Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-10-24
WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD.

Death of the Eminent Statesman-The Inst
Sketch.
Hon. William Fl. Seward breathed his
last at his residence in Auburn, N. Y,
at fifteen minutes after five o'clock, IN
the evening of Thursday, Oct. 10. A
telegram furnishes the following par
ticulars of the sad event
"Mr. Seward having taken cold and
been somewhat unwell for a day or two
was, on the evening of Saturday, the
5th, seized with a severe chill, and his
physician was summoned to him. He
had been, during the summer, in his
ordinary coed health, suffering only
from the inconvenience of the muscular
palsy of his arms, and had been engaged
in preparing for the press his account
of his recent journey around b world.
The chill was that of an ordinary ter
tan ague accompanied by a harassing
| fever and delirium, which lasted till
late in the night on Sunday. He was
up in the afternoon, took dinner and
| passed a comfortable night. On Mon
| day, with the exception of his cough
| and catarrh, he was comfortable, and
dictated as usual to his assistants on
| the completion of his book. He played
whist on Monday evening, but at 10 p.
m. a slight chill occurred, followed by
delirium and fever, with aggravated
catarrhal disturbance of the chest,
| which lasted nearly all night, his physi-
clan seeing him on this account after
midnight. On Tuesday morning, after
some sleep, he was again better, and
| drove out in the afternoon, u fever,
delirium, and restlessness returned with
L ---l - T,,oElar ~Irht I'm
Wednesday he drove out for two hours,
and dictated to his amanuensis as usual,
though harassed all day with the cough
and the catarrhal effusion in the chest.
"On Wednesday evening his cough
abated for a while, and there seemed
a promise of a good night, but the fe-
yer, restlessness and cough returned at
bed time. He was nearly sleepless un-
til 5 o'clock in the morning. At 4 a.
M, to relieve the tedium of lying sleep
less, he had his son William read the
| New York Times of Wednesday morn
ing to him. He slept after pretty well
till IL a. M. of to-day, though his fever
kept up without any real remission. At
half-past l he was seized with great diff
Guilty in breathing, caused by a sudden
catarrhal efusion into the lungs, COM
mencing with the right lung, and 20
11VOlfluS CA0 VI dloOj OSSoo1O4Oo
his death in about two hours. He en-
tertained 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
with the condition of muscular palsy,
from which he has suffered so long, the
fact that the fever was increasing upon
him, together with the catarrhal dis
turbance, led his physicians TO appre-
bend a fatal result in the course of a
week or more, yet no immediate fea
was felt, and his dissolution was sudden
and unexpected. Mr.. Stewards intel
lectual faculties were clear and vigorous
to the last, save when disturbed by
paroxysms of fever. just after the eff
fusion from the lungs to day, and think
ing it would relieve his breathing, he
was, at his own desire, placed OF a
lounge and bolsteredup and moved from
his adjoining bedroom into his study,
where, in the midst of his books and
his literary and other papers,, and sur
rounded by his relatives and a few
friends and all his devoted dependents,
he breathed his last. For the last hour
of his life, as the powers of nature were
giving away, his condition became easy
and he spent the time in affectionate
leave takings of relatives and depend
ents, and finally sank quietly to his last
rest, as if going to Sleep"
William H. Seward was born in
Orange county, N. Y, May II, 1901.
His ancestry was Celtic,-Welsh on his
fathers and Irish on his mothers side.
His father was Il wealthy physician, who
died in 1S49. At Is William Henry
entered Union College; at 10, while
| still a student, he visited Georgia, and
taught school there for six months. He
then returned to New York, and was
year he changed his residence to Au-
Judge Miller, and a year later married
his partners daughter, Miss Frances
Alkaline Miller. In 1924, he began the
war upon the "Albany Regency" the
leaders of the Democratic party. In
1928 he presided at a Young Mems
Convention held in New York favoring
the election of John Q. Adams to the
Presidency, and in the same year de-
clined a nomination for Congress. In
1880 he was elected to the State Senate.
In 1888 he visited Europe, publishing a
series of letters in the Albany Evening
Journal. In 1884 he was a candidate
for Governor of New York, and was OPP
posed and defeated by Mr.. Marcy, and
in 1888 was again nominated for the
same office, this time beating his former
opponent. In 1910 he was reelected
Governor, and, upon retiring, in 1912,
resumed the practice of the law.
In 1914 he vigorously supported Hen
ry Clay, and in 1949 Gen. Taylor, for the
Presidency. The Legislature of New
York, chosen in 1S4S, elected Mr.. Sew
ard United States Senator for the term
beginning March 4, 1S49. In 1855 he
was reelected to the Senate. In the
Chicago Convention of 1860 he had
been a candidate for the nomination,
receiving as high as 173 votes. In the
composition of his Cabinet, Mr.. Lincoln
appointed him Secretary of State, and
during the wal controlled our relations
with foreign Governments. Upon the
death of Mr.. Lincoln, in 1865, Mr.. Sew
ard was continued in office by President
johnson, andremained Secretary of Estate
until March 4, 1869, having held the
office continuously for eight years.
Mr.. Seward was an industrious writer.
His official correspondence as Secretary
of State was voluminous. His speeches
were frequent. His unofficial addresses
were numerous. He also wrote a life of
John Quincy Adams, and another of
Dewitt Clinton. After his retirement
from Office he made a voyage around