this purpose.
MIR. Polk sent for the Rev. DR.. Edgar, of
the Presbyterian Church. seven days before
his death, desiring to be bap'ised by him.
He said to him impressively
''Sir, if had suspected twenty years ago
that should come to my dea,h-bed unpre-
pared, it would have made me wretched
man; yet am about to die, and have no,
made preparation. l have not even been
bap,ised. Tell me, sir, can there be any
ground for man thus situated to hope %
The Rev. Doctor made known to him the
assurance and promises Of the gospel that
merciiully run parallel with mans life.
Mr.. Polk then remarked, that he had been
prevented from baptism in infancy by some
accidental occurrence, that he mad been sew
eral times strongly inclined TO be bap,ised
during his administration, but that the cares
and perplexities of public life hardly gave
him time for the solemn preparation requi-
site, and so procrastination had ripened into
inac,ion, when it was now almost too late to
act In his conversation with the Rev. cler-
gyman, Mr.. Polk evinced great knowledge
of the Scriptures, which, he sald, he had read
a great deal, and deeply reverenced, as Di-
vine truth in word, he was, theoretically,
Christian.
The conversation fatiguing Mr.. Polk too
much for him to be then baptised, it was
postponed, to take place the next evening
but in the interval the ex-President recol-
iected that when he was governor and lived
here, he used to hold many arguments with