The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-03-20
MISCELLANY.
Tho Last Hours ofDr. Kane.

We find the following in the New York
Mirror, OF, Saturday evening last:
We have solicited prrmi.Siua to pul.ES!.
the following letter, addressed by Il young
lady of this city, who is passing the winter
at Havana, to her father. 1t contains !:
touching account of the last hours of on,:
whose death is L national loss and wlo>u
memory Is dear to the heart Of stranger, us
well as friends. The letter, although not
intended for the public eye, is beautifully
written, and will be READ with svm!,at.c,ic
interest. The little poem i>a gem:
HAVANA, Feb. II, 1857.
Dear Father Last Wednesday we
were startled by a report that DR.. Kane was
tlcad-thongh we afterwards learned that
he still lived, although speechlcss and mo.
tionlrss from another attack ofparalySis and
apoplcxy together, $50 the doctors said. J.
which rendered his case perfectly hopeless
We were a!l very much surprised, for he
had been out riding on Tuesday morning,
and on Wednesday his brother WAS at the
breakfast table as usual. His poor mother
has watched by him almost constantly un-
til yesterday, when, as YOU will have lcarl
long before his reaches You, her care, as
well as that ofhis brothers and the f.i,h-
tul Morton, was no longer necessary
FEBRUARY 2O.-I LETT this letter unfinish.
ed that might send Won something more
about Doctor Kane, though did not then
dream OF all | hav" to say. The day after
her sons death, Mr.. Kane sent for Mrs.
Almy. She seemed quite composed She
said she knew it would be long brtvrc she
coultl+realizc that Elisha $50 she calls him)
was dead, Tor she was so accustomed to his
long absence, she would be sure TO fn.l
herself expecting his return from some dan
gerous expedition. She felt pcrfcclly Ger
tain that from the time Of his last attack.
though he conld neither speak nor move,
and even his eyes were fixed, tina. he rccoy.
n'zed them all ; that lie evil, n,ly knew bis
brothers voices AMI S he knew bv the cx.
preston of hi, face when she read to him
which were his tavorte Psalm and passancs
ofScripture to the very last she though,
him perfectly concions Of every thing that
was going on around him. Wa, not that
a comfort for the poor, mother9 blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord?'
SO many persons asked to be pcrmittet
to see him, tho Colonel, his brother, at las
consented.s. last evening they placed lin
in o room not far from ours, which was ope,
to whoever chooce to visit it, The coli,
was partly wrapped in the folds oflhc Ancri
can flag; near it was the outer box whicI
was to received it, with the direction. "IIon
Judge Kane :" thus his idoBzed son ,cturl,
for the last time to the Eiher's house
Little did we ever think, dear father, that "
should look upon that face in death. Thos
who have seen linn before said it was yer
natural The features were like those of .tl
portrait in your book, though, of course, yer
fnueh en1sriated.
Alter tea, @e,were talking with some u
dies in the parlor, Frances passed throug
the lalhwith something in her hand, whc
she sigaifsd belonged to me. Would yo
have imagined anything 50 kind foun
it to be note from Mrs. Kane to me, wit
some verses she had copied, with her ow
hand, TO send to ME. | you'd enclose bot
TO yops bntI am afraid they might, by som
possibility ,sbe lost, so Twill copy tic no,
tor YOU here, and also my answer to it for
shodid like TO know if it meets your apprs
baton. fwas fearful it might seem coStr
from py very dread of saying to much bu
this morning Frances tells me ,thatsdea
Mrs. Kane liked it exceedingly which, :ssq
may be sufe, has made me feel very hnPp