The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-23

self for ten minutes. She sat motionless.
Suddenly there came the sound of coughing
from within the cottage. Mrs Grant left the
piazza quickly, and seated herself by the gen
erals side, slowly tanning his face AT 4 a.
m. General Grant leaned toward in his chair
and signified desire that lamp should be
brought. The nurse brought lamp and held
it at the sick mans shoulder. AS his face
was turned upward to speak the eyes seemed
grayer and abnormally large. They were
clear and steady, showing that the Generals
reason was unclouded; but there was that
wistful and yearning expression which de-
notes the end of life. The Generals face as
he spoke, appeared strained and drawn, but
its color and fullness were not such as would
be expected after such suffering and care
The lips moved heavily and the whisper was
husky and low, but the nurse understood and
pad and pehcil were brought.
Then while the light of the candle fell on
his d0WncaSt face, he wrote, but only briefly
The slip was handed to DR.. Douglass, who at
once turned it over to Colonel Grant, who
had arisen and stood behind his mother at
the Generals side. 1t was private family
communication. When it was finished the
sick man resumed his half reclining position
with his head slightly inclined forward and
his elbows on the chair arms
AT o'clock Dr. Douglass was aroused to
send summons for iDr. Sands. The Gem
eral moved restlessly and his eyes for a few
moments gazed intently away through the
L
he settled down in his chair and dozed. The
message to DR.. Sands was sent only that the
responsibility of the case at the close of the
night should be solved by the members of
the medical staff and not with the thought
that any aid could be rendered by any person
at that time. The General was given stimu-
lants but grows weaker hour by hour. The
morning was clear and the mercury at II
O'Clock registered S0o All visitors We're to-
day kept from the cottage and a Sabbath
day quiet prevailed about the spot. Dr.
Douglass and DIR. Newman W ere with the
family and the day was one of quiet waiting
The General sits as he did last night his
eyes closed much of tie time but coherent
and clear whenever he speaks. U. S. Grant
Jr.,. arrived this afternoon and the family
circle is now complete.
The door of the Generals room Twas shut
and the blinds closed, but the cool breeze of
the afternoon found a passage through the
blinds, and SO the sick man sits and waits.
DR.. Douglass reported that lhis patient had
taken and retained cup of milk and the
physician thinks if there has not been a
slight rally in the past hour the General is al
least holding his own.
1920 p. m.l-Drs. Sands and Shrady arriv-
ed by special train, which also brought u. S.
Grant, Jr., and wife.
400 p. m. 1.-The physicians met at once
with DIR. Douglass in consultation. Having
left the cottage it was stated that Drs. Shra-
dy and Sands had found Gen. Grant in the
critically low condition already stated by
DR.. Douglass and already announced in these
dispatches. No one of the staff is willing to
make any prediction beyond "a hours, which
period it is deemed impossible the General
may survive, though the probabilities now
indicated are that a less space of time marks
the limit of the Generals life. A change
for the worse is anticipated as the day closes
The pulse is now over 100.
[645 p. m.[-Gen. Grant is sinking. The
development of the Generals weakness dur
ing the afternoon was not particularly no.
ticeable from hour to hour, but between J
and O'Clock there was clearly, if not vio-
lently marked increase of weakness. AT 3
O'Clock it was possible to measure the pulse
beats, but at one of the physicians stated
that the pulse could not be counted There
were two reasons that existed for the inabil-
ty of the doctors to catch the pulse beats.
They were SO frequent and so feeble during
the afternoon, the blood tide had so quicken
ed that it more rapidly wore the system and
exhausted the frail basis, if any existed up
on which might be placed hope that the
General might rally. This point was reached
at 8 O'Clock, when there was little to be ex-
pected from attempts to administer food
Soon after Harrison came up from the cot.
tage and told Doctors Sand and Shrady that
Doctor Douglass desired to see them at the
cottage and thither went the doctors remain
ing but a short time however, and then COM
ing again to the hotel 1t is believed the CON
as stated above and that while the tempera
ture was nearly if not quite normal the res
pirations were nearly 80 per minute.
The family, beginning at o'clock came tC
the hotel to dinner in twos, the others re-
naming at the cottage in the meantime The
family dined in private room set apart fol
their use at the hotel in order that at this crit
ical time they might be secluded from curious
observation.
The closed and silent cottage had all day
fnd mn foIx fhfaa ,atr. fof4
scene in General Grants earthly existence,
and upon the guests and visitors had settled
a sense of the nearnesS of death, and there
seemed to be hush upon the mountain and
with all those upon it.
As the sun went down a cool breeze sprane
up, and the laymen on the mountain endeav-
ored to persuade themselves and others that
a cool night would bring renewed strength
to the patient and help him to rally through
the night But such was not the opinion of
the doctors, who were prepared to attend
the death bed at a moments notice or tC
wait through the hours into the night for the
end. More than that, they were surprised to
lind the patient alive in the morning. At
O'Clock, however, as the three physicians
were at dinner, Harrison came to the hote
ana ana % called ~ "; Il douglass, who went at once
and alone to the cottage, and soon afterward
another messenger from the cottage sum
mOned DrS. Shrady and they also
repaired to the cottage, CLOSELY
followed by DR.. Newman. The exit of the
doctors and clergyman from the hotel was
however, so quietly effected that few knew
that they had been summoned to the cot
tage. Arrived there they found the Genera
again evidently sinking. The Genera
seemed restless. Would you like to lie
down, father?, asked Col Fred Grant, who
noticed his fathers restlessnesS. The Gen.
eral nodded and at the same moment es
sayed to rise unassisted but the effort was
too great and he sank back into his chail
and the nurse aided him to rise and ther
supported him to the bed, where he wa'
carefully lowered to reclining position an(
partly on his face. DR.. Douglass ther
rolled the chair back and one of the physi
clans remarked that ''the General has nov
left his chair for the last time" and the be
lief that General Grant has at length lai1
down to die became conviction.
The family were all gathered at the side o.
the sick man and again DR.. Newman, al
aDout the same hour as last night and a
| Mrs. Grants request, knelt beside the Gen
eral and prayed. Heads were bowed ant
silent tears were on the cheeks of the mel
| as well as the women. The doctors stood
| ing head.
!, AND tnen, after an hour, death seems lftal,
less rapidly gaining on the man, it has Rur
| sueo just nine months today, for it is jus
nine d months ago today that Gen. Gran
| walked into Dr. Douglass's office to seek hi,
professional aid for the cancer that has don,
| Wnat Ioes and war could not Then the doc
TORS ana clergyman strolled out upon th'
piazza and sat near the parlor windows, ant
Jesse Grant joined them at times, but the
otLef members of the family remained in th,
@ SICK room and watched and waited, while th,
dat;a Genefal answered ''yes" and mo" to severa
deed, and at length, at SIS, Dr. Douglass $ lef
the cottage. ''How is it, doctor q, was askeC
MN. He is dying" said the gray-haireC
| physician. 'Will he live an hour ?' wa
Ssfea ask Ia again: Y "oh, yes, and possibly more
| pat PUNE ut Is passing away" was the response
returned to the cottage.
:, Az oelock the Generals pulse was up t,
sne point OF 165 beats per minute, and wa
After his rally, and about 9 o'clock, Gen