The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-03-12
DEATH OF SENATOR SUMNER.
Sudden Attack Of His old Dis.
ease.
Particulars of the last Hours OF
the IlluStriOuS Man.
The Effect of His Death upon the
Country.

|
His Last Injunction s'LOOk out for
my Civil Rights Bill"
dead.
Senator Sumner had slight attack, affect
| ing the nerves of the heart, at the Senate yes
terday, but when he returned home was suffi-
GENTLY well to entertain two friends at dinner.
at the close of which he made an allusion to
the condition of his heart.
Between and 10 o'clock he was taken so
sick as to require the attendance of physician
and an hour or more thereafter he had second
attack of his old disease, angina pectoris Sew
eral of his nearest personal friends were sent
for and remained with him during the night.
At one time it was thought that he was dying
as the extremities had become cold.
He passed the latter part of the night quietly
under the simultaneous injection of morphine.
This morning at o'clock he was sleeping I'M
der it's effects without material change Sur
geon Gen. Burns and Drs. johnson and Lin
| Gull were Lueu III CONSTELLATION al Tue reSlu6uC6
| of the Senator
There was number of members of Con-
| gress and other friends n Mr.. Summers room.
Among them was Senator Schnrz, who on
leaving the room at half-past IL o'clock took
| Mr.. Summers hand and asked, do you know
me?" MI. Sumner replied, "Yes, but l can
not see you
$40 p. m.-Senator Sumner died at little
before O'Clock. He passe away calmly and
without struggle.
The Action of the Senate.
In the Senate this morning the chaplain in
prayer said:
"The light of this morning sun falls upon
the busy scenes Of men, but there are my ster
GUS shadows in many dwellings. We miss
those of our members who are withdrawn from
| their seats and are lying PROSTATE with sick
ness and disease, and especially one who but
| yesterday came INTO the chamber with all the
presence of his manly form, but now when We
meet again this morning he lies close to the
| brink OF darkness. 0 God, we beseech Thee.
be very near to the soul of thy servant at this
| time. If it were possible we would pray Thee
to restore him, but if Thou hast otherwise APP
| pointed, then, we beseech Thee to support him
| with the hope of Toy people and with the glO-
rious prospect of the coming resurrection and
a blessed Immortality
Immediately af.er the reading of the journal
Mr.. Sherman of Ohio, arose and said, Zone of
our number lies ill and perhaps dying. there
fore move that the Senate adjourn Agreed
to, and the Senate adjourned.
Senator Sumner, about 2 clock yesterday af-
ternoon, moved from his seat in the Senate
Chamber to one beside Senator Sargent and
| inquired off Sargent, who like himself had TAX
ell prominent part in the opposition to the
centennial bill, whether lie had received any
anonymous insulting letters on the subject add
| ing that he (Sumner) had received a number of
such letters ard packages of most offensive
| character, both through the mail and by eX-
press. He seemed considerably annoyed by
these insults, and Mr.. Sargent therefore turned
the conversation to the resolution of the Mass
achusetts Legislature resembling its censure of
| Mr.. Sumner, and he expressed himself much
pleased with this action.
His Last Hours i'm the Senate Chamber.
An hour or more afterwards Mr.. Sumner call
| ed Senator Ferry of Connecticut aside to seat
on a sofa and talked with him as he had fire.
quenty done before, in regard to their respec-
tive states of health, both resulting from affec-
tions Of the spinal cord. He told Mr. Ferry
that he had Suffered SO much from his heart
VIC uiSho piOflOuS ludb Ut udU Seut IOF HIS pQV-
stefan to obtain some relief by an inj ection of
morphine under the skin. He asked Mr.. Fer
rvs opinion of such hyperdemic injections, and
| from time to time complained of severe pain
while they were talking
Finally, a little before O clock Mr. Sumner
| took his hat and oveIcoat and went home, his
last words in the Senate chamber having been
uttered In the conversation with Mr.. Ferry
The apparent vigor manifested by Mr.. Sum-
ner in his speechas on the centennial bill ex-
cited considerable surprise in view of his long
continued feebleness of health last year, and
many of his friends expressed apprehensions
that he was OVERRIDING his strength In these eff
forts.
1t is regarded as remarkable and fortunate
coincidence that the resolution of the Massa-
chusetts Legislature, resembling its vote of cen.
sure upon Mr.. Sumner, should have been pre-
scented and read in the Senate before he left on
the last day of his presence liz the chamber as a
member of that body.
On information that Mr.. Sumner was dead
being received at the capitol, there was wide
spread feeling of silent as well as orally ex-
pressed regret and sorrow.
His Last Hours.
During the last two hours of Mr.. Summers
illness his intellect seemed to be much clearer
and he was perfectly conscious to the last. This
condison being doubtless the result of his re-
covery from the effects of morphine which had
been freely administered te him this morning
to relieve him from the intense pain which he
suffered.
His sufferings tow1rd the last seemed to be
intense, and several times he exclaimed, Il
want quiet, am tired" He recognized his
| friends who came INTO the room, and one of the
last to whom he spoke was ex-Attorney Gener-
| al Hoar of Massachusetts, to whom he said,
"Take care of my Civil Rights BILL" About a
quarter before o clock he was attacked by a
slight spasm in which he died.
Around the bed at the time were ex-Attorney
General Hoar, DR., w. c. johnson of this city,
Maj. Ben. Perley Poore, Geo. T. Downing and
James Wormley. 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 Schurtz and
Hon. Montgomery Blair, entered the room
just as he breathed his last, but Mr., Sumner
was then too near his end to recognize them.
The only relative that Senator Sumner has is
sister, the wife of a physician in San Farncis-
co, and to her the sad news was telegraphed i'm.
mediately after his death.
During the day the house has been visited by
great number of members of both Houses OF
Congress and other prominent citizens, includ-
ing hundreds of colored people, prominent
among whom were Fred Douglass and the col
ored members of the Honse of Representatives
The sidewalk in front of Mr. Summers resi-
dence was filled 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 EXPLANATIONS of grief and weeping
Sergeant-at- Arms French, of the Senate, was
sent for Immediately and that official, in con-
connection with committee, will have charge
of the funeral arrangements, though, of course
no time has yet been fixed therefor. The fun
eral ceremonies will take place in the Senate
chamber. Mr.. Summers age at the time of his
death was precisely So years, 2 months and 5
days.