Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-12
Mr.. Edison ON the Presidents Conditio


WASH Cor. n. Y Herald
How did your patient spend Sunday" the
Herald correspondent inquired of Dr. Susan Ed
son this morning just before she resumed her
duties at the Presidents bedside.
Pretty well for man as sick as he Is"
What y he thinking himself abcut n:r
All along he has been SO cheerful ard hope
full that you could imagine he felt his recovery q
sure thing. But yesterday he seemed to grow q
little despondent for the first time"
Still ne understands that his case is progress
ing favOrably?"
Yes he knows that. but he was very rest
less all day yesterday and seemed more than
ever conscious Of the struggle he was making
between life and DEATH"
Then he is conscious Of the chaRces?"
Perfectly. He became quite tired out yes
terday, and said to his wife, Il wonder if all this
fight against death is worth the little pinch of
life will get anyway Mrs. Garfield said to
him. Don't talk that way; Of course it is worth
WHILE"
Mrs. Garfield keeps hopefuf?"
'.Iust as cheerful as ever The President
wanted her near him good deal yesterday, and
she remained. We are trying, though. for her
to reserve her strength, for as the President
convalesces he will want her more and more with
him"
Did not an the work of putting up the cool
ing apparatus annoy you Yesterday"
''Ies, it did. frequently. Once we had to have
the work stopped altogether. as the President
grew quite restless and excited about it. At
night after the hypodermic injection had been
again and progressed rapidly. 1t ilrprobahly
be in operation to-day"
''DO you think the wound is healins?"
ut is suppurating nicely. The President can
not see why he is not feeling better when the
wound is getting along SO well; but that. of
course, was expected.
us he getting tired of the bed 80
"Dreadfully SO. Yesterday he seemed sick and
tired OF the whole affair. That exalted sense of
hope which had Overweighed all the suffering at
was canvassing his chances this way or that.
with some misgivings as to the result. Besides
the muscles OF his back are SO sore and painful
that for heavy man it must induce severe pain
and WEAKNESS
lis he anxious to know the purport of the
bulletins IN
CALCULATING HIS CHANCES.
Though the physicians told him Yesterday
alter the consultation how he was progressing.
he ana not seem entirely satisfied and asked to
see the bulletin. procured the early morning
and neon bulletins and read them To him I
told him once before that the bulletins were
anXiOusly looked for outside and he said yester-
day, The people must be sick and tired reading
them What is one life3 What difference does
1t make any way"
''YOu do not like to hear such desnaring re-
marks. do you?-
NO, we do not; but he is suffering so, putting
In day after day in pretty much the same state.
ana we attribute the less hopeful view he is
taking Just to these reasons. He was so full of
encouragement the first days. and had no idea
that the process of recovery would be so tedi-
Gus"
HAS anything been told the President of the
New York gift to his wife,
mo, nothing has been said about it to him at
all. AS for Mrs. Garfield, she is unable to talk
about an unlocked for and magnificent exnres-
SNmnathV ba
much kindness quite OvercOmes her."
HAS the President any intimatiOn of the ex-
element the shooting caused:"
On. yes; he has some idea. He asked me
last week one day what were the people saying
about 1t, and / told him that thought if his
right to know something of the intense excite
ment peryadng all classes of people, and that he
nad the sympathy Of the whole civilized world
told MN that messages from every direction
ana from distinguished people all over the world
were continually arriving, but. said we can
not let YOU see them He answered. Il don't
want to; but do you think the excitement greater
than IN LincOln's time? l told him that |
thought 1t was; that then the end soon came
While now everybody was in agony, suspense
and alarm. But, l continued don't YOU remem-
per your own words then. God reigns &C. Well
1t VIII apply as well now this way, God still
relgns and the President lives | discouraged
any talk from him, and he made no further COM
ment. also told him of the interest shown bv
the entire religious world evnced by the regular
and special services held in his behalf-that
Catholics, PrOtestants and Jews were each unit
ing, and that the event had proved an immense
harnlonIzer OF conflicting elements in MANY
ways"
UNJUST ANNOYING CRITICISM
DO the theories advanced by the physicians
here and elsewhere annoy you. doctor:'
Well, 1t is not very pleasant when one is
straining all their energies at that bedside en,
then read afterward that the Presidents condi-
tiOn IS exaggerated. that his doctors are making
great scare because it is the President and
that II ne were an ordinary citizen such grave
conclusions would not be feared However. we
feel we are doing only our duty, and theories
with no facts to strengthen them give us no
trouble at all. Talking OF the sympathy to the
President yesterday said, 1T don't hardly pay
to find out ones friends at the expense of an
assassination He smiled through bis pain and
said. Not much. l tell yOu'''
You had no visitors in the sick room yester-
day."
NO. indeed. and If the slightest unusual stir
Is made in that wing of the house he notices it
Immediately. Yesterday morning an artist for
an Illustrated paper was sketching the sick
room from one adjoining it, getting views be-
tween the residents maps Col. Rockwell and
MAJOR Swain We're looking over the artists
shoulder. The President waking saw them in
tfat intent position through the open doorway
ana wanted to know what was up. Mrs Gar
held said the gentlemen We're only chatting to-
gether. but he seemed to fear something abOut
him was being talked about. and would not rest
until his wife told him that it was only an artist
sketching his room'
The shock received by the President at the
shooting must have been very severe ?"
Yes; he received a greater nervous shock
than thought it possible man OF his GOODNESS
could He says he distinctly remembers being
carried up stairs at the depot. but does not re-
member the vomiting. His first thought was of
death. He was for some minutes unconscious
though he does not think so.''
We'll, if everything goes along smoothly now.
when do you think he could be removed to cooler
quarters?
Not for several weeks could any question of
removing him be entertained at all. / have re-
ceived letter from man in PENNSYLVANIA ad-
vising me that he has shipped an invalid bed for
the Presidents use. If it is good one it will
De very beneficial to the sufferer These beds
are used chiefly by paralytic or other helpless
lnvahds, and a person can be turned or moved
with no trouble to themselves by simple use of
a crank at the foot of the bed. had already
spoken to Mrs. Garfield how desirable snch q
PED would be If we could succeed in getting a
thoroughly good patent This one viii arrive
to-day, and we will see how it will dO.'
WATERsPOUT last SATURDAY. carried awav a
bridge ON the KeOkuk road. between Leighton
and Pella, Iowa. A heavy wash-out occnrred
nm