Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-03-20
CHARLES SUMNER.
Account of His Last Illness and Death

Inc Following details OF Jhe last nOurs OF
Senator Sumner are given In the Washington
Associated Press dispatches Of March III
Senator Sumner passed quiet night under
the subcutaneous injection OF morphine. This
Ismorning, at nine o'clock, he was sleeping un-
der the effects Of II, without material change.
Surgeon General Barnes and Drs. johnson and
Lincoln were at that hour In consultation at
the residence OF the Senator.
Yesterday, In the Senate, he had slight at
tack affecting the nerves OF his heart, but
when he returned home he was sufficiently
well TO entertain two friends at dinner, at the
| close of which he made an allusion TO the con-
dition OF his heart, and between nine and ten
o'clock he was taken so sick as to require the
attendance of q physician, and anShour or
thereafter ne had a second attack Of his old
disease, angina pectortS. Several OF his nearest
personal friends were sent for and remained
| with him during the night.
Senator Schurz, on leaving Mr. Summers
room, at 1890 O'Clock to-day, took Mr.. Sum.
ner by the hand and asked "Do you know
| me?" Mr.. Sumner replied, " Yes, but can
| not see you" Once Senator Sumner fell into
an easy slumber, which encouraged soE'e of
his friends to believe that he was somewhat
better, but consultation of his physicians,
held about that hour, did not establish any
reason for such impressions.
At two o'clock this afternoon Mr.. Sumner
was still sleeping, thoughat intervals he would
| awake, at which times he was in great pain.
He was perfectly conscious when awake, and
knew all his friends, occasionally rallying to
the effort of saying few words to them. At
! 2:45 o'clock this afternoon he passed away
calmly and without a struggle.
During the last two hours of Senator Sum-
ner's illness his intellect seemed TO be much
clearer, and he was perfectly conscious to the
last. This condition was doubtless the result
of his recovery from the effects OF the NOR
phne which had been freely administered to
ia rd
last seemed to be intense, and he several times
| exclaimed: 81 want quiet; am tired" He
recognized friends who came into the room.
One of the last to whom he spoke was ex-At-
torney- General Hoar, of Massachusetts,, 10
whom he said: "Take care Of my Civil Rights
BILL"
Around the bed at the time of death we're
| ex-Attorney General Hoar, DR.. w. p. John
son, Of this city; Major Perley Poore, George
I. Downing and James Wormeley Other
friends who had been with the dying Senator
throughout the day had left just previous, not
anticipating that his death would be so soon.
Senator Schurz and the Hon. Montgomery
| Blair entered the room just as he breathed his
last but Mr.. Sumner was then too near disso-
luton to recognize them.
The only relative that Senator Sumner has
| is sister, the wife OF a physician in San
Francisco, and to her the sad news was tele-
| graphed Immediately after his death.
During the day the house was visited by
great number of the members OF both houses
of Congress, other prominent citizens, and
hundreds of colored people, prominent among
whom was Fred Douglass.
The sidewalk In front of Senator Summers
| residence was flied with anxious and saddened
| friends at the time of his death, and when
| the sorrowful announcement was made the
| grief OF many, especially the colored people,
found vent in heartfelt exclamations OF grief
| and weeping.
Senator Summers age at the time Of his
| death was sixty-three years, two months and
| five days. Senator Sumner has been solicitous
for his health for several days past, the earnest
| part he has taken in questions before the Sen
ate having given him reason to pay especial
| regard to 1t, and he remarked last night to a
| friend, some hours before he was attacked
with the serious spasm which in few hours
eliminated in his death, that he wanted to
| talk to him about his health; he was afraid he
was working too hard.
Senator Sumner, at about two o'clock YES
terday afternoon, hIuVeu from lis seal IN the
Senate chamber to one beside Senator Sargent,
and inquired of Mr.. Sargent who, like himself,
had taken prominent part in opposition to
the Centennial bill, whether he had received
any anonymous insulting letters on the sub
ject, adding that he (Sumner) had received
number Of such letters, and packages
Of a more offensive character, both
through the mails and by express. He
seemed considerably annoyed by these insults,
and Mr.. Sargent, therefore, turned the con-
versation to the resolution of the Massachu-
sets Legislature resembling its censure of Mr..
Sumner, and he expressed himself greatly
pleased with this action. An hour or more
atterWard Mr.. Sumner called Senator Ferry
(Conn,) aside TO a seat on a sofa in the Senate
chamber, and talked with him, as he had fire.
quently done before, in regard to their re-
spective states Of i'll health, both resulting
from affections of the spinal cord. He told
Mr.. Ferry that he had suffered so much from
Nf.rl.N NInAl, l.,
for his physician to obtain some relief by an
injection of morphine under the skin. He
asked Mr.. Ferry his opinion of such hypoder-
mic injections, and from time to time COM
planned of severe pain while they were talking.
Finally, little before four O'Clock, Mr.. Sum
ner took his hat and overcoat and went home,
his last words in the Senate chamber having
been uttered in this conversation with Mr..
Ferry.
The apparent yigor manifested by Mr.. Sum-
ner in his recent speeches on the Centennial
bill excited considerable surprise in view of
his long-continued feebleness of health last
year, and many Of his friends expressed their
apprehension that he was OVERRIDING his
strength in those efforts. 1t is regarded as a
remarkable and fortunate coincidence that the
resolution of the Massachusetts Legislature
resembling its vote of censure upon Mr.. Sum-
ner should have been presented and read In
the Senate before he left it on the last day Of
his presence in the chamber as a member of
that body.
Dr. Brown sequard, of New York, Senator
Summers consulting physician, arrived here
this evening He expressed the opinion
tonight that death resulted from the rupture
Of blood-yessel of the heart. After Senator
sumner had paroxysms his body remained
cold and clammy and his pulse very feeble,
and breathing slowly, but with some rattling
in the chest
Soon after death the body of the late SEN
of oh pfr Of Ia
came evident that decomposition had set in.
The work OF embalming the body was com
menced tonight, and upon the success of this
process depends somewhat the time for the
funeral.
About the last words of the deceased sena-
tor were addressed TO Judge E. X. Hoar, and
were; "Tell Emerson / love him and revere
him." This sentence was uttered about ten
minutes before his death, and Just after Ii es-
capped his lips the paroxysm seized him, in
which he appeared to suffer severely, and he
passed away few minutes after.
There is scarcely q member of the Senate
who did not call at the house either before or
after the death of the Senator.
The Massachusetts delegation in Congress
met this evening at the residence of Samuel
Hooper, TO make arrangements for the funeral
OF Senator Sumner, and after consultation 1t
was agreed that they should attend the funeral
as mourners. Judge f. r. Hoar was selected
to present resolutions Of respect 10 the men,
ory of deceased to the House eofRepreseLtatives. OF
Messrs. Dawes, Hooper and Pierce, of the
House, and Senator Boutwell, were appointed
committee on the part Of the delegation TO
act with committee of the Senate In arrang-
ing for the funeral All the members of the
Massachusetts delegation were present at the
meeting except Senator Boutwell,, who Is
indisposed. The feeble health of the Senator
will prevent him from announcing the death
OF his colleague TO the Senate, and that sad
duty will be assigned to Senator Anthony.