, 1865-05-26

sat DR.. Stone above him, and directly
opposite the Presidents face, an army
surgeon, to me a stranger; another army
surgeon was standing, frequently holding
the pulse, and another gentleman, not IN
uniform, but whom [ understood to be
also an army surgeon, stood a good deal
of the time leaning over the head-board
of the bed. For several hours the breath
ing above described continued regularly,
and apparently without pain or conscl-
BUSINESS. But about 7 O'Clock a change
occurred, and the breathing, which had
been continuous, was interrupted at inter
walls. These intervals became more fire.
quent and of longer duration, and the
breathing more feeble. Several times
the interval was so long that we thought
him dead, and the surgeon applied his
finger to the pulse, evidently to ascertain
if such was the fact. But it was not till
% minutes past I o'clock il the morn
lug that the flame Aickered out. There
was no apparent suffering, no %conyuIsivc
action, no rafting Of the throat, none OF
the ordinary prcmOnltory symptoms OF
death. Death in this case was a mere
cessation of breathing. The fact had rot
been ascerlained one minute when DR..
Gurlcy offered up a prayer. The few
persons in the room were all profoundly
affected. The Presidents eyes after
death were not, particularly the right one,
entirely closed, | closed them myself
with my fingers, and one Of the surgeons
brought pennies and placed them on the
eyes, and subsequently substituted for
4b,nno oiI,Or half bnllnrc In u I,ArU short
time the law commenced slightly falling,
although the body was still warm. |
called attention to this, and had 1T lmme-
diateIy tied up with a pocket-handker~
chief. The expression Immediately after
death was purely negative, but IN 10
minutes there came over the mouth, the
~nostrils, and the chin a smile that seemed
almost an effort of life. | had never seen
upon the Presidents face an expression
more genial and pleasing. The body
grew cold very gradually, and left the
room before it had entirely stltttned. Cur
tains had been previously drawn down
by the Secretary of War. Immediately
after the decease a meeting was held of
the members of the Cabinet present in
the back parlour, adjacent to the room IN
WHICH, tue 1IfSlutub ulSu3 " III l'CCN-
ing |, of course, was not admitted. About
Is minutes before the decease Mrs. Lin
coin came into the roo3r, and threw her
self upon her dying husbands body. She
was allowed to remain there only Il few
minutes, when she WAS removed in a sob
bling condition, in which, indeed, she had
been during al! the time she was present.
After completing his prayer in the cham
Der Of death DR.. Gurley went into the
front parlour, where Mrs. Lincoln Was,
with Mrs. and Miss Kinney and her son
Robert, General Todd, of Dacotah "a
cousin of hers, and General Farnsworth,
of Illinois. Here another prayer was
offered up. during which I remained in
the hall. The prayer was continually
interrupted by Mrs. Lincoln's sohs. Soon
after its conclusion | went into the par
lour, and found her in a chair, supported
by her son Robert. Presently her car
riage came up, and she was removed to
it. She was in a state of tolerable COM
posure at hat time, until she reached the
door, when, glancing at the theatre oppo-
site, she repeated three or four times
That dreadful house that dreadful
hOuSa Raforo 7 mvSalf left q Guard had