, 1865-09-03
THE LATE GOV. :BROUGH.
An Account Of His Aff1iction.


|
On the %2Jth Of June the Governor came
to this city to recuPefate. He had then bceI
suffering a week or mono from foot and
hand made sore in tho manner detailed BY
Surgeon Barr to the Secretary Of Var. We
reproduce the diagnosis Of the Surgeon, writ,
ITO Be brtef, in the first p1aco he had been
much broken down BY over labor and anxiety
since tho death Of President Lincoln. About
five or slr weeks since, he slightly injured his
ing-an injury which he supposed to be sim.
ply d brulse or spratn Of the foot, md to rest
that foot, walked about for week after, lean
ing heavily On cane, which produced the
sumo condition In his LETT hand.
Violent Inflammation of the perfosteum and
entire cellular structure of both hand and
fcot followed, with phagadeuic: sloughing and
gangrene Of the soft structure, which was
followed with much irTftatfve fever and deter
um death Of some Of the bones OF the toes,
and also frequent hem0rrhages from stoughing
OF small arteries and enormous absoesses in
different parts of the limbs and body. He
was at his home in Cleveland at the time Of
tho most violent onset Of the attack. Not
apprehendDs 20 serious matter, had, three
days before he telegraphed me to see him,
advised him TO go home and rest and nurse
the sores. Immedtataly. On seeing him the
physician, I advised free, deep, and numerous
| fnc1slons In his hand and foot. Theseeage him
great relief but, owing to the condition Of
his system and the Eirnltncy Of the attack,
much sloughing and frequent .hcnorrhages fol-
lowed: and, as I suppose, BY absorption,
from great prostitution or poverty Of blood,
followed these terrible abscesses.
| Surgeon BarTss treatment was approved by
Surgeon General Barnes at Washington, but
] such Was the Bec1etary's interest IN the Gov
| ernor, he requested Surgeon Barnes TO detail
yer Hospital, Washington-thol largest hospt-'
tai In the count1y-and man OF rare profess
sionnl attaiumcnts and great experience in the
| class Of diseases under which the Governor
was 1sborng, TO proceed to this city for the
| purpose Of consultation. Surgeon Jntson ac-
gust, and has devoted himself with great
ability and fidelity to the case in hand. Gen.
Barr welcomed most cordially the assistance
of Surgeon Judsou. and these Lro, n conjunc-
ton WITH tho Iamily physIclans Of the Coy
men Of this city, haye been almost literally
slecplesa In their attentions They hare
fought the unalady inch by inch, and hare sew
eral times thought themselves the victora,
only to be Disappointed, BY seeing the subtle
disease take a. Pfotcan turn and plunge the
patient into fearful relapse. The original
disease IVES spontaneous cellu1ftts locally de-
yelopcd in the hand and foot from slight
injury, followed by r" gnngTene in the
wounds cnuEed a. BY 1ncisfons ID the
foot, carbuncles and numerous absccsses.
cuts Of The hand. It had entirely healed |
before death- The s1oughing process
would be arrested for G. few days, when the |
process Of granulation md snppuration would
seem fairly to commence. But soon he would |
be seized BY terrible congestive chills, IN sev-
Then dark spots indicating gansgrene would |
renppear, calling for fresh fncisions, and caus-
Ing the surgeons TO despair. The Governor
had been almost literally cut to pieces.
Eight regular surgical operations have been
Performed on him, besides tho opening Of
three carbuncles, and no less than twenty 1--WE
abscesses; which discharged, each one, from
two table spoonfuls to pint Of matter. But
the gangrenous ulcers ba1lied tho skill OF the
surgeons, although the entire portion Of the
fool, from the outside Of the anele Joint to the
center Of the sole had been laid bare, the knife
freely used, md the whole literally canterized
with nitric acid. The Governor has been
great sufferer, but has borne these terrible op-
crations with great heroism. For the most
part he refused to take chloroform, telling the
me, and then cut,h watching the operation
The appetite Of the Governor long since
fhi1ed in great part, and be has been kept
upon stimuiants. He was Of course greatly
reduced in flesh, his extremities being dread
|
claws. For some time he has been irratioual
from the effects Of the disease, but with occa-
aional lucid Intervals, In which his intellect
shone out with all its accustomed clea1ness,
and in which he gave his attention to the
ties oi bis office. IL held many Conversations
with Surgeon Barr In reference 10 the possible
fatal Issue Of the disease, and talked with
great ca1mncss and solemnity about the rcali-
ties of death and the future. After several
about nine O'Clock Monday evening, and Was
clothed IN his right mind for several hours.
Until midnight he converscd with his family |
and physiclans-a pleasant, refrestiugg, pre-
cious conversation to all colcc1ne1-a report
Of which Is given elsewhere No one can
of those brief hours will have for all time In
Lhe minds Of the bereaved family. Soon the
clouds gathered around that strong intellect,
md the lights were shut in by the thick va
Pors Of fast approaching death. he continued
> aclocs, Nv Ehen % tie great soul Of the % patsios
Ind Statesman, John Brough, WIS borne from
he suderings and sorrows Of the earthly Life
% the rewards and glories Of an immortal ex-
5tencc-
TIE CLOSING SCENE
The closing scene in the life Of Governor
Ire lnll Of Interest and pathos. On Monday
evening at about nine o'clock, the Governor
awakened from the inscnsibInty In which he
had lain for some days, and at the request Of
1is family, who gathered around bis bedside,
Surgeon General Barr informed him that ali
which human skill could do for him had been
attempted, and In vain, and that now he was
n the bands of Almighty God. He could not
i've forty-efght hou1s. The Governor WIS
,reatly shocked at this announcement, and, I
10 repeat what he had said. General Barr
again stated that he had not forty-eight hours
10 live. The Governor then requested thnt Ill
.Icept his fami1y and General Barr should J
eave the room- After this had been done, he
calmly and nationally with biz fam
, Turning to Gen. Burr, and apparently nd
s.ressing Els remarks particularly to him, the
Governor proceeded to speak Of his religious $
views md hopes. He said, In substance, that ,
be was no theo1ogian, and had never made
my profession Of religion. He had, however,
always endeayored to live honestly and up
rightly In his relations with his fellow men,
and he hoped and believed that he had so ! Z
done. Ue confessed that he had sinned great
ly, although he denounced as false the eiander-
ous rumors Of his drunkenness and ucentious-
ness which had been circulated. But, though
he acknowledged that he had been great sin ,
ney in the sight Of Goa., ne stated that every
act Of his IN dtscsnargine his duty as Governor
had been performed with the stllctest conscl-
and with prayerful regard to his |
I'll not only to the country, but
tn Tod. He also stated that be had never
eons q to bed at night for w twenty years M
without first v,.,. ~
giyeness and protection. ana ,n,e
diea penitcntly, acknowledging his ains and
trusting in Christ for pardon, Al he s1nEa ~.
the Governor raised his eyes, and. as thnnchP +
death lent 8npeTnal keeuncss to them. 81.
claimed that he saw the Mediator standing On
ae right hand Of the Father making intefces.
sion for bis sins. He concluded with the en-
p4atic declaration, several times repeated: !
= dse happily and 0torsonsiv." The scene was >
Governor put bis arms around the neck Of c
Ten Barr, and with deep emotion thanked 9
i'm for his care and attention, expressing 4
'erfect satisfaction with bis medical treat
aent, He then took his farewell Of his fam ,
y. Abont midnight he rclapsed into insen- y
kbllity, which continued without Internis- o
lon until his death. j
Such we're the last hours In the life of John =
rough. Il
Iccidcnt on the Michigan Southern
Railroad. n,
From The Goehen Qnd.) Times. 31st MIL -
Another Of those terrible raflroai1 smash =. =.
ps occurred about one mile east Of this place ~
. the Air Line road, about liz O'Clock on lie
[ondny night last. PrpvidentiaIly, no lives | rs
ere lost, and comparatively but little damage m
one. AL the circumstances, however, 70 10 ta
low that d much greater calamity was in -
:nded by robbers and murderers- At ten
clock and some minutes {p. ny there Is ht
'gular freight over this road eastward bound. th
t IL O'Clock and some minutes the express m
assenger trim IS due here from the east,
be regular freight train Ind passed east and 81
7erything was In good condition for the ex-
ress train but between the hours Of the reg Y