Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-07-22
NEARING The END.
Gen. Grant in a Critical
Condition.
His Death Expected at Any
Moment,
But the Doctor Believes the
Patient Will Live "a
Hours.
Mr. McGREGoR. July 81

The fatigue that followed his ride, Mon
day afternoon. was so great that Gen Grant
slept fully eight hours an almost natural
sleep, during the night. After taking food at
l. o'clock he was awake scarcely an hour,
sleeping continuously from midnight until
after o'clock, Tuesday morning. His pulse.
Tuesday morning, was more frequent and
somewhat thinner than last night.
Gen. Grant remained IN his room. Tues
day. The lingering effects of his ride, Mon.
day, and the heat of Tuesday have rendered
him more listiess.
7.45 F. NJ Gen. Grant seems to be sink
ing.
. 7. M-Gen. Grant is sitting in the cot
tage with bis family and physician near and
nurse tanning him.
10 7. M.-Dr. Douglass thinks there is a
slight rally and says ne has known patients
in the Generals present condition to survive
two days.
Though Gen. Grant was greatly exhausted
by the joltng ride in his bath chair Monday
afternoon. IL WAS believed this morning that
the eight hours of sleep obtained by him
last night had restored a portion of his en-
ergy lost during his outing. The belief that
the General mad in a measure recovered from
his undue fatigue was supported by his re-
reshed and brighter appearance. His pulse
had scarcely the volume 1t had at ii O'Clock
last night, ana as the morning wore on the
doctor thought he detected evidences of a
teverish condition of the patient, but the
forenoon was passing so quietly as to give
strength to the belief that the General was
resting and further recuperating from the
fatigue of the outing, which had been under
taken at his solicitation, and after the as
surance by himself that his strength was
equal to the accomplishment of his purpose,
but towards noon there grew in the phvsi-
clans mind that the doing quietude of his
p; tient was more that of extreme and growing
lassitnde than of restful repose. At mid day
there was a slight change in the sick man
condition which was marked by increased
weakness and he was less cognizaut of wha
was going on about him. This change was
so slightly marked, however, that no unusual
alarm was felt by the family, though it was
deemed advisable to report the same to DR..
Douglas
DR.. Douglass came down to the cottage.
The General was less quiet although he de
sired rest. He informed the DR.. that he had
declined alcoholic stimulants because he be-
lieved they served only to heat his system
without impsrting strength. He expressed
himself AS feeling that he could endure his
condition of weakness but a short time longer
and then requested the ply ysician to admin
lister a hypodermic injection of morphine.
DIR. Douglass was not much inclined to grant
this request, because he believed that sleep
and rest produced by artificial means would
too rapidly drain the vitality of the patient
Besides this, let hargic tendency was de-
veloping in the case, which also influenced
the Dr. against giving morphine, and more
than this, DIR. Douglass preferred his patient
should take food rather than opiates, and
requested the General to do so. The sick
man, however, declined, and insisted on the
administration of morphine. At length, to
satisfy the sick man. DR.. Douglass admins
tered a portion of morphine, which Gen.
Grant believed TO contain three minims of
the drug. That quantity was not admins
tered, but slight portion was diluted in the
usual three drops of liquid and injected into
the Generals arm.
Then the sick man grew more quiet and
seemed asleep, and then it was that the ply
sician left the cottage and reported the pa
tient exceedingly weak.
1t has since transpired that the General
was attacked this forenoon with hccoughs
and this, disturbing and rapidly weakening, as
well as significant factor, was present in
the afternoon and with added frequency. The
sleep which followed the given morphine, as
stated, was followed by renewed hccoughing
Attempts were made, as the afternoon was
waning, to give the General food He Joined
in the endeavor but the quantity retained
was small. When the current of goblet.
full of liquid was passing the Generals throat,
its own weight distenied the throat and the
food passed down, but when the last few
mouthfuls were being drained from the glass,
the weight and fullness of the liquid was not
sufficient to dlstend the parts and they closed
because the muscular power OF the throat
was insufficient to keep open the passage.
The result was season of choking coughing
with the election OF portion of the liquid
after each attempt to administer food. The
condition of the patient NAV be appreciated
when it is know that within perhaps fifteen
minutes after an attempt to administer nour-
ishmeut to him the General would suddenly
look up with a mOmentary expression of be-
wilderment and inquire of the attendant.
'When are you going 10 give me that food?' y
Halt an hour might eapse and again the sick
man would glance up as though having for
gotten something and calculate the question.
w he \ are you going To glfe me that food
you spoke OFF, and when told that he had
Just received food, but that more would be
given if he desired. the General would again
fall into a halt unconscious doze and mutter.
''never mind, never mind"
The afternoon was sultry and almost
breathless, nth the thermometer registering
S5 degr res There were 10 reviving ele-
ments in the atmosphere and the sun went
down after day of sitting and discomfort
even to persons in good health.
At Is P. NJ. DIR. Douglass said the pa
tient was in critical condition and he would
hazard no prediction of the future, not even
of the night.
Col. Fred Grant had been at the cottage
bu: little while after his return from din
ner, when he was said to have expressed the
belief that his father would not survive the
night Early in the evening, Col. Fred
Grant gave orders that all the manuscripts
and literary effects At the cottage ofRce, should