Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-04-10
HIS LAST JOKE.
A Story Of the Death Of Artemua
Ward. D.

A naval officer told this story to cor
respondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
II was at Radford's Hotel, Southampton,
England, one night in 1865, when the
landlady came to me and said: Admiral,
there is an American up stairs very sick,
and / am afraid he is going to die. Can't
YOU 90 and see himT Madam re-
piled, here is my supper all hot, and a
friend to take it with me; can't see all
the Americans who want to come to
southampton to die. Who is hep 'Oh,
sir she added, he is writer, Mr..
Browne; he is Hartemus Ward, the
comic writer
"I had never known Ward, but went,
up stairs, and there found Mr.. Kings
ton, Wards business agent. Sitting in
the room by a window, and reading a
book absently, as if he had no idea of an
impending death, was young a man
about sixteen years old. That person.
said Kingston to me, is a great fayorite
of Charley Brownies and l am sure he
means to leave his money to him. Steps
ought to be taken to secure the young
man in his rights before poor Artemus
dies, for he is fast going.
"I stepped up to the bedside" said Ad-
miral De Rohan, land thereI saw the
long, thin, aquiline nose and remarkably
clear blue eyes of Artemus Ward for the
first time His face was thin and
bleached, and he was a mere string of
bones from head to foot. leaned over
him and reached my hand under the
cover and took his hand. Said L:
Browne, am one Of your countryman,
and have come to see if ! can do any
thing for you He made movement
with his lips as if to speak, but could
not articulate; yet that pair Of blue
eyes, without any fear in them, followed
me around ,intelligibly. 1 saw that he
had but few hours to live. What doc
tor have you hereP' 1 asked, Kingston
told me, and said: That is not the best
doctor in Southampton; l will send my
doctor down, and see if anything can be
DONE"
"The doctor came, but shook his head
in moment. He is past help, said the
doctor; the best can do for him is to
take care of his brain, which is still
alive, and 1 will give him some sedative,
that his closing moments may be as easy
as possible That sedative was to be
administered at certain intervals, and
LIZ. 1luSSGOl, UCAuS NOAy bhOu, oohOO
me if would sit up with Artemus Ward
and give him his doses every two hours
or so. 1 had given him one or two doses
and when l came to the third said:
Now, Browne, here is your medicine,
which the doctor has left for you. 1t is
| time to take it like man. There was a
little catch in his crescent shaped nose,
and without any tremor of fear his pair
of blue eyes rolled up to my face, and he
then made the words with his lips, just
audibly: Can't you take it for meT
suppose that was the last joke he ever
made, and traces of a smile accompanied
it.
"He died some time afterward. tel
egraped to Charles Francis Adams,
American Minister, Portland Place,
London: sArtemus Ward, the distin-
guished American humorist, is dying at
Radford's Hotel, Southampton, England.
He has ward, aged about sixteen years,
who is to receive his property. Can you
send some one down to receive his testa-
mentY never got any word or letter
in response"