Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-07-31


the lawn in front of the hotel and stood for /
few moments admiring the beautiful sunrise |
that was bringing out into sharp relief the
peaks and shoulders of the distant eastern
hills. He soon joined Dr. Shrady again. DR..
Newman came up to the hotel also about half
an hour after, and remained ten or fifteen
minutes. He said the General was dying by
inches, just as DR.. Douglas had said few
minutes before. DR.. Newman then returned
and paced slowly up and down before the cot
tage for half an hour, while Drs. Douglas and
Shrady sat on the veranda. Henry was In the
sick room, never taking his eyes off the diving
man. Occasionally he applied to the Gener-
ais lips a cambria wet with cool water, as had
been done at intervals during the night The
lips moved in response to the touch, but it
was only mechanical.
All during the night also the doctors had
given the General hypodermc injections of
brandy as often as required to stimulate the
hearts action. Sometimes the intervals be-
tween the injections were not longer than five
minutes, and sometimes they were an hour
This was kept up from o'clock last evening
until shortly before the death this morning.
About 81 in the morning DR.. Newman asked
DIR. Shrady if they should not go up to the
hotel to breakfast together. Dr. Shrady said
he thought it was unsafe to leave the General,
and DIR. Newman went up alone. The doctors
were seated on the porch at 7:45, when Henry,
the nurse came out and summoned them to
the bedside of the dying man.. All the family
were in the room at the time, excepting the
grandchildren, U. S. Grant and Nellie Grant,
who were asleep in the nursery Mrs Grant
was by the Generals side, looking into his
face. Mrs. Sartoris was Immediately behind
her mother, looking over her shoulder. Col
| Fred Grant was at the head of the bed.
On the opposite side of the bed from his
! mother and directly before her stood Jesse
| Grant and U. S. Grant, Jr. and near the cor
| ner of the cot on the same side as Jesse ant
near to each was Mr.. N. E. Dawson, the Gen
erals confidential secretary. At the foot OF
the bed and gazing directly down into the
| Generals face were Mrs. Fred Grant, Mrs. U
| S. Grant, Jr., and Mrs. Jesse Grant, while
somewhat removed from the family circle were
Henry the nurse, and Harrison Tyrrel the
| Generals body servant. DIR. Newman had
gone to the hotel to breakfast, and was not
! present. Mrs. Grant controlled herself re-
! markably
The doctors noted that already the purplisl
tinge which is signal of final dissolution had
settled beneath the patients finger nails. Tht
hand that DR.. Douglas lifted was fast growing
cold. The pulse had futtered beyond the poin
where the physician could distinguish it from
the pulse beats in his own finger tips. Thu
respiration was very rapid, but so weak that
| its painful sound was gone, and it was scareely
| audible at all.
| Mrs. Grant almost constantly stroked the
face, forehead and hands of the dying Genera
and at times pressed both his hands, and
leaning forward kissed his face.
Thus twenty minutes or so passed, the Gen
eral living with his eyes CT 9sed. Mrs. Sartoris
eagerly sought to be recognized by her dying
father. At last he opened his eyes and they
met those of his daughter. Hers was the las
| face he saw. In moment more the tense an
weary look went out of his face, his eye
closed and with one faint breath his life LEFT
him. The watchers waited for another breat
in silence so complete that the singing of tn
birds outside the cottage sounded loud anc
| clear. The doctors in a low voice announced
that the end had come and they withdrew
| The nurse closed down the dead mans eyelids
| and the family group pressed to the bedside
one after the other, and touched their lip
upon the quiet face.
GRANTS LAST WORDS TO THE WORLD.
DR.. Douglas, Friday, gave to the Associate
Press the following remarkable document
which was written by General Grant and i
DR.. Douglas presence on Thursday, July I'd
II ask you not to show this to any one I'LL
less it be the physician you consult with, unit
the end. Particularly I want it kept from m
family. If known to one man the papers vii
get it and they Cthe family will get it.
would only distress them beyond endurance
to know it, and, by reflex, would distress me
1 have not changed my mind materially sine
[ wrote you before in the same strain. Now
however, know that I gain strength som
days, but when do go back it is beyont
chances are very decidedly in favor of you
being able to keep me alive until change o
weather towards winter. Of course there ar
contingencies that might arise at any tim
that may carry me off very suddenly. TIL
most probable of these is choking. Unde
these circumstances life is not worth living
I am very thankful for ''thankfup 'glad'
was written, but erased, and ''thankful' sub
| stituted to bave been spared this long, be
cause it has enabled me to practically com
| plete work in which L take SO much interest
1 cannot stir up strength enough to review it.
and make additions and substractions tina
would suggest themselves to me, and are no
likely to suggest themselves to any one else
| Under the above circumstances I will be hap
| piest the most pain I can avoid. If there ii
to be any extraordinary cnre, such as some
people believe there is to be, it will develop
itself. l would say, therefore, to you ant
| your colleagues to make me as comfortable al
you can. If it is within Gods providence
| oI1o ollouli 81 uoN, Jill ISduy W ODey
call without a murmur. Ishould prefer going
now to enduring my present suffering for
single day without hope of recovery. AS
have stated, [ am thankful for the providen
tial extension of my time to enable me to con
tinue my work. I am further thankful ant
in much greater degree thankful because i
has enabled me to see for myself the happ,
harmony which SO suddenly sprung up be
tween those engaged but few short year,
| ago in a deadly conflict 1t has been an ines
| Unable blessing to me to hear kind expires
| sions towards me IN person from all parts Of
our country; from people of all nationalities
of all religions and of no religion, of Confed-
crates and of national troops alike; of soldiers
organizations; of mechanical, scientific, relig
ious, and other societies, embracing almost
every citizen IN the land. They have brought
joy to my heart if they have not effected the
cure. So to you and your colleagues I ac
knowledge my Indebtedness for having
brought me through the valley of the shadow
of death to enable me to witness these things
Signed] gu. S. GRANT.
"Mount McGregor. July 2, 1886"