American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-07-16
THE WOUNDED PRESIDENT.
A Compilation of Recent Washington Dis
patches.

A Compilation of Recent Washington Dis
patches.
WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY.
In conversation with DIR. Boynton, the
Presidents family physician, DIR. Bliss eX-
pressed an opinion that the Presidents
chances of recovery were favorable. The
danger of peritontis, he said, was rapidly
passing away, and, although il might still
occur, its occurrence had become improba-
BILE. The only accidents now to be apprc-
hended he said;- and the only ones likely to
terminate fatally were secondary hemorrhaSe
and pyemia, or blood poisoning. Secondary
hemorrhage might occur at any time up to
the seventh day. Pyamia, or blood-poison-
ing, was the accident most TO be feared, and
of that there was not yet, he said, the slight
est indication. An ab>cess also might form
at any point along the course of the ball, or
at the extremity of the wound, but with this
he said they could deal successfully. He eX-
pressed great reliance upon the Presidents
vigorous constitu' ion, strong vitality, and
calm courage. He was, the Doctor said, the
very best patient he had seen in the course
of his surg cal practice.
With regard TO the supposed course Of the
ball and its present location, Dr.:Bliss said
that while they had not thought it prudent
II.
diataly after the infiiction Of the injury or
since that time, he did, on Saturday, intro
duce Nelaton probe into the wound very
gently, and traced the course of the ball
about three and a half inches. So far as he
could judge, it had entered the back above
the right hip and taken nearly horizontal
course forward through the body, striking
and slightly fracturfng a rib, and being then
DETECTED a RIGHT
the liver. Whether the ball Remained in
that organ or passed through it and lodged
in the anterior wall of the abdomen, he was
unable to say, but he hoped that the latter
would prove to be the case. He said he re-
garded the wound, in surgical sense, a
very fortunate one, since the slight deflec-
ton Of the ball to the right had carried it
away from the region where it would have
been likely to prove fatal in few hours, and
into region where il left chance Of res
covery. - sfts =
Speaking of the pain in the Presidents
feet, DIR. Bliss said that it was probably due
to the laceration of one of the sympathetic
gangla. The motor and sensory nerves Of
the leg had not, he said, been injured. In
conclusion, DIR. Bliss expressed his opinion
that, while the President was still in serious
danger, every day was carrying him past the
critical points, one after another, and he had
strong hope he would recover.
Surgeon General Barnes said: "There are
many dangers ahead, and we can not tell
yet what one he will escape. There have
been many recoyeries from gunshot wounds
through the liver, but the authorities all
show that the average time when the pa
tients were considered out of danger was
thirtyione days. do not think the Presi-
dent will be out of danger until he has
passed the thirty-first day, and then it may
ie.along time before he can be considered
-convalescent: If he passes the thirty first
day 1 shall consider his recovery certain, but,
until that period is passed, he is III a crit
zeal condition, and is subject to the dangers
Of the varying phases of his case. AT pres
ent the most have to do is to let well
enough alone, and not attempt to interfere
with nature, which is working itself in our
favor What he needs is perfect rest and
as little medical or surgical treatment as
possible"
IN THE SICK CHAMBER.
No visitors to the sick chamber are allowed
outside the doctors and nurses, with the ex-
oeption of Mrs. Garfield. She, poor lady,
would never leave the bedside of her dear
husband, il. she had her own way; but her
own health needs careful watching, and her
visits arbitrarily restricted by the doe
tors. When She appears by the Presidents
couch he at once lights up, rs il by instinct,
and the desire to talk is strong upon him,
but is speedily checked by the doctors, who
find in Mrs. Garfield a most trustworthy and
constant assistant in the "discipline" of the
sick chamber.
TIE ASSASSIN.
District Attorney Corkhjl says that no
action will be taken regarding Guiteau's
case till the result of the Presidents wound
is finally determined. Referring to the pa
pers taken from GuitealI, Col. C6rkhill is re-
ported in the Star of this evening to have
said: ''Ihese papers are not so very impor-
tant. The only very important thing we have
is a. full, detailed history of the crime, from
its inception TO its elimination, which / be-
lieve is accurately correct. That, in due
time, will be given to the public. The
statement to which l refer is a detailed
statement of the crime, why it was done,
when 1t was done, and just how it was done,
given to me by the prisoner himself. After
L had told him certain facts had obtained
then got from himwhat 1 believe to be true
statement. He was so solicitous about its
being correct that he even sent the messen-
ger to me to return to the jail, as he wanted
his memory. lie was afraid l would learn it
somewhere else, and think he had concealed
something from me-. -
CONFLICTING STATEMENTS.
A somewhat interesting contest is going
on among those who claim to have seen the
shooting. The District Attorney has taken
the statements of some twelve or fifteen
persons who profess to have been eye-wit-
nesses. These statements are full Of singu-
lar contradictions. There is every probable
ity that it will appear hereafter that Secre-
tary Blaine entered the depot in advance of
the President and not arm in arm with the
latter, as has been generally stated.
MERE MENTION.
Large packages containing fine wines and
liquors are received every day. Everybody
who has some very old wine, whisky, or
brandy is sending it TO the White House
'tfor the use of the President" Some port
Wine fifty years old arrived this morning.
Experiments for lowering the tempera-
ture of the Presidents room are still being
tried. Prof. Dorsey, mining engineer, is at
work at the Navy Yard preparing apparatus
for COMPRISING cold air on the principle
that the tempe nature of mines is cooled, Ii
other things fail it is intended to try this.
- New Hampshire has new law tax
ing church property when it exceeds
$4,000 in value. The Congreg ationaI
Church of Manchester refused to paw,
on the ground that the act was uncon-
stitutional; but the Supreme Court has
decided that, under the Constitution of
that State, it is competent for the Leg
islature to treat church property like
any other in the matter of taxation, and
that the fact of long exemption does
not affect the question.