The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-07-16

| While the big city dailies are loaded with
from four to six columns a day of specials
from Washlngton-very largely made up of
linconsequential twattle and sentimental swash
in regard 10 the sick President, 1t will abun.
dainty satisfy the mass Of our readers, we are
quite sure, to know that all the advices during
the week have been Of like tenor reporting
from day to dag slow, steady improvement.
The wound, which week ago showed signs
Of beginning to heal, has continued without
interruption to make the most encouraging
progress in the same direction, while the pa
tents respiration, temperature and febrlle
symptoms have all been such as to indicate the
worst dangers past and 10 give assurance Of
certain if not speedy recovery. Wecopy from
yesterdays specials Of the Chicago Times the
following resume Of the situation up to =
O'Clock yesterday morning:
There IS an important sense in which no
news is good news The fact that there Is no
special change in the presidents condition is
itself gratifying indication that all Is going
well. While there Is an absence of marked
change, there is steady movement III the
right direction that is most reassurlng, and
affords cumulative presumption that recovery
is to be the result. On yesterday morning the
presidents pulse was only a fraction above 90
and, in spite of tho regular increment toward
the latter part OF the day, it was only 81 at
O'Clock, and % in the evening. The bulletin
of the attending physicians states that the pa
tents fever was mider and less troublesome
on yesterday afternoon than at the correspond.
ing time on any previous day. The fact that
the abatement of the fever and the reduction
OF the temperature, pulse and respiration have
been so constant Is a better ground for hope
than mere rapid movement would have been.
A sudden amendment would have excited the
fear that 1t was but a spasmOdic movement
from which there was likely at any moment
10 be u relapse proportiOnately severe. But
this constant improvement though slow, is &C.
casioninE hope, that can almost he called an
expectation, not only on the part of the gener-
al public, but on that OF the surgeons who
have charge of the case, that 1t Is to continue
till complete recovery. The nourishment
taken by the president Is slightly increased
from day to day. When he can take fair
amount OF food without causing fever, or over.
tasking his weakened system, rapid gain IN
strength may be looked tor. Until then he
must, of course, remain very weak; but the
abatement of his fever, the dImnutIon Of pam.
and the favorable changes in other directions
indicate that IT Will not be long before he can
take an amount of solid food that will have q !
marked effect on his strength. The end of the
second week is now at hand, and If that is |
passed with no unfavorable change some emil.
ncnt medical gentlemen look on recovery as
assured. Possibly this may be taking a too
view of the matter, but the fact that
since the third day after the wound was IN.
flicted the presidents improvement had been
uniform would be very good reason at the end
Of two weeks to expect recovery. To say that
he was out of danger might be too much even
then, but 1t is highly probable that If the case
were to result fatally there would have been
change for the worse before that time The Z
case has thus far been favorable dlsappolnt-
ment TO most if not all, the persons who saw
The president the day he was shot, and the
country is preparing not without reason, TO
celebrate his restoration to health.