Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-03-19
SENATOR SUMNER,
His Brief Illness and Sudden
Death.

WASHINGTON, March 11.-Senato
Sumner diedat IL quarter to three. III
passed away calmly withouta struggle
During the last two hours of Nj
SumnerS illness his intellect scenes
TO be much clearer, and he was pei
fectly conscious to the last. This con
dition Was doubtless the result of hi
recovery from the effects of morphine
which had been freely administered t.
him this morning, His suife"ings to
ward the last seemed to be intense, ant
lie several times exclaimed, II wan
quiet, 1 am tired" He recognized
friends who came into the room. One
of the last to whom he spoke was AT
torney General Hoar, to whom hC
said. ''Take care Of my civil right:
BILL"
About quarter before three O'Clock
he was attacked by slight spasm, il
which he died. Around his bed at the
! time were eX7AttOrney General H0ar
DR.. W. Z. johnson, of this city, Major
Ben Perley Poore, George L. Down
ing and james WOrnley. Other
| friends who had beer with the dying
Senator throughout the day had left
just previous, not anticipating that
death would be so soon. Senator
Schurz and Hon. Montgomery Blair
entered The roUin just us he breathed
his last, but Mr.. Sumner was then too
near dissolution to recognize them.
The only relative that Senator Sum-
mel has is sister, wife of ii physician
in San Francisco, and to her the sad
news was teiegraphed Immediately af-
ter his death. During the day the
house was visited by Il great number
of members of both Houses of Congress
and other prominent citizens. and nun
dreds of eolored people, prominent
among whom was Fred Douglass. The
sidewalk in front of Mr.. Summers resi-
dence was filled with anxious and sad
dened friends at the time of his death,
and when the SorroWful announcement
was made the grief of many, especially
of colored people, found vent in heart
felt eXclamations of grief and weeping.
Sergeant-at-Arms French of the Senate,
was sent for Immediately, and that Of
fetal, in connection with committee,
will have charge ofthe funeral arrange
mentS, though of course no time has
been fixed therefor. The funeral cere-
monies will take place in the Senate
Chamber.
Mr.. Summers age at the time of his
death was siXty-three years, two
months and five days. Senator Sumner
had been solicitous for his health for
several days past, TIE earnest part he
has taken in questions before the SEN
ate having given bin reason to pay
especial regard to it, and he remarked
last night to a friend some hours before
h.
which in Il few hours culninated in his
death, That he wanted to talk to him
about his health. He was afraid he
was working too hard.
He moved from his seat in the Sem
ale Chamber to one beside Senator
Sargent, and inquired of Sargent, who,
like himself, had taken Il prominent
part in opposition to the Centennial
bill, whether he had received any an
onymous insulting letters on the sub
ject, and adding that he (Sumner) had
received a number Of such letters, and
packages of a more offensive character,
both through the mail and by express.
He seemed considerably annoyed by
these insults, and Sargent therefore
turned the conversation to the resolu-
tions of the Massachusetts Legislature,
its censure OF Sumner, and
he expressed himself greatly pleased
with this action.
An hour or more afterward Mr.. Sum-
ner called Senator Ferry, of Connecti-
cut, aside to seat on the sofa in the
Senate Chamber, and talked with him
as he had done before in regard to their
states of ill-health, both re-
sulting from affection of the spinal
cord. He told Ferry he had suffered
so much from his night previous that
he had sent for his doctor to obtain
some relief by an enjection under the
skin. He asked Ferry's opinion of
such hyperdermie injections, and from
time 20 time complained of severe pain
willie they were talking. Finally, u
little before four O'clock, Mr.. Sumner
took his hat and coat and went home,
his last words in the Senate Chamber
having been uttered in this conversa-
ton with Mr.. Ferry. The apparent
vigor manifested by Mr.. Sumner in his
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 over
doing his strength in these efforts.
1t is regarded as remarkable and
fortunate coincidence, that the resOlu-
ton of the Massachusetts Legislature
resembling its vote of censure upon Mr..
Sumner, should have been presented
and read in the Senate before he left it
on the last of his presence in the Cham
ber as a member of that body.
DR.. Brown-Sequard, of New York,
Senator Summers consulting physician,
arrived here this morning. He ex-
pressed the opinion tonight that death