, 1881-07-24
THE PANIC.

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 23-" 1t has been
the worst day since he was wountted,' said
DR.. Reyburn to-day at noon, aud there WIS
palor in his voice as he said it. " The sit1l;l-
ton Is Il grave one,'' he added. 1.-THE may
be a serious complication. We have sent for
Drs. Agnew and Hamilton, and we hone that
all will be we'll" But the language was the
language Of hope, and not That Of confident
expectation. Tie change in the symptoms
had been sudden, and it was rs alarming rs
1t was sudden, The officials at tile
White House lad not been informed Of
the gravity Of the situation. The bulletin OF
Private Secretary Brown, for instance, which
was semi t. the Cabinet at 5 4. Ill, spoke Ut Il
fever which had subsidized last night between
and TO- due to DE-.
LOCAL AND TEMPORARY CAUSES,
rather than 10 any generally unfaVorable
change in the Presidents condition, and saih:
''iIe is as well now as at the same hour yes
tertlay morning, and this, taken in consider
alton with the fact that he did not sleep SO
well Us in the previous tight, seems to lndl-
cate a gain III his favor The attending
surgeons had not informed Private
Secretary Brown. at half-uast O'Clock. that
there had been Il chill. which the attending
surgeons in their bulletin issued later, at III
O'Clock, characterized rs "a slight rlgor,'
but which is now known to have been
severe anu strongly marked chill. 1t was
chill, unannouncea, unexpected. that was OF
the character OF tie chills which at this
period in gunshot wound which often
prtccde the setting in of
THE DREADED PY-EMIA.
the fatal bIood-poisoning. The public was
not informed Of this, and for two hours,
until 10 O'Clock, We're at peace. The attend-
ing surgeons lad thought it wise to wait be-
fore they issued MI official bulletin. until
they could ascertain the character of the dis
charge. and they were obliged to postpone
the dressing Of the wound because, ut the
usual time for tilat ceremony. the President
was in convulsinns with the - slight rlgnr.'
What it meant they did not know. What it
might mean they knew. 1'hat it did not
mean what they feared they could only fer
yentIy ilope, and, pending that period OF
doubt and
TERRIBLE ALARM,
it seems to have been dtenctt wise to keep
even the Presidential household in Ignorance
of the very alarming condition OF the Presi-
dent in the early morning, but, at 10 o'clock,
bulletin wis Issued Which showed that
from O'Clock this morning the pulse had
increased from g. to ITO, the temperature
from 9s.4 to 10l, and the respiration from II
to ~.
THE MANY SKILLED MEN
who read that bulletin knew what it meant
The popular mind in Washington has be-
come educated to the current and expected
symptoms in the Presidents case, and.
with shiver. there came inyo1un-
tarily to the lips Of almost the
whole town the word: @Py:emfa-
blood poisoning" It was three weeks al
most to (. moment from the time OF the shot,
and it was the time when the blood-pnlso1-
ing, if it was to come mt all. might be ex-
pccted. The people had not been prepared
for ii. The bulletins Of the ast two weeks,
which had contained such constantly reas-
suring signs Of continued progress, had lll-
duced US all to think that the President was
4'our OF DASGEr."-
that he was - convalescing," THAT he was
IS going to pull through,"-t that he was
"out of the woods, "-and that it
j" was question. at most, Of
a few weeks,'' and Of Il IS certainly returning
yitality,' when the President wolld be per-
mit,ed to take his greatly-desired trip upon
the Tallapoosa, and look once more upon the
people and the world that he loves SO we'll.
So Washington was stricken down with
sorrow only less intense than that which
seized it when tile awful shot was fired three
weeks before.
ANXIOUS CROWDS
gathered at the buIietin-boards: eager, ear
nest people assembled at the gates of the
White House grounds to question tile police
and tile sentry to know the truth, and their
i,ftst tilI
they heard the President was very much
worse. Mounted messengers were hastily
dispatched to the different Cabinet officers,
to inform them OF the alarming chauge III The
conditions, aud the carriages Of the Cabinet,
onc after another, were speedily driven to
the White House, as they were three weeks
before. to learn the news which the crowds
about the grounds. the bullciin-boards. the
telegrauIi-ottices, were convinced was to be
the fatal sequel Of
THE TRAGEDY OF JULY 2.
The oppressive heat of 4 summers day hung
over Washington, but it mattcTed not to the
anxious crowds. The news WAS unfavora-
bic, and the waiting people realized, once
more, as they did through the first terrible
fearful odds They pressed against the
white walls where the suffering President
lay. AND they were right.
THERE WAS 4 CRISIS,
more serious than the surgeons had told
serious than the surgeons
knew,-so serious that they dared not think
what the truth might be. Men who had
been hopeful shook their heads. The
brave Mrs. Garfield, whose splendid cour-
age has sustained her through this terrible
ordeal, was reported 10 be quite cast down. !
Bluff, hearty. hopeful Iaj. Swim, the Pres |
itent's constant attendant, was as Solemn rs
the grave. Col. Corbit, a not less faithful |
nurse, said: 1.-The surgeons tell Us that there
is stoppase Of the wound. Tliatfs our only |
hope" Tue great spaces about the White |
l1uust were once more heavy with gloom. |
Hope, that had been nursed 50 long, seemed |
once more to have fled.
SOON TIE MEMS CAME OFT
hat the attending SURGEONS had te!egraphed |
Tor the consulting surgeons, Drs. :Agncw and |
Hamilton, and that they We're coming with !
lie utmost possible speed on Il Special train.
fhen the crowd became convinced that all |
was over, for they said: "Tfese Washing !
on sUrgtU1lS who have so much at stake |