The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-09-03
THE SICK PRESIDENT.

Will. upon the whole our report ot the con
dition of the president for the past week must
be less gloomy and respondent than II was n
week ago, 1t would he folly to state otherwise
than that his case continues extremely crit.
cal. A brief summary of the week may thus
be gwen;
Friday, Aug. 28.-Early IN the afternoon
the patients pulse ran up 10 1873, and the sur
geOns thought he could hardly survive the
night, but change for the better was soon
discernible. During the evening The picsi'
dents mind was unclouded, and vt midnight
he was resting quietly. There are none who
regard his recovery possible, but one of the
surgeons thinks he will not be likely to cN-
.plre suddenly.
Saturday, Eft Is considered probable by
the surgeons that the presidents death will he
preceded by period extending perhaps over
q dozen hours, during which he will be in n
comatose condition. Weeks ago he thought
aloud
We are such stun as dreams are made Of,
and our little life Is rounded with u sleep,
And his thought is to be, il seems, sustained
by his own experience. Gradually disentang-
ling itself from the wrecked body his spirit
will pass away silently and gradually, 80 thai
those who watch by his bedside will scarcely
be conscious Of its flight.
Sunday. 28.-The president passed the day
with lower and better pulse, al unclouded
mind, and an appetite which appears % have
been fairly maintained. He WAS still helped
with stlmulants, and at night there was slight
increase of fever, which, 1t IL reported, the
physicians expected. They entertain hopes
that the danger from the parOId swelling is
passing away. Grave dangers remain, and
the absolute Improvement, though marked, is
yet slight.
In regard to this favorable change on Sun.
day 1t is related that, on Sunday morning, af.
ter all hope was gone, "Dr. Hamilton fingered
after the morning dressing of the wound and
made the discovery that tho yelks Of egg,
which had formed part of,he encmata for sew.
eral days, had not been assimilatIng thorough.
ly, if at all, ana were poisoning the system.
Without waiting to make known his discovery,
or to consult with any of his associates he
rushed to drug store and purchased n supply
Of powdered charcoal. He Immediately ad
mlnrstered an enema containing large pro.
portion of charcoal. The effect WAS almost
immediate and the incident marked the turn.
ing point in the presidents condition" On
what slender thread
Monday, 29.-The favorable symptoms
which manifested themselves In the Presidents
condition Sunday continued yesterday. His
pulse and temperature showed decided improve
ment, the glandu lar swelling reduced consld.
erably, and the wound presented healthy
appearance. The patient took more than the
k,( utah. a. ..tl
peared to asslmilate without difficulty. The
stomach Is In good condition, and ali the in
dications point to continued improvement
Tuesday, 30-The President has had against
him very hot day. This evening It is cooler
but with promise of another hot day to.mor.
row. The midday bulletin occasioncd some
alarm. The rise in the pulse Is explained MS
resulting tlom the new incislon made this
morning In the parotld gland. This incision
was the deepest that has been made, and the
result Is favorable. Tho swelling IL now re.
duced in size about one half
Wedaesday, 3l.-The marked event at the
white house today was drop in the presi-
dents pulse to 95, the lowest figure reached
since August 3. He partoOk freely of beef
soup and chewed piece of steak. In the at
ternoon he was given oyster soup with broken
crackers, which he greatly relished. He be-
gins TO express disappointment at berg unable
to keep his engagements for September.
Thursday, Sept 1.-The responsibility for |
marked increase IN the pulse and temperature
Of the President is thrown upon the suItry |
weather. The abscess of the parotid gland |
continues to discharge freely, and to diminish |
in size. The patient parlook of chicken cook. |
ed IN milk Its said that the members OF the |
cabinet have several times discussed the feas. |
thtlity ,Afp ALMA n Vtca prna;,tapt A
70 attcnd to executive business until the pres |
ident RECEIVERS, but no one is yet ready TO al. |
wise this step. The question of an early re.
moval Of the president to Long Branch will |
be discussed by the full board of surgeons this
morning Il
But while this is more hopeful than our re-
sumo II week ago, it is to be remembered that
the bullet is still there, ana with this main
source OF irritation present there can be no
satisfactory faith in his recovery Besides, as
the N. y. Herald suggests, "olher troubles are
in store. One of the bulletins refers to the re.
SEPARATION as frequent and otherwise abnormal
We are afraid this indicates the formation of |
pyemic a scess in the lungs which will do
even more harm than the one IN the saroud |
gland. With his wound open, with an lilac
abscess OF underlined dimensions, with pus in
one of the knee joints, with paro,d absccss
and some signs OF disturbance in the lungs, |
we can hardly deem 1t as great encouragement
that man IN the presidents condition yet
responds very slightly to active stimulation.
But If the ball were out perhaps change even
now might have some hopeful significance"
After the display made Of himself by State
Senator Loren B. Sessions at Albany during
the senatorial fight last spring, exhibiting