The Columbus journal., 1881-09-21
The Last Hours.

I The dailies of Sunday give full
particulars of the unfavorsble turn
taken by the late presidents troubles
Saturday forenoon he was attacked
5by a chill lasting half an hour and
followed by high fever aud profuse
I 3perspiration. He rallied somewhat
in the afternoon and the pulse fell.
The temperature fell below the ma
3tural degree, and artificial means
were used to keep up the temper
3ature of the extremities. His tenn
4 5perature had never been so low be.
3fore at noon, as it was on Saturday.
! 3Says the Chicago Tribune (from
(which we condense this statement)
! sonly once at any hour has the same
lfgure been reached, and that was on
Sunday, July Sd, when all supposed
! him to be dying.
Eight weeks previously he had
his first rigor or chill. The very
] 3day. before his condition had been
more comfortable than at any time
since he was shot. Suddenly, with
jout warning, the rigor seized him,
the pulse bounded up to 130, the
Temperature went to l04, and respi-
ration 26. The physicians knew the
icause to be pus, confined some
] whe e, and searching ascertained
l that a cavity had been formed below
1.-THE rib. The knife used by DIR.
|Agnew opened the cavity and gave
instant relief. No doubt exists that
the rigor of Saturday morning was
caused by confined pus. Some of
the physicians were of the opinion|
that many small assesses existed in|
the lungs, similar to those that ap-|
|peared in the parotid gland. Since|
leaving Washington the president
had coughed constantly and raised|
the mucus and the pus which gath
|ered in the lung. But for twenty
four hours previous to the rigor of
Saturday he had not coughed sol
much and raised less foreign matter.|
This was regarded as a very unfa-
vorsble indication, and, added to the|
|debilitsted condition of the patient
caused the greatest apprehension of
IA fatal result.
From the Omaha Republican of
yesterday we condense the tele-
grams concerning the last hours. Al
chill on Monday morning lasted
about fifteen minutes. Another
chill at 80, pulse l40, and the
patient growing weaker.
The president died at 10 80. seem
Iingly from sheer exhaustion. "At|
the presidents bedside, holding his|
poor emaciated hand and watching|
with anguish unutterable the fast
vanishing sands of life sat the faith
|ful, devoted wife during the closing
hours of the presidents career.
Around him were other weepingI
friends and the physicians lament
ling their pOwerlessness in the pres
|ence of the dark angel of death. To-
wards the last the mind of the suff-
|erer wandered. He was once more
back at Mentor, amid those scenes
where the happiest hours of his life|
were spent. He sat in the dear old
homestead again, with the loved |
ones around him, his aged mother,
SO fond of her big boy, his faithful
wife and beloved children. 1t was
IA blissful dream that robbed death
of its terrors, and rendered the dy-|
ling man for the moment uncon-
scious of the cruel rending of his
once vigorous frame that was con-
stantly going on. The moan of the
restless ocean mingled with the sobs
of loved ones as the lamp of life|
|fickered and went out forever.
Nearly every one around the presi-
dent clgng to hope to the last, and
refused to believe approach of death
until the shadow deepened and the
|Destroyer's presence could be no
longer unfelt.