Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-03-01
last Joke of ssArfcmus Ward. =.

Admiral De Rohan. a brother OF the late Adj
mlral Dahlglen, who has had a distinguished
career IN the service OF many nations told me
TINS curious story tie other night:
s. was at Rad1ord'S Hotel. southampton, En-
gland. one night in 1866, when the landlady
came TO me and said: admiral there is an
American up stairs very sick. and AIN afraid
he is going to die. Can't you 90 and see him.
Madam replied here is my supper all hot
and friend to take il with me: can't see ali
the Americans who want to come to South
ampton TO die. Who is he?' 'Oh. SIR she said
ne is a writer, Mr.. Brown; lie is HartemuS
Ward, the comic writer
90 had never known Ward but T went m
stairs, and there found DR.. Kingston. Wards
business agent. Sitting in the room by a WIN
ao o io ana o. ieaang DOCK absently, as if he had
no ldea OF an impending death, was young
man ABOUT sixteen years old. That person.
said kingston to me, is a great fayorite OF
Charley Browns, and am sure he means To
leave his money to him Steps ought to be
taken TO secure the young man in his rights be-
fore poor ArtemuS dies, for he is fast going
- stepped up to the bedside said Admiral
De Rohan, "and there saw the long, thin,
aquiline nose and the remarkably clear blue
eyes OF Artemus Ward for the first time His
face was thin and bleached, and he was mere
string or bones from head TO foot. | leaned
over nm and reached my hand under the cover
and took his hand. Said |: Brown, am one
OF your countrymen, and have come up to see if
can do any thing for you He made move
ment 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 intell-
live. What doctor have YOU here?' | asked
Kingston told me, and l said: THAT Is not the
pest Doctor in southampton; Will send my
Doctor down, and see il any thing can be done
The Doctor came but shook his head in a mo-
ment: He IS past help, said the Doctor; the
pest can do for him is to take care of his
some Sedatiye. that his closing moments NAV
be as easy as possible That sedative was to
be administered at certain intervals, and Dr.
Kingston, being very tired, asked me if would
sit up With Artemus Ward and give him his
dose every two hours or so. | had given him
one or Two doses, and when | came to the third
said: Now, Brown, here is your medicine
which the doctor has left for you. 1t is time to
take it like man There was little catch in
his crescent shaped nose, and without any
tremor or fear, his pair of blue eyes rolled no to
my face and he then made the words with MS
lips, Just audibly: cant you take it for me-
suppose that was the last joke bs ever made
and traces OF a smile accompaniedft
He died some time afterWard. | tele-
graphcd TO Charles Francis Adams, American
Minister, Portland Place, London: .Artemus
WARD, the distinguished American humorIst, is
dying at RadfordS Hotel, Southampton, Eng
land He has ward, aged about sixteen years,
who is to receive his property. Can not you
selo some one Gown TO receive his testament?
WILLIAM De RoHAN.'
"Ineyer got any dispatch whatever. nor any
Mofd or letter IN response TO mine, from that
day to this. Mir. Adams was then writing his
thirty ninth or fortleth letter to Earl Russell
against the exPedlency of recognizing the
southern Confederacy, when he might have
spared all his ink by calling for his passporf
IKE man. '-I'GGth" an Gin. Enquirer.
hIDERLESS HORSE LEADING TO THE DISCovE-
Rf OF A DOUBLE MURDER.-A dispatch from
Iuka, Miss. gives the following account of a
double murder perpetrated near that city Tues
day:-Major A. M. Hutchens. accompanied by
Thomas McNatt, both highly respected citizens
OF this county, left Iuka together in the after
noon to go home. being neighbors. Hutchens
had drawn s1.700 in gold from the express ONCE,
sent by a Cincinnati house to ha uSpd in n,,r
chasing farm Late In the evening McNatu'5
horse reached home r1derleSS, with blood marks
on the saddle. This aroused the suspicious OF
search was instituted which revealed the deal
body OF McNatt, terribly mutated, about two
miles from his home. One hundred yards further
condition. 1t is thought that some parties who
knew Of the gold being at the express office
waylatd and murdered both men in order to Sc
cure the money.