The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1885-07-30
Surrounded by His Wife and Chill
dren His Death is Peaceful
and Painless.
Tributes of President Cleveland
and Hosts of Others to His
Invaluable Services.
The Physicians Desire to Make
an Autopsy but His Family
Will Not Consent.

sick man Mrs Sartoris and Stenographer
Dawson We're conversing little distance
away, when Henry, the nurse, stepped hastily
upon the piazza and spoke quietly to the
physicians. He told them he thought the
general was very near to death. The med
ical men hastily entered the room where the
sick man was lying and approached his side.
Instantly upon seeing the patients face DIR.
Douglas ordered the family to be summoned
to the bedside. Haste was made, and Mrs.
Grant, Mr.. Jesse Grant and wife, Z. $. Grant,
Jr, and wife and Mrs Col Grant We're
quickly beside the doctors at the sick mans
cot, and Mrs. Sartoris and Mr.. Dawson had
followed the doctors in from the piazza, and
the entire family was present
AT THE BEDSIDE
Col Grant seated himself at the head of
the bed with his left arm resting upon the
pillow above the head of the general, who
was breathing rapidly and with slightly
gasping respirations Mrs Grant, calm, but
with intense agitation bravely suppressed,
took seat close by the bedside She leaned
slightly upon the colonel resting upon her
right elbow. and gazed, with tcar-stalned
ewes, into the generals face She found
there however no token of recognition, for
the sick man was peacefully and palnlessly
behind her mother, and leaning over her
shoulder, she witnessed the close of life in
which she had constituted strong element
of pride Directly behind Mrs. Grant and
Mrs Sartoris, and little distance removed,
stood doctors Douglas, Shrady and Sands
as spectators of closing life their
efforts and counsel had so prolonged
On the opposite side of the bed from his
mother and directly before her stood Jesse
Grant and Z. S Grant, Jr,, and near the cor
ner of the cot on the same side as Jesse and
near to each was n. E. Dawson the generals
stenographer and confidential secretary. At
the foot of the bed, and gazing directly down
into the generals face, was Mrs Col Fred
Grant and MIS-. U. 5. Grant, Jr., and Mrs.
Jesse Grant, while somewhat removed from
the family circle. Henry, the nurse, and
Harrison iyrell, the generals body servant,
were respectively watching the closing life
of their patient their master. tr Newman
had repaired to the hotel for breakfast and
was not present The generals little grand
children, q. s. Grant, Jr., and Nellie, were
sleeping the sleep Of childhood in the
nursery room above. Otherwise the en-
tire family and household were gath
cred at the bedside of the dying man.
SUMMONED JUST IN TIME
The members OF the group had been sum-
moned not 4 moment sooner Than was
prudent. The doctors noted, on entering
the room and pressing to the bedside, that
already the purplish tinge which was one OF
natures signals of final dissolution had
settled beneath the finger nails The hand
that DR. Douglas lifted was fast growing
colder than it had been through the night
The pulse had futtered beyond the point
where the physician could distinguish it
xro,a the pulse beat in his own finger tips.
The respiration was very rapid and was
succession Ct shallow painting inhalatons,
but toward the close they became less labored
and almost poiseless This fact Vas in its
result a comfort TO the watchers by the bed
side to whom was spared the scenc OF an
agonizing or otherwise than peaceful
death The wife almost constantly strokcd
the face forehead and hands OF the dying
general and at times, as the passionate long
ing to prevent The eyent so near would rise
within her Mrs. Grant pressed both his
hands and leaning forward tendcriy 4.ased
the face ct the sinking man. Col FRED
Grant sa5 silently. but with evident feeling,
though his bearing was that of a soldierly
SOB at the deathbed OF a hero father. q. s.
Grant, Jr, was deeply moved, but Jesse bore
watching with wet cheeks, were silent as
betitted the dignity OF life such as was clos
ing before Them. The morning had passed
five minutes beyond . o'clock and there was
not one Of
THE STRAINED AND WAITING WATCHERS
but who could mark the nearness of the life
tide to its final ebbing. Dr. Douglas noted
the nearness of the supreme moment and
quietly approached the bedside and bent
above it, AID while he did SO the sorrow of
the gray-haired physician seemed closely
allied with that of the family. DR.. Shrady
also drew near. It was seven 4Gioutes after
s o'clock and the eyes of the general we're
closing His breathing grew more hushed
as the last functions OF the heart and lungs
were fastened to the closing OF tho ex-presi-
dents life peaceful expression seemed to
be deepeniug in the firm and strong lined
face, and it was reflected as closing COM
fort in the sad hearts that beatquiekiy usder
the stress of loving suspense minute more
passed and was closing as the general drewa
deeper breath There was an exhalation
like that OF one relieved of long and anxious
tension The members of the group were
impelled each TO step nearer the bed and
each waited to note the neAt respiration,
bnt it did not come then; it never came
There was absolute stiffness in the room
and a hush of expectant surprise. No sound
broke the silence save the singing of birds in
the pines outside the cottage and the meas
ured breaking Of the engine that all night
had awaited by the little mountain depot
down the slope.
THE END oy ALL
at is all over" quietly spoke d.. Doug
las, and then came heavily TO each witness
the realization that Gen. Grant was dead.
Then the doctors withdrew; the nurse
closed the eyelids and composed the dead
generals head, after which each Of the fam
ilg group pressed to the bedside one after
the other and touched their lips. upon the
face SO lately stilied. DIR. Shrady passed
out upon the piazza, and as he did SO he met
Dr. Newman fastening up the steps Gle Is
dead" remarked Dr.. Shrady quietly. The
fact of having been absent from the side OF
the dying man and bis family at the last
was cause of sorrow and regfcL to the cler-
gyman, WHO had awaited all night at the
cottage. He had been summoned from his
breakfast a moment too late. and reached
the cottage only in time to minister to the
family sorrow and gaze upon the scarcely
hushed lips Of the general, to whom DIR.
Newman's love had bound him in such close
relations.
LOOKING BACK.
Soon after Drs Douglass and Shrady left
the death bed they conversed feelingly Of
the latter hours Of Gen. Grants life The
pulse first had indicated failure, and the in
tellect was last to succumb it's clearness and
conscious tenaaity, which occurred after
midnight. last night, though circumstances
ut 8 o'clock Indicated cognizaEce.
do you rant snything, father2r questioned
Col. Fred at that hour,
Water" whispered the general huskiy
But when offered water aud milk they
gurgled in his throat and were elected, and
that one word Of response was the Last ptteF-
ance of Gen. Grant DR.. Douglas remarked
that the peculiarly Of Gen. Grants death
was explained by the remarkable vitality
that seemed to present an obstacle to the
approach OF death.
It vas gradual passing away Of the vital
fcsosG anq Tetlex tOneciousnessy the doctor