New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-17
Ex-SeCretary Seward.
His Illness and Last N Iona nts-The Cause nj
His Death-Hc Retains His Mental Faeul-
ties TO the Last-ActIon OF the linton
League of New York.

AUBURN, n. Y, October 10.--Mr. Seward
having taken cold and been somewhat ailing
| Tor day or two, was on the evening of Sat
| urday, the 5th inst, seized with severe chill,
| and his physician, Theodore Dimon, was sum-
moned to him. He had been, during the
summer, in his ordinary good heL.,n, suffering
| only from the inconvenience of muscular palsy
OF his arms, and had been engaged in prepar-
ing tor the press his account of his recent
journey around the world. The chill was
| that of the ordinary tertan :, accom-
panied bya harassing catarrh cough. 1t was
followed by fever and delirium, which lasted
till late in the night.
On Sunday he was up in the afternoon,
took dinner, and passed comfortable night
Sunday night Monday, with the exception
of his catarrhal cough, he was comfortable,
and dictated as usual to his assistants in the
completion of his book. He played whist
Monday evenL :, but at II !. {. u Il Oc-
CURED, followed by delirin.n 49, with
an aggravated catarrhal disturh.-.c g the
chest all night, his physician seeing him on
this account after midnight. Tuesday morn
ing, alter some sleep, he was again better,
and drove out in the afternoon, but fever, de-
lirium, and restlessness returned with the
cough Tuesday night. On Wednesday he
drove out for two hours, and dictated to his
amanuensis as usual, though harassed all day
with cough and catarrhal eflusion in the
chest. Wednesday evening his cough abated
for while, and there seemed promise of
good night, but the fever cough, and restless
ness returned at bedtime. lie was nearly
sleepless until O'Clock in the morning. At
4 A. NJ, to relieve the tedium of lying sleep
less, he had his son William read the New
York Times to him. Wednesday morning he
slept after pretty well until l | \. Nj. to-day,
though his fever kept up without any real re-
mission. At l:30 he was seized with great
difficulty of breathing, caused by a sudden
catarrhal effusiOn in the lungs, commencing
with the right lung and soon involving the
left also, which occasioned his death in about
two hours. He entertained no apprehension
but that he should recover from the attack of
catarrhal-ague till last night and this morning.
While at his age, and with condition of
muscular palsy from which he has suffered so
long, the fact that the fever was increasing
upon him, together with the catarrhal distur-
bance, led his physician to apprehend fatal
result in the course of a week, yet no imme
date fear was felt, and his dissolution was
sudden and unexpected.
Mr.. Stewards intellectual faculties were
clear and vigorous to the last, save when
disturbed by the paroxysms of fever. just
after the effusion from the lungs to-day, and
thinking it would relieve his breathing he
was, at his own desire, placed upon lounge
and bolstered up and moved from his adjoin-
ing bedroom into his study, where, in the
midst Of his books and his literary and other
papers, and surrounded by relatives, few
friends, and all his devoted dependents, he
breathed his last. For the last hours of his
life as the powers of nature were giving way
his condition became easy, and he spent the
time in aflectionate leave-takinss of his rela-
tives and dependents, and finally sank quietly
to his last rest as if going to sleep.