Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-08

WASHINGTON, July 7.-Sinee early this
morning the Presidents condition has con-
tlnued to improve all day. His pulse went
up In the heat of tie day as any ones pulse
would. Every official bulletin issued is
more and more encouraging. No excite
ment is noticeable In any quarter Of the
city. No crowd is assembled in front ~ the
White House, and very few people call.
The assurance OF the Presidents improve
ment makes the interest now almost imper-
ceptible. There were very few newspaper
men who were on the lookout for news of
his condition.
The physicians give every encouragement,
and the most sanguine hopes of his final
recovery. Unless something unexpected
takes place there need be no great fear. All
that is now feared is blood poisoning or
secondary hemorrhages. There is no evi
dence that either will appear, though the
time for their development is at hand.
The wonderful nerve and grit of the Presi
dent is enough to command the admiration
of even his worst enemy. He is pluck in
every bone and pound of flesh. He has
never lost his self-possession except when
in the earliest stages of the wound. he
was unconscious. He is cheerful and tries
to make all around him cheerful He has
always been a great conversationalist. This
faculty does not desert him.
Said DIR. Bliss to your correspondent to-
night: "He has the most wonderful store Of
interesting information, the readiest wit,
and the best manner of expressing himself
of any man l ever knew. If l could allow
him to talk as he wants to, nothing would
be more pleasant for me than to sit and lis
ten to him by the hour" But the doctors
have to shut down on conversation. In
this, as in everything else, he obeys them
like child.
Every once and awhile he will inquire
with a smile, which, il it were not so weak,
would be full Of humor: "Can't l talk a
little noW?" He is always anxious about
"Crete" (his wife's name is Lucretia). He
wants her to sleep every night for at least
up on his account. If she shows any sign
of rebelling, he will say that if she don't
90 to sleep he won't. That always has the
effect of sending Mrs. Garfield to her room.
The interest felt in his welfare is being
manifested periodically. Almost everybody
who has any fine old wines or liquors on
hand is sending some of them for use at the
White House. Already enough have ar
rived to last temperate man like Garfield
for life time. Such pleasant evidences
of the peoples sympathy are told him, and
he always looks grateful and very much
pleased. He said to-day to Col. Rockwell,
his nearest friend, that one thing that en-
cOuraged and pleased him especially was the
warm feeling o. sympathy extended TO him
by the South. He had intended, he said, to
make his administration broad aud ma
tional.
This evening there was a cooling and re
freshing shower. This lowered the tenn
perature twenty degrees, and the sultriest
part of the day was made pleasant. The
| change IN the weather over the same hour
yesterday has had very perceptible effect
/ for the better over the condition of the
| patient at a corresponding hour yesterday.
| Better means for cooling the temperature
| of the sick room than that mentioned last
night will be arranged in a few hours.
Every attention that science, skill and IN
limited resources suggest is given the
! patient.
For the first time tonight DR.. Bliss is
| almost confident Of his final recovery. He
saws that the President so improves and
everything is so satisfactory that he thinks
| that, il no accident occurs, he can in few
days saw that the danger is over. Every
thing is of the most hopeful character.
The jaundice appearance of the President,
which was apparent at 1 O'Clock this after
noon, has become more marked at late
hour tonight. He looked yellow, and that
| appearance is extending itself to the eyes
| This is nothing more than was expected
however. All wounds in which the liver /:
touched bring yellowish look. II has been
somewhat late in appearance in the Pres!-
dents case, but that was owing TO his un-
exceptionable improvement. The doctors,
outside of those in attendance, did not be-
lieve that the ball had touched the liver
until the jaundiced appearance set in.
District Attorney Corkhill spent consid-
erable time to day inquiring into the detail:
of Gulteau's arrest. Ticket Agent
Parker, of the Baltimore and Po
tomac depot. police officers Kearney
and Scott, and two or three others
each swore that he was the first to lay
hands on the assassin. Guiteau says Kear
ney was the first to arrest him. Guiteau
denies ssying he was a stalwart immediately
after shooting the President. He says that
he promptly surrendered to Kearney and
said: "I have killed the President. Take me
to jail and don't let them (meaning the
crowd hurt me-" He says that on the way to
the police station he did say to the officer
81 am a stalwart of the stalwarts, and Ar
thur is now President"
Officers Kearney and Scott confirm this
and say it was on the way to police head
quarters that Guiteau made this declaration.
DR. BLISS REVIEW OF THE CASE.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, -2:30 p. M.-The
condition of the President has remained
]
the last official bulletin. The slight Increase
in pulse and temperature since morning is
said BY the att Dding physicians to be only
| natural fluctuations of the fever from morn
ing until noon. The President has eaten
chicken broth to-day and expressed
a strong desire about noon for toast aad
oatmeal with milk. The latter was
given to him as probably the least OBJ
iectionable kind OF solid food, which be
seemed to crave. In conversation this
family physician, DR.. Bliss expressed the
opinion that the Presidents chance Of re-
cOvery was now considerably more thar
even. The danger of peritonitis, he said, was
rapidly passing away, aud, although II
come improbable. Only accidents are now
TO be apprehended, he said, and the ouIy
| ones likely to terminate fatally were secon-
dary hemOrl hage and pyCepisd, or blood pois
oning Secondary hemorrhage might occur
at any time up to the seventh day, but on
account of the course which the ball took
and the place where it is supposed to lie the
danger OF secondary hemOrrhage was not IN
I DIR. Bliss opinion, serious one
Pyou7i;a, or blood poisoning, was the
accident most to be feared, and of thai
there was not yet, he said, the slightest In
dication. An sbscess also might form al
any point along the course OF the ball or al
the extremity of the wound, but with this
he said, they could deal successfully. de
expressed great reliance upon the Presi
dents vigorous constitution, strong vitality
and calm courage. He was, the doctor
said, the very best patient be had seen 10