New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-12-12
Horace Greeley.
Account of His Sickness and Dent,

He, SO far as any of his associates knew
was IN almost as good health as usual wher
on the day after election he wrote card an
nouhclng his resumption Of the editoria
charge ofthe Tribune. His sleeplessness was
known to have become greatly worse, but fol
years he had suffered more or less from The
same difficulty, and, as is now clear, sufficient
| allowance had not been made for the intense
strain upon him throughout the summer, espe.
| clally during the last month of his wife's i'll.
| ness but it soon became evident that his
strength was unequal to the hard task to
which he set himself. He wrote only three
or four careful articles. no one of them more
than half column in length. The most
| notable, perhaps, was that entitled ''Conclu.
sions, wherein he summed up his views oil
the canvass. In all he wrote less than three
and half columns, after his return. contrib.
utlng to only four issues of the paper. Two
or three times he handed his assistant short
articles, saying, 'There is an idea worth
using, but haven't felt able to work it out.
Probably you had better put it in shape
at last, on Tuesday, the 18th instant, he
abandoned all efforts to visit the Office regu-
iarly and Sent for the family physician of A.
>. johnson, friend with whom he was a
guest and in whose house his wife had died,
Every effort was made to induce sleep, but
he grew steadily worse until it became evil
dent that his case was critical. DR.. George
Us. Choate and Others were called in con-
sultation, and finally it was decided to take
him to DIR. Choate's residence, two or three
miles distant from Mr.. Greeley's own country
home at Chappaqua. Here he received un-
re hitting attention, and here DR.. Brown and
others were called in consultation, The in
sannia had developed into Inflammation of
the brain. The venerated patient rapidly
sank; at times he was delirious, at other
times as clear-headed as ever. He lost flesh
and strength with startling rapidly, and in
a few days the possibility of his speedy death
forced itself into unwilling recognition. 1t
was not, however, until Thursday last that
his associates and family brought themselves
to admit it, and even then they still chung to
faith in the vigor of his constitution. On
Wednesday night he failed very rapidly.
Thursday afternoon and evening he seemed
somewhat easier. During the night he slept
very uneasily, muttering occasionally and
frequently raising his right hand. Toward
morning he was more quiet, and between s
and 9 O'Clock fell into nearly unconscious
condition, which continued with some inter-
walls through the day. He made occasional
explanations, but many of them, in conse-
quence OF his extreme weakness and appa-
rent inability to finish what he begun, were
unlntelligible. About noon, however, he
said quite distinctly, and with some force, 81
Know that my Redeemer liveth." During
the day he recognized various people-his
daughter many times, the members of his
household at Chappaqua, John r. Stuart, and
Mr.: Reade; on the whole he suffered little,
and seemed to have no more than the ordi-
nary restlessness which accompanies the last
stage of disease. During the day his ex-
tremities were cold, and there was no pulse
at the wrist. The action of the heart was
very intermittent and was constantly dimin-
ishing in force. He had not asked for water,
nor been willing to drink it since his stay at
DIR. Choate's, but during Friday he asked for
it frequently. Up to within half an hour of
the end he manifested in various ways his
consciousness of what was going on around
him, and even answered in monosyllables
and intelligcntly questions addressed to him.
About half-past he said very distinctly, "It
is done ;" and beyond the briefest answers
to questions, this was his last utterance,
His younger daughter, Miss Gabrielle, was
with him through Thursday evening.
Throughout Friday, the elder daughter.
Miss Ida, was in constant attendance, as
she had been during the hours of his illness
and of Mrs. Greeley's before him. Other
members of his Chappaqua household were
present, with Mr.. and Mrs. John r. Stuart
science or affection could suggest was want
ing to ease his last hours. The wintry night
had fairly set in, when the inevitable hour
came. Without, sleighs were running TO and
fro, bearing to Chappaqua, the nearest tele-
graph station, the latest bulletins, which
thousands of anxious hearts in the great city
near by kept demanding. Within, the daugh-
tiers and a few others stood near the diving
man, who remained conscious and seemingly
rational and free from pain, though too weak
to speak. In the adjoining room sat one or
two warm friends, and the attending physi-
clan. At ten minutes before seven O'Clock
the watchers drew back in revcrent stiffness
from the bedside. The great editor was gone
in peace, after so many struggles, in honor
after so much obloGuy.