The Evening critic., 1881-09-20
GOD REIGNS.


not at all relieved from the danger whicl
may at any moment prove fatal" IL,
had scarcely finished the sentence, which
was n summingup of the conversation, whci
Mr.. Richard, one of the confidential
doorkccpcrs Mt the cottage, put his head II
Mt the east door of the Elbcron reception
room, but with an evident underlying ant
deep excitement, and beckoncd to the doctor
who, accompanied by the reporter, followed
the messenger Once outside the hotel Mr.
Richard said:
The President Seems 10 be sinking
Fast"
All three hastencd toward the lines, and
this, seven minutes after life had departed
was the first whisper of immediate danger
and IL was sent out as bulletin several
minutes before it was known from any
other source At the guard line the three
gentlemen met Capt. ingalls,, in charge OF
the troops, and asked, hastily:
Is IT as bad as reportedY
1t is, am afraid" was the answer. 81
just met my sergeant on duty going to the
camp surgeon for some mustard
This was the first knowledge given of the
fact that new rigor, the third in twenty.
four hours, had set in. At this moment a
gentleman was seen coming down the cot
tagc steps who proved to be Mr.. Warren
Young one of Private Secretary Browns as.
sistants. OF him the reporter asked;
Is the news worse?'
Yes" was the reply, worse. 1t is all
over. He is dead"
The First News.
This was the first news Of the event the
first announcement outside the cottage, and
the first telegraphcd to the country. The
first alarm had been caused some minutes
before. Richard and Atchison, the two
doorkccpcrs, had been relieved of duty n
little after 10 o'clock, and the outer post of
the house had been given over to the soldiers
for the night, as had been customary. The
doors were closed and locked, the
lights turned down, and the surgeons and
all but the nurses had left the place and the
grounds forbidden to every one for the night.
The two doorkecpers had crossed the lawn
and seated themselves on the eastern veran-
da of the Elberon where they could see
the outlines of the houses, the ocean in the
rear. They had only been seated few
minutes when the lights in the house were
turned up, and there was an evident COM
motion. The turning up of the lights at
the White House had for weeks
been a signal to the surgeons. Attendants
and newspaper men, and the two door.
keepers FASTENED rapidly to the cottage,
only to be hastily sent out find all
the doctors who were within
reach, and they delayed only long enough
to hear the words, "The President is sink
ing rapidly"
Official Account of the Death.
At 11:30 p. M, yesterday, Attorney-Gen-
cral MacVcagh assembled all members of
the press together Mt Elberon, and gave the
following official statement of the Prcsi-
dents death:
"At 10 o'clock l tclegnphed to Minister
Lowell. Shortly before that time DR.. Bliss
had seen the President and found him COM
Portable, with his pulse at LOG, and the con-
ditions promising quiet and comfortable
night. DIR. Bliss asked the President if he
felt any uneasiness, discomfort or pain, and
the President answered Not at all Soon
after this the President fell asleep, and then
DIR. Bliss retired to his room across the hall.
Gen. Swain and Col Rockwell, after the re-
tirement of Dr. Bliss, staid with the Presi-
dent. About fifteen minutes after 10 o'clock
the President awakened and told Gen.
Swain that he was suffering great pain,
placing his hand over the region of his
heart. DIR. Bliss was mt once called from his
room across the hall. When he entered he
found the President unconscious without
any pulse, and with the action of the heart
almost indistinguishable. DIR. Bliss said at
once: THE President is dying He then
Immediately directed Gen. Swain to send
for Mrs. Garfield, who was in another part
of the house, and for Drs. Agnew and Hamil.
ton, who were in their apartments at
the Elberon, and for DR.. Boynton. They
all repaired to the Presidents bedside at
once. The President remained in dying
condition until 1895 o'clock, at which time
life was extinct. The President said moth.
ing after his utterance to Gen. Swain. He
died of some trouble with the heart. The
surgeons say the trouble was probably neu
ralgia of the heart, but of course that Isl
rs yet uncertain. at once notified the
Vice-President of the Presidents death.
l also cabled the announcement to
Minister Lowell, rs well as / could. l also
attempted to have the announcement reach
Secretaries Blaine and Lincoln, who were
mt that time on their way hther from Bos
ton. The other members of the Cabinet
were at their respective apartments at the
West End, and were at once summoned
They are here now and we are all together
in consultation. The result of the consul
tatiOl will be given out as soon as it is at an
end. All the relatives and near friends
have been telegraphed the news of the
Presidents DEATH"
The Official Announcement to the
Vice-President and the People,
At 1895 last night the following was
sent to Vice President Arthur;
It becomes our painful duty to inform you|
of the death of President Garfield, and toI
advise you to take the oath of office as
President of the United States without de-
lay. If 1t concurs with your Judgment. wei
will be very glad If you will come hero on
the earliest train tomorrow.
WILLIAM WINDOW,
Secretary of the Treasury.
WILLIAM II. HUNT,
Secretary of the Navy
THOMAS l.. JAMES,
Postmaster General.
WAYNE MACVEAGH,
Attorney General
s. j. KIRKwooD,
Secretary Of the Interior.
The doctors sent out the following notifi.I
cation:
ELBERoN, Nj, Sept 19-l1:3O n. m.-Tbel
PRESIDENT died at lO;35. After the bulletin