Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-12-25
STATIONS DEATH.
The Confidential Clerk OF the Late Score
tary Gives succ net Statement of the
Lstter's Illness aud DENSE


The Confidential Clerk or the Late Score
tary Gives . Succ net Statement of the
Lstter's Illness aud DENSE
Washington star.T
An Interview with Major Aibsrt II.
Johnson, confidential clerk of S.cret4ry
Stanton during the latter's administra-
tion OF the War Department., Is published,
in which Major johnson denies emphatic-
ally the reoJrt, recently revived, that
Stanton committed suicide Major J Inn.
sons relations with s anton wers init.
mate He was with him constantly dur.
Ing his last illness, and saw the body af-
ter dsath- HIS denial 10 absolute and cir.
cunstantiaL He ci:es testimony of the
late Surgeon General Barnes, who at.
tended Stanton In his last illness, of the
nurse, AMI OF the und srtaker, In support
OF his d Mai. Incidentally M.jpr John.
son says: The cause of Secretary Stan.
toms death was WILL known TO all his
friends, and the death was by no
means sudden. 1t had been coming
on for six weeks or a month. and
was the result OF illness of several months
He was great sufferer from asthma. On
his return from Steubenv.lle. where he
had been TO see his mother, he took a ter.
ribie cold 1t was the most violent 1 over
saw. 1t afflicted him like consumption.
On the night before, the msrning of his
death the family retired, as usual. and
left him alone with his nurse, David Jone.
who was constantly by his side. The first
alarm occurred between ten and elsven
O'Clock, when the nurses attention was
attracted by the sick mans har breath.
Ing. The family was arous and DIR.
Barnes sent for The doctor, to quiet Mrs.
Stanton, told her at her husband would
revive; but it soon became a parent TINT
he was past all hops, and Rev DIR. Stark.
ey, OF Epiphany Church. was sent for.
The sick man was conscious and calm.
ex' r"ssed a desire to I've, and d not
think i:e was dying. He wished to live to
TAX his seat upon the Supre ne Bench of
the Unitel Sta es, to which he had been
nominated. 1t had been his ambition to
be Chief Justice, but President Lincoln
had appoin ed Secretary Chase to tina.
position, saying that he could not snare
Mr.. Stanton fr m the War Department at
That time Mr.. Stanton had sought very
earnestly for this post on. and his
claim had been presented By B. shop
Simpson, ths eminent Methodist divine of
Philadelphia, whose influence was yerv
powerful with the Presi LEM; but. as ia
we'll known, Salmon p. Chase got the on i.
pointment, and for the reasons I have
stated. Stanton, as Secretary OF War,
was admitted by every body, frienI AMI
foe, to be master OF affairs. AMI MIR. Lin
cCln could not spare hun fr his post
when the bravsst and mightiest adver-
sGry on earth was still clutching at the
of
told Bishop Simpson this, but said, II he
could md him another such man tor s &C.
rotary OF War, Stanton shouli be Chief
Justice. or course, that settled it, and
Mr.. Chase was appointed. But, now tn n
the war was over, he had been nomin at ed
and confirmed rs Associate Justice and
MS eagerness to get upon the bench is
shown by the fact (this know to be true)
that he frequently sent his SON to the
"hl.e House after his commission VIII ch
the President hal not yet sent to him.
This was one thing, IL there was no other.
that he wanted to live for aid know he
did not kill himself"
MIR. Stanton was very poor when he
died." continued the Ma jor, after a pause.
while Secretary OF War he had nc: hing
but his salary to live on, AMI after he left
the w ar department. he had only onl case
in law, and that he argued before a Judge
OF the Supreme Court who had been dem
ut zed to go to his house to hear the ar.
gument. He was then too i'll 10 leave his
room, and the court Conferred this great
distin ction upon him. During his illness
he made an effort to borrow $50 from a
Washington banking-houss, but they re-
fused TO scount his note. He finally got
the money fr m DR.. axe, then President
OF the National Metropolitan Bank. The
only property he owned WIS the house
In which he died. Mrs. Stanton had
5000 N ive-twenty bonds. which 1 US ID
to keep for h"r in the slfe in the Secre-
tary's office at tho War Department. All
tina: went during ths S,crstary's illness,
and | think she sold soma warehouses she
owned in Itssburgh to maintain nor
household"