Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-17
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. President Garfield's COndi-
 tiOn Still Serious. BETWIxT HOPE AND FEAR. Uncertain Feeling of Members.
 of the Cabinet.
 THE OPINION OF THE SURGEONS Latest Dispatches From the Pres
BETWIxT HOPE AND FEAR.
THE OPINION OF THE SURGEONS
Latest Dispatches From the Pres
 ident's Bedside.
THE PRESIDENT.

III l0onG>S D6uSIu0s
 THE PRESIDENT
 The President,s Struggle for Lffe-scarce-
 ly Voice of Hope to be Heard-The
 Situation One Of the Gravest Concerns
 -Once All Encouragement, Now Only
 Hope-The Latest Bulletins From the
 Sufferers Bedside.
 WASHINGTON, Aug. 16-4:S0 p. m.-Dr. Bliss says the President has more than an 1 even chance for recovery, and that hope should by no means be abandoned. The fol-
 lowing was received here to-day: N | .s f9 LONDON, Aug. 16. 1 To Drummond, British Legation:
 Queen sorry for the Presidents relapse. | Inquiries after him. (Signed)
 PoNsoN, By Osborn. The "dozens', of places where bulletins l were posted about the city this evening were ] scenes of deep interest. stranger passing
 could not but judge that the President was dying. At Pennsylvania avenue and Eff
 teenth street as large crowd collec ted as on the night of the shooting. Scarcely 6 voice of hope could be heard. The @eneral ques- tion was not ''How is he ?" but stHow long do you think he will last ?" His death seems to be accepted as foregone conclusion. A
 
 those nearest to him said: ''I am confident the President will recover" 'sWhat makes you think so ?'' asked one. f'Well 7" contin- ued the speaker, q had 8 ball in me ten ! months, and day two of my ribs were | broken and the ball crossed my back. was reduced from PIP to 11S pounds, but here I am well and sound" Such speeches were
 not what was needed, however The people
 clamored for more official bulletins. They did not seem to con- | sider the impraeticubility of disturbing | the President frequently to get accurate in- | formation. All that could be learned from | the sick room was bulletined by the local press and some extras were issued. The \ feeling at the White House grew little more cheerful as the evening advanced but the gloom could not be hidden. Secretary Blaine | had not arrived at p. nn., but other mem- bers of the Cabinet were in and out during | the evening. The physicians had the same ! news for them that Dr. Bliss had given them | in the afternoon, that there was little change | for the better, that was all. Colonel Rock well was asked at 8:30 p. m. what he thought of the President. "Oh, he is better" was
 the reply. ''How much better Colonel ?'' ssWell, enough to give me considerable en- | couragement. General Swain feels the same way. After the President had gone to sleep and the situation had been generally ! talked over in the Cabinet room, Attorney General MacVeagh came out and was | asked what the feeling was. He said ! "We feel a little better; that is we find ground for slight hope and we are bound to get all the encouragement we can. The situ- ation is one of the gravest concern. No such slight improvement relieves from fear, but get what comfort can from the slight improvement. The same question was asked of Postmaster General James. He said he was feeling better. He considered the situa- ton as grave, and more than grave, but there is hope enough to keep from despondency. Secretary Kirkwood, too,. sees a ray of light I in the fact that the President is no worse to- night. Secretary Windom feels very much depressed; he evidently fears for the mor- row. Secretary Lincoln thinks the situation serious for guesswork he is waiting to see how the night is passed. Acting Seccetary Hit thinks the prospects better tonight than last night. The more favorable temper aturs in the evening bulletin has served to partially reassure Private Secretary Brown He looks more cheerful and exercises the same pleasant manner, but he is cautious of his statements. Where once they were all encouragement now they are expressive only of hope. Assistant Secretary Pruden is very thoughtful. He says he will wait day or l two before expressing an opinion.
 Shortly after 4 o'clock this afternoon At torney General MacVeagh drove up to the White House. Almost immediately after ward came Secretary Hunt and by twenty minutes after four all of the members of the Cabinet were in the Cabinet room with the exception of Secretary Blaine, who had not yet arrived. Little later the State depart ment was represented by Acting Secretary Hill. This circumstance soon became noised abroad and the report was immediately cur rent that the President was dying and that the Cabinet had been called. The facts in \ the case were that the afternoon bulletin had | been issued and Attorney General MacVeagh was greatly impressed with the gravity of the \ tc1A or,l fn1 fhok oE during the afternoon all the Cabinet officers ! get together and ask one of the surgeons to l give them @ plain statement of the Presi- dents prospects. It SO happened that this meeting was the effect of the afternoon clos | ing of the departments. Dr. Bliss sat with | them for about twenty minutes and so inn | pressed them with his belief that the Presi- | dent had yet good chance to recover that | they came out with @ reinsurance which was I evident in their eountenance. MT. MacVeagh, ! who has been the most gloomy of all, today f had smile on his face and assured inquirers | the meeting had no official significance what \ ever. He did not say what might have been significant had not the surgeon placed the | case in so favorable light before them. Dr. 1 Bliss is anything but nervous this afternoon. | He undoubtedly clings to the idea that the | trouble with the Presidents stomach will vet \ be surmounted. The Presidents physicians | don't stand alone in their hope that the crisis | may yet be passed. Dr. Basil Norris, one. of \ the physicians who was temporarily in | attendance in the early days of the case, says 1 that he does not think the case is hopeless. | When asked if he thought the President | could pull through, he said: "He has done so mrch in this direction already that we can hardly doubt anything" During all the late
 hours of the afternoon the feeling Il of depression that had hung lifted, though the cause could not be deter | mined. Reports from the sick room up to 6 D. m. were that the President was holding his own. No details as to irritation of the
 stomach could be learned. The meagreness of information was not looked upon as very assuring. The anxiety of the populace had again turned upon the next expected bulle- ! tin, and before o'clock the usual crowd had begun to gather about the White House gate The opinion continues to prevail that the l worst was not far of. A further decrease of temperature is feared tonight, and this with | continued high pulse will be construed very l unfavorably. There is an earnest hope that
 such will not be the case. People in the street find it hard to shake of the foreboding that he has not gained much ground. Now and | then muttered curse is heard, and if Guiteau should happen to be available he would be torn limb from limb. No definite informa- tion as to when Secretary Blaine will arrive is obtainable. Dr. Hamilton started from Sea
 bright at D. m It is positively asserted that Vice President Arthur has not been sent I for, although he is kept constantly informed of the Presidents condition The rumor
 that the President is afflicted with bed sores is utterly without foundation.
 Dr. Bliss said as he entered the White
 House for the evening examination that up to
 the time he left the patient at 5:30 p. m. he
 was perfectly satisfied with the progress of
 the case today. He spoke of the diff
 culty in the patients stomach as if it was ea-
 sly surmounted; he evidently felt better for
 some cause than he did in the early part of the day, but he did not say how far the
 trouble had been surmounted. ssWe will fight this out if it takes all summer, The said.
 Mir. Garfield took short ride this afternoon
 to take the air. She appeared as calm and
 rssolute as ever before. Before she went out
 she sat for a time by the Presidents side, and
 resumed her position for while on her re- l turn.
 A dispatch from London says: President l Garfeld's condition is exciting the greatest 1 sympathy throughout the city.
 Secretary Browns room was literally packed with correspondents and other caller.
 when the bulletins were brought from the doctors, room this evening. Assistant Sec
 retary Pruden read aloud and left the com 1 pany to comment on it: While copies were