Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-11
WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
Last Moments OF the Distinguished
Statesman-Causes and Particu'
IGrs OF his Death.

NEW York, October 1O.-Hon. VIII
liam II. Seward died at Auburn, New
York, this afternoon, at a quarter past
three o'clock. He took cold at Albany
and had been somewhat unwell for a
day or two. On Saturday he was seized
with a severe chill and his physician was
summoned. He had been passing the
summer in his ordinary good health,
suffering only from the inconvenience of
the contraction Of the muscles of his
arms, and had been engaged in prepar-
! ing for the press an account OF his recent
! Journey around the world. The chill
! was that Of ordinary ague, accompanied
! by harassing cough, followed by fever,
| and delirium lasted until late last night.
! On Sunday he was up in the evening,
| and took his dinner, and passed COM
/ fortably. On Monday, with the eXcep-
| ton ofhis cough and catarrah, he was
comfortable, ami dictated as usual to his
assistants in completion of his book.
He played whist Monday evening, but
at ten o'clock at night slight chill Oc-
CURED, followed by delirium and fever,
with an aggravated catarrah disturbance
in the chest, which lasted nearly all
night, his physicians seeing him on this
account after midnight Tuesday morn
ing, after some sleep, he was again bet
ter and drove out in the afternoon, but
fever delirium and restlessness returned.
Wednesday he drove out two hours and
dictated to his amenuensis as usual,
though harrassed all day with cough
and catarrhal effusion on the chest. /
On Wednesday evening his cough |
abated for awhile and seemed "A promise !
for good night but his fever and cough |
returned.
At bedtime he was nearly sleepless, |
until five o'clock in the morning. At |
four O'clock, to relieve the tedium Of ly- |
ing sleepless, he had his son William !
read the New York Times to him, of |
Wednesday morning. He slept after |
five o'clock pretty well, till eleven /
o'clock this morning, although his fever /
kept up without an inteTmissiOn. At |
halfpast one O'Clock he was seized with /
great difficulty of breathing, caused by /
a sudden catarrhal effusion into the /
lungs. 1t commenced with the |
right lung, and soon involved
the left also, which Occasioned
his death in about two honrs. He en-
tertained no apprehension but that he
should recover from the attack of catar-
rhal ague till last night, but this morn
ing the addition of muscular palsy and
increasing fever, together with the ca
tarrhal disturbance, led the physician to
apprehend fatal results in a week or so,
yet no immediate fear was felt, and dis
solution was sudden and unexpected.
Stewards intellectual faculties We're clear
and vigorous to the last, save when dis
turbed by paroXysms of fever. Just
after an effusion from the lungs to-day,
and thinking itw0uld relieve his breath
ing, he was, at his own request, placed
on a lounge and bOlstered up, and moved
from his adjoining bedroom into his
study, where, in the midst of his books,
and his literary and other papers,
and surrounded by his relatives and a
few friends and all his devoted depend
ents he breathed his last. For the last
hour Of his life Of nature were giving
way his condition became easy, and he
spent his time in leave-taking of friends
and dependents, and finally sunk quiet
ly to his last rest as if going to sleep.