The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-10-16
MT. seward,s IIealtl ana Diyerslons..'

MT seYard's Health and Diversions.
FIon thS NIX eun,l i,kARWse
Mr.. teevAFd has not been q wen mar
since he encountered the desperate at.
tempt upon his life OF the hands Of the
aSSassinS Of Mr. Lincoln. On his recov.
cry from that nearly fatal blow hesufer.
ed no serious Inconvenience until In Octo.
Der, 1858. When In Washington, after O
drive In which he became very much
chilled, he observed loss of grasping
power In bis right hand. This was but i
slight sensation at first, hardly perceptI.
Bile except when chilled, but grew upon
him rapidly until the hand became nearly
useless. His pen would frequently drop
from his fingers while writing. He also
found himself unable to button his shirt.
Other similar indications admonished
him that the ailment was growing upon
him. Gradually the trouble spread up
the arm, and finally involved The right
shoulder. Then 1t seized upon the left
hand, arm and shoulder, until both limbs
became virtually powerless. It was not
what Is commonly understood as paraly-
sis, since the sense Of touch remained aud
all the elements OF life except muscular
activity. Hence the ailmcnt was named
muscular paralysis.
This deprivation OF the use of his limbs
continued until his death. or late there
have been some indications Of It's spread
TO his lower limbs, and at times he has
experienced some slight embarrassment in
walking but nothing serious. There has
never been 3 total loss Of power In his
arms 1t was merely a'portion of the
muscles that were affected; US, for in.
stance, he could lit but could not bear
down. He could also draw. HV could
row a boat very well, or at least could
until the past summer. TWAS found, too,
that the exercise Of the muscles improved
their strength and activity, and to this
end DR. Dimon contrived suhdry mechSn.
ical appliances by which 10 move the
arms, and preserve II not increase their
muscular power. These contrivances he
took with him on his journey around the
world, and used them constantly when on
shipboard and at other times when 1t was
possible to do 30, but for ordinary uses
his arms have been powerless for nearly
three years.
His principal amusement was in play.
ing whist. To indulge this passion he
had rack prepared, in which friend or
servant would place his cards after they
had been dealt TO him, and hewould then
indicate which card to play, which would
then be played for him.
The past summer Mr.. Seward has
spent In o secluded manner in cottage
on the shore Of Owasco Lake, six or eight
miles from town, where he occupied his
leisure moments in walking, rowing, fish.
Ing, or trundling wheelbarrow. The
latter diversion was one of the means es.
pecially devised for exercising and
Strengthening tho muscles of his arms
All the while, too, he has been diligently
ut work pushing forward to completion
the history Of his observations on his
memorable tour Of the world. Happily
for the reading public this great work
was completed, aud Its final revision
nearly finished when death so suddenly
overlook him His adOpted daughter and
faithful amanuensis, his companion in his
great journey, and the keeper OF his diary
as well as the sharer of bis observations,
Miss Risley Seward, is fully competent to
perform unaided what little remains to be
done in preparing for publication this last
work Of the great statesman's life.