Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1885-09-02
6RAATs TABLET WRITlNG.
Copies Of Some of the Tablets
the General Wrote His At
tending Physicians
How tho Distinguished Patient Watched
the Progress Of His Wasting,
Fatal Ialady.
How Hope Alternated with Fear, and How
st Last He Give Up the Un-
equal Struggle.


OF tho rebellion, when the Doctor was con-
nected with the sanitary service, until he
stood by the bedside OF the dead. He believed
in Gen. Grant as q man Of destiny. When he
vent nRQnS the steamer lying before Fort
- Sommandsr for thc frss time.
Impressed BY two things:
~ y sAeFta AZ ~ fSaexaa
n M sss3| :; - ~ % 4 Z 3 w.
history OF American people. subsequent
events, as all know, Lrovo how close and
intelligent an analysis of character DR..
douglas had made.
From the time that the Generals voice be-
gan to fail, late In June, up TO within dav
or two Of his death. he communicated with
DR.. Douglas very freely by written tablets.
The Doctor has nearly 200 of these which he
has preserved, and which he proposes 10 have
autographed SO that he can present the orig
inals to the family.
Shortly after Gen. Grant began to md 1t
difHcult to talk, not from the use OF cocaine
as had been supposed, but from tho manner
In which the cancer affected the vocal cords,
he wrote as follows the 2eth OF June to DR..
Douglas;
shall have to be careful about my writing
see every person give piece of paper to puts
1t III his pocket. Some day they will be coming
up against my English.
1t was Gen. Grants style to read up books
concerning the history of the war and the
records Of the rebellion very closely and
carefully, and then to sit down and write for
hours At a stretch on his memoirs. The 23d
OF June, at $50 p. M, ho wrote the following
page:
1 said had been adding to nv book and to
my coffin. / presume every strain on the mind
or body Ia one more nail in the coffin.
The 27th OF June, at 10 q. m, the General
wrote
want to keep IT 80 ~ long as possible. II /
should get mp now, would probably 60 to work
preparing something for rcading up
The same day he wrote tablet saying that
he had stiIl been at work, despite what he
had said in the morning. He wrote at
O'Clock in the afternoon:
wrote four pages; l tore it on, and have It;
must read up before can write properly.
Gen. Grant, during his early days upon the
mountain, as well as during his Illness in
New York, was always interested in conver-
sation. June 20, in the morning, Dr. Douglas
happened to allude to the coming Fourth Of
July celebration at Woodstock. by Mr.. bowen,
Of the Independent. Gen. Grant wrote as
follows upon the pad:
I have attended one Of those reunions OF
Bowens at Woodstock. They are immense at
WATCHING HIS SYMPTOMS.
Most OF the tablets--all of them, with Q
few exceptions in fact--refer to the symp-
toms OF the disease that was eating into his
vitals. BY following the tablets from the
time the General arrived at Mount Mac.
tains very fair idea OF tho insidiOus dc
ccpttve course Of the deadly cancer. The
2gth of June. at p. M, 1t was raining, but
the General wrote the following tablet;
I have had very restful dav. ! hope, how
ever. we will have . pleasant day outside to-
Within an hour he began to experience a
change, for ut o. clock he wrOte
This is always the trouble No matter how
hours, when the middle of the afternoon comes
begin to feel stuffy. stopped up, and generally
The sotn OF June the General wrote the
following:
The atmosphere here enables me to live in
comparative comfort while am being treated
or while nature is taking its course with my
able to come here now II ] had remained In the
city. 1t is doubtful whether would have been
alive Now, l would be much better able tG
1;S move back than was to come up as the ae time
The General objected to st,mulants. The
LIST OF July he expressed the wish to have the
wine discontinued, and wrote as follows:
have not taken any wine in six days. SOfai
as have tried, ] don't think alcoholic drinks
agree with me. They seem to heat me up. and
have no other effect.
The "a OF July at p. IN. the General wrote
this interesting tablet:
have had no rest since you left here. Thini
l feel more like work than any time since
have been here. will try to rest little. how
i
| 1t, but canuOt sleep. From this morning
have dozed of few times, but not half ar
hour In the aggregate. have been writing
the character Of Lincoln and Stanton. dom
place Stanton as high as some people do. Mr.
Lincoln cannot be exalted too highly.
Ono of the peculiarities OF cancer patients
is that they have periods of great despon
dency. Gen. Grant had these periods, ant
July he wrote as follows:
There are times when could not recover q
left TO myself; What is to be my fate TO. night
study how to get breath? 1t is about ~ mucl
~ could stand to 90 through another night.
| 1t will be seen from this tablet how mucl
! Gen. Grant suffered aifd how agunizing WA
| the pain he endured Mt times. His anxiety
| not to be left alone was the very reason VIII
| DR.. Douglas remained by him SO faithfully
| and 20 constantly.
To indicate how hope and fear alternatet
! with Gen. Grant ! append two tablets
| July 1t p. m. he wrote:
have been getting along very well to- day
| There 10 growing weakness. however.
July 8 1t 1880 q. IN. he wrote:
| think am not 80 weak as was at this tim
July i, 1t II o'clock at night, ne wrote thi
| question to the Doctor:
/ Is the hotel pretty full now?
The following were written July Z. AT u
! O'Clock Ia the morning the General wrote:
| had pleasant morning.
At l:3O in the afternoon the Doctor 70
marked that his patients voice was better
and the latter wrote:
Yes, my voice has broken above q whisper twt
| or three timcs this morning.
/ At 1890 p m. he wrote:
have had an easy day
| oAt IL y. m. he write to the Doctor abouI
/ the use OF cocaine, and said:
/ may hsve to use cocaine II DO will TAX
The thoughtfulness Of the General in ex.
| pressing himself in making his wants knowr
4 = A.. xl.t~ 1..A kat,f ~
anxious at all times not TO disturb the ply
1 sic1an moro than was necessary.
At 1 O. clock In the morning of the 8th Ol
/ July the General wrote what for him was I
long tablet, In which he spoke OF the use ol
! medicines in his disease and his familiarity
! with his own treatment. alluding to the habll
/ he had sometimes OF getting up himself and
| applying cocaine. taking RArgle and clean
1 ing out his mouth when he needed relief. Ii
4 this tablet he said that II be kept on taking
medicine and treating himself he would be
! como quite q specialist in the treatment o
| diseases He added that when he wss edu
cated for tho life of a soldier be had no tdes
/ that he would live to see the rank OF . sol
der raised two Grades higher aud have him
| self occupy both Of these exalted positions;
that he wss never much Of politician and
1 yet had been two times President; that b
| had never been much at q book reader. and
/ yet he found himaelf the author OF q booh
| that was almost already IN print. He closed
/ with facetious remark that Il he over got
well perhaps hc would be an authority on
July 8, 1t II o'clock IN the morning, the
4 General wrote:
Ifssl pretty well. but ret sleepy sitting in The
70 so Il tie ei house, 9'Is am !. SsS. ana wei
4 now. fcr the time 6 least, 8 ever win b.
eoon after this be wrote:
aSsl,sys VII 9se g =. z .fssr aa as,.o-. I,v !
tlpeA him very much. and at Z d. m. he Wroto;