The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-24


Z pleted He afterwards took up his residence in
New York city, and became with James ID.
Fish, silent partner in the banking firm, Grant
% Ward of which the now notorious Ferdinand
Ward was the controlling spirit. On May 8,
= 1884, the firm collapsed, on account of the ras
caity of Ward, and the Grants, father and son,
lost all they had invested in the firm. move
Z ment was set on foot to raise fund for the re
3 lief of the General, but he discountenanced it,
& and it was abandoned Mr. Vanderbilt held the
Generals personal pledge for $3.50, O00 borrowed
but a few days before the failure took
place. To satisfy this General Grant
executed a mortgage on all his prop
erty An effort was made to relieve
3 the General from this debt and til
resulted in Vanderbilts offering to convey it back
8 to Mrs. Grant, to be held as trust the war rel
les and personal property of the General to-
revert to the government after his death. This
generous offer was accepted and the trust is
now in the government, President Arthur hav-
ing communicated it to Congress in special
message.
A movement was then begun to put Grant on
tho retired list a proposition to pension himwas
promptly and properly discountenanced by him,
and on March 4, 1885, after much difficulty on
account of partisan prejudice Congress unani-
mOusly empowered the President to nominate a
man for the Office of General the retired list
3 This done, President Arthur promptly signed
the bill and sent the name Of Grant TO the Sen
ate, where it was at once confirmed without op-
position to the evident satisfaction OF the entire
scountry.
ACCIDENT AND ILLNESS.
On the oath of December, 1888, General Grant
s sustained a fall while descending the steps of his
residence, severely injuring his left thigh and
B confning him 10 his bed for weeks. after which
The was able to get about on crutches He was
greatly weakened thereby, and the mental dis
2 tress consequent upon the disastrous outcome OF
& the firm in which his money was invested greatly
intensified his sufferings.
In June, 1884, while living in hiscottage at Long
Branch, General Grant was very much troubled
s by his throat He consulted Dr. DeCosta, of
philadelphia who was stopping there, and was
warned that the trouble might be serious, and
that he had better see his family physl-
clan The trouble abated and General Grant
thought more about it until 1t broke
out with renewed violence in October He con
suited DR.. Fordyce Barker, who at once detected
symptoms Of cancerous growth, and directed
him to specialist in throat diseases. DR.. j. III.
s Douglas, of 4S East TWenty-slXth street. DR..
& Douglas advised him to stop smoking gradually,
but he ceased it altogether and felt much
q better for it. His nip, which mad been injured
by his fall on Dec. "a, 1883, had improved so
much that he was able to take long walks. In
November he took cold during one of the walks,
and went back to Dr. Douglas. He was then
almost unable to speak. and he ate with great
8 difficulty. The root of the tongue was hardened,
accompanied by Slight liberation. He had con
siderable pain, which was relieved by applca-
ton of muriate of cocaine and iodoform. he
became much better, and got along we'll until
lapse in February.
s All along through his Illness while in the city,
General Grant worked on his military history,
and on his VAR "reminiscences. He arose about
o'clock and read the morning newspapers. He
: breakfasted at $50, and then, accompanied by
his colored servant, drove down town to
y Dr. Douglass Office. When he returned
3 to his house, about 1l:30, he woud go to
: work on his book. He wrote it out him
& self, referring occasionally to Fred Grant
for dates and other minutite Colonel
z Fred Grant wrote out q copy Of his fathers
Y manuscript. Lurch was taken at 1870 and
{ the writing was continued until $50. Then the
General would so cut for drive with Mrs.
r Grant. He dined at o'clock and the evenings
{, were passed in social recreatOns, playing whist
g or entertaining friends
S An idea of his cheerful courage under such
trying circumstances may be had from CONVEX
satlOn had with him by newspaper
4 respondent in the latter part of February, at
e which time the evidences of cancer We're very
plain In response to question to tho state
q of his health, he said:
" 4 have always been used to q great amount OF
outdoor life, and my accident of last winter has
= until recently compelled NE to remodel my
3 habits to great extent. Having to go about on
& cr,stches, or not at all have remained shut up
2 for weeks at time. If | moved about very
K much, the pain in my hip came TO extent
which kept me from enjoying existence and the
L end Of it was that simply stopped nearly all
s my exercise. But am pretty thoroughly cured
of that difficulty. You See walk without
s the aid of so much as cane, and don't limp
very badly either
4 During the closing days of February and the
first few days Of March the Generals illness took
a most serious turn, and it seemed that he could
Ssurvlve not more than a very few days at most.
3 He soon rallied, however, and proceeded syste
maticaliy with his work on his war reminiscent
. IN no of hA Of
March he suffered relapse and great prOstra
4 ton. On the Both of March lie suffered another
serious relapse. and it feared
that he could not survive more than few hours.
For three days his life seemed hanging in deli
3 cate balance, but on April he rallied wonder
fully, under the influence of injected brandy, and
had lease of life. For days ne seemed
:. kept alive only by his great determination,
Z though at times Respondent and apparently
weary OF the struggle to live. On the 10th of
April he surprised the doctors and attend
ants by going down stairs to break
fast. On the Goth he took ride. On the
s2lth he sent out message acknowledging the
= congratulations of the people his birth day.
s On the Both he resumed work on his book, which
< he kept at, as he able until it finished.
z Early in May he began to make plans for spend
4 ing the summer out of the city, and it was
arranged that when he did 90, it would be to
4 Mount McGregor. On the 10th of June the
patient was removed to Mr.. Drexel's cottage at
& Mount McGregor, where he arrived greatly eX-
hausted. He soon grew stronger, however, and
B resumed work on his history. After his arrival
at Mount McGregor. while comparatively com
.fortable he appeared to be growing weaker day
z by day, until Tuesday of this week, when his
asymptoms became alarming again, and his ply
slcians and relatives were hastily summoned
The General sank rapidly during Wednesday,
gand nightfai found him very weak, with every
indication of speedy dissolution DR.. Sands and
sDr Shrady, and L. S. Grant, ir., and wife,
arrived at 3 p. NJ. and the family circle was
scomplete. AT 4 consultation was held, the
result being that it was thought that he could
Enot survive twentyfour hours. Between and
greatly in rapy and at the 'H latter " hour
could not be counted. His extremities became
cold, and applications were made to restore his
natural warmth, but without avail. During the