The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1881-07-30
me Presidents Relapse.

operation which was performed on the Presi-
dent we take from Washington dispatches:
The President was taken with severe chill
at O'Clock this morning while the physicians
were examining and dressing his wound. They
detected tremor before the President COM
planned and instantly replaced the bandages.
The President clenched his hands and his face
became white He looked anxiously at the
physicians but said nothing Slight con-
fractions Of the muscles then appeared, and
later on his jaws moved convulsively Pres
entity the muscles softened and he breathed
heavily. The chill seemed to have passed
away, but in less than a minute he was
again Suffering. The same symptoms
appeared as during the first attack.
but remaining longer. After another
interval of relief they appeared for the
third time. The three spasms lasted twelve
minutes. Morphia was then administered and
the President became quiet, but for more than
an hour afterward he was restless. in some
pam, and in constant apprehension of another
emu. IL thus happened that it was 10 o'clock
before the physicians felt justified in removing
the bandages to complete the examination.
Inc result was that the Presidents condition
changed from pulse ninety-two, temperature
ana ato respiration normal, at O'Clock, to pulse
III, temperature l01 and respiration twenty
Tour at 10 O'Clock. This change thoroughly
alarmed the physicians. They had said during
the early days of the Presidents confinement
that his safety depended largely upon the pre-
ventlon OF chill and that in case of chill
there would be little hope for him. OF late,
while not positively declaring him out of
danger, they have given it to be understood
tnat recovery was practically assured The ap-
pearance of chill at this time was, therefore.
wholly unexpected Their first thought was
that the indication pointed to fatal termina-
ton, and dispatches were at once sent to Drs.
Hamilton and Agnew, of New York and Phila-
delphla respectively the consulting physi-
clans, urging their immediate attendance.
This was at O'Clock, when the pulse leaped to
49, 1t subsidized by twenty beats a minute
during the next hour. Between 10 and l, how
ever, fever set in strongly and there was a sec
ond chill at II o'clock. Nothing up to that
time having been heard from the consulting
surgeons, second dispatch was sent to them
and replies We're received early in the after
noon. The pulse took an upward turn and
by O'Clock partial examination showed a
pulse OF l25 and temperature at 104, or five and
half degrees above normal The Temperature
had reached so high point but once before
since the shooting. at this time under an in
creased dose OF morphia, the President fell
asleep. Thereafter during the afternoon he
slept fitfully. The pulse had fallen to 1O6 at
O'Clock, and to 100 shortly before 4.
Doctors Agnew and Hamilton arrived at 7:3O
o'clock this evening. The President was then
sleeping under the influence Of morphia There
was consultation Of the physicians lasting
from until 9, at which it was decided that
nothing could be gained by disturbing the
President tonight, and it would be time enough
in the morning to make an examination to
determine the cause of the stoppage of the flow
of the pus.
To judge from the information furnished in
qulrers at the White House, all through the
night the President had been resting quietly.
but it was subsequently learned that one dis.
tuThin incident his n beeyl lu1rpacca1 fo,-rtL
chill had attacked the President just before
midnight. This, however, soon passed off
without immediate serious consequences, 80
that it was not considered necessary to summon
the sleeping physicians. They all six rose
early, however, and gathered at the White
House. The members of the cabinet were also
N attendance, as in the early days of the injury
and some other friends and privileged individ-
uals, whose faces have grown familiar to the
doorkeepers within the last three weeks All
faces wore a eober and anxious look, and it
needed no great intuition to see that crisis
had come.
The physicians were in consultation for
nearly two hours with closed doors. The cabi-
net officers and those nearest to the President
we're as much in ignorance as to the nature of
fhelr. conference as any one, and anxiety and
lmpatience were written ON their countenances,
Now and then cabinet officer would come out
Of the cabinet room to send message or hold
d short conversation with friend, but none of
them could give more than general and vague
answer to the searching questions addressed to
them by the groups in waiting. Suddenly
Governor Sheldon, OF New Mexico who arrived
here q few days ago, drawn by anxiety for his
intimate personal friend, the President, came
cut OF the private rooms with smiling face
He was hailed as the harbinger of hope. ''What
IS the news?" he was asked He replied that Dr.
AgneW, OF Philadelphia, had succeeded in To-
eating the pus cavity near the course of the
bullet, rather more than two inches below the
skin, and about three inches from the bullet
opening, and had drained out large quantity
OF pus. Moreover, the appearance of this mat
ter did not indicate the presence of blood
poisoning. He said, also, that the patient had
borne the operation with fortitude, and with
out any symptoms OF greatly increased febrile
excitement. No anasthetic was used except
that DR.. A9new moistened the spot where he
made the incision with ether spray. Governor
Sheldon was followed by others who had the
same cheering story to tell, and the little
crowd in the private secretary's room could
hardly keen from cheering. SO sudden and
gratifying had been the cnange Soon came
other friends and attendants with fuller par
ticulars.
1t seems that at the consultation it was de-
cided to make an incision, and while the oper-
stion itself was not one which involved great
surgical dexterity the work was assigned by
courtesy to DR.. Agnsw. The location of thu
pus cavity had been pretty well determined by
the symp toms observed on Saturday ana sun
lay morning. It was the unanimous opinion
If the group OF physicians that the incislon
should be made. Owing to the condition OF
The patient it was thought wise not to admin
lister an anesthetic.
The President was simply told that the oper-
alton would be performed. so that ne might
summon His powers Of endurance. Any one
who has had boil OF an abscess lanced knows
tat ii is not an agreeable sensation. The
President bore The operation with fortitude.
lie evidently felt the pain as his firm set tea-
lures showed, but no niurmur escaped him.
When the lancet reached the pus cavity the re-
liefwas instant, and the President, sinking
back on the pillows, said: "Thank you, doc
tor.' II was then only the work of a few min
ntes to draw off the pus and establish new
vent in working order A Philadelphis dis
patch says:
Dr. Agnew arrived fromW ashington tonight.
His explanation of the Presidents relapse is
entirely different from that given in tho bull
letins sent out from the White House. He
SAYS that upon examination it was found that
an abscess had formed. The bullet had frac-
Iured or splintered rib, and the abscess had
formed about this splinter. This morning he
made an incision and successfully removed the
Gbscess. Since then the President has felt
much better, and he is now i'll as good a con-
iition as he was before the relapse. Unless an
abscess forms near the bullet he thinks that
the patient will gain in strength. He takes