Daily Republican., 1882-08-11
SENATOR HILLS CONDITION.
His Resignation and On eer TaIne 80.
Effects OF his Hopeless Disease.
CorrogDoIldeu Nav Vortr ,rjroas

Il
Correspondence New York Tlmes.
In modern annals there has NOT bee
death so full of horrors as that whic
deorgia's great orator and statesman
Benjamin Harvey Hill, ia now suffer
ing, nor has the resi- gn alton and chris
tian philosophy exhibited been excelled
Slowly dying of one of the most loath
some of diseases, he is yet cheerful
patient and resigned. Talking TO-DAY
with his physician and son-in law, DR.
Ridley, l learned the details of the cas-,
as now presented. The patient is pu
to sleep every night about 8 o'clOeL
with a hypodermio injection or NOR
pbine, and does not awake until II
o'clock the following morning. He Ii
then assisted to dress, and sits duriup
the day in an easy chair placed neal
the window of pavilion attached to
the north side of his residence, with q
window and door opening to the east
on a veranda. There he sits the whole
day, the subject of the most assiduous
attentions from his devoted family.
He reads little In the newspapers, his
mail and some devotional works, writes
down his passing impressions, indites
letters and communicates with those to
whom his almost inarticulate murmur-
ings are unlntellIgible. -.
Three grams of morphine are admin
istereu daily, the patient never being
allowed to come thoroughly from un.
der the influence. His food consists Of
milk, into which the yolk of eggs hav Q
been beaten, and little whiskey added,
about three quarts Of this mixture Is
passed into the patients stomach
every day through tube, no portion of
the fluid touching his palate. The can
Ger, for such 1t is acknowledged to be
by all but those who have not had any
connections with the case, has destroy
ed all the tissues of his throat and
mouth on the left side, as well as the
lower jaw or sub maxilliary bone. The
opening is 30 large that two or three
fingers pass freely up into the mouth
from be ow, and the palate can be seen
when the patient is lying down and one
approaches him from the feet.
The outer carotid artery is exposed,
and pulsation is plSinly seen. The
soft or connective tissue has been eaten
away, and only such tough, elastic sub.
stances as compose the walls Of the ar
terry are left intact. What is left of the
tongue is attached to the right side by
q very slender ligament, and constant
fear Is felt that 1t will become detached
and fall into the patients throat when
asleep, and thus end his suffering while
yet sufficient strength exists for fur.
ther continuance Of the contest with the
dread destroyer. His mouth Is kept
allied with absorbent and antiseptic COT
ton, which is frequently changed, as is
the dressing on the outside.
For three years Mr.. Hill suffered
with an ulcerous sore on his tongue be-
fore he told even his wife. Then, by
advice Of his friends, he consulted DR..
Bayard, an uncle OF the Delaware Sen
ator, who practices homeopathy in
New York. For eight months this
physician treated him and reported
constant improvement, but the patton
was growing worse, and he finally
realized that he was In danger and
placed himself In the hands of DR..
Gross and the Philadelphia Hospital
stat.
No internal remedy is now given nor
has any been administered since the
of the French cancer cure
which consisted In the injection into
the blood of purified carbolic acid, the
object being to destroy the cancerous
germs in the blood.
Tho owl Hanoaa Of tho upfFarsrIo ay,t;rn
are numerous. The other
day he called his son Charles to him.
II am soon going to better land,
Charles he said, don't you wish you
could come along too? These are the
lappiest days Of my life." Such is the
tenor of all his utterances to his family
and friends. In writing to an old ser.
want, now in Atlanta, Ca, the other
lay, he reiterated the remark that this
was the hapriest period of his exis-
,enCe.
He might have been guilty of errors
n his worldly intercourse, but now
elt fully prepared to meet his Maker.
The Lord had given him a good long
notice, and he was fully prepared for
he summons when 1t came. The final
change, it is now thought will come
rom sheer exhaustion. II the NOR
ohine treatment was suspended he
would soon sink from the effects Of
)ain. Now all that can be done is to
the suffering and prolong the
ew days which, in spite of his terrible
he seems to prize more
han those in which he gained his
,lory.