The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-12-03
nj. Hendricks Dead.
The Vice Presidents Sudden End
DYING OF PARALYSIS OF THE BRAIN
WHILE no ONE WAS NEAR AND AFTER.
AN ILLNESS or BUT A FEW HOURS
THE PRESIDENTS PROCLAMATION.

Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks
died very suddenly at a few minutes before
five O'Clock Wednesday evening. 18th, a
his residence in indianapolis. He returned
Chicago the day before. where be had con
tracted Il severe cold, but nothing serious
| was anticipated, either by his friends Of
his family physician. Feeling a great dea
better in the evening he and Mrs. Hen
bricks attended areception given by STATE
Treasurer Cooper and to all appearances
the Vice President was as Mel as usual
He complained two or three 'aHs 80 in
innate friends OF feeling uIwell. but j
was not until eleven o'clock that he ant
Mrs. Hendricks returned home. Horeste6
| well during the night, arose Wednesday
morning. dressed himself as usual and att
quite a hearty breakfast. saying that he
kfelt much better and would attend to con
siderable delayed business during the day,
He and Mrs. Hendricks walked out fol
nearly half an hour and he had apparently
regained his.phgsieal vigor and cheerful
| ness. An hour later, however, be began
to be troubled with pains insthearegion Of
his stomachsand Mrs. Hendricks sent fol-
the family physician, DR.. W. G. Thomp-
son. a lifelong and confidential friend OF
the Vice Presidents.
suFFERINGsFRoM A CHILL.
Mr.. Hendricks insisted that calomel
should be administered to him. This the
doctor declined to do,.ssaying that it al
ways had a Frustrating effect upon his sys-
TEN, but as the pains continued he adj
ministered an emetic and later in the
morning gave an injection. The physi-
clan then left, but was shortly lIafterward
again called to the Hendricks residence.
He found the patient Suffering from a
relieved. He was very much Frustrated
by the rigor, but stilladid not go to bed.
During the day the patient eyinced a strong
desire to have. Mrs. Hendricks always near
him and when.she left the room fora mo-
ment he seemed troubled and anxious.
He appeared to be apprehensive Of some
approaching calamity and more than once
he requested Mrs. Hendricks not to leave
him. The physician did not apprehend
any immediate danger and during his last
visit in the afternoon he and the Vice
President talked freely about number of
matters and among them his early de-
parture for Washington, where he would
enter upon his duties in the Senate. A
few minutes before 5 o'clock the physi-
clan and Mr.. Hendricks we're talking, the
latter reclining on the bed, when he said !:
Il am free at last.
What do you mean 20 asked the ply
sician.
Il mean I am free from pain, was the
answer.
DYING WITH NO ONE NEAR.
The doctor then left the house and. Mrs.
Hendricks was summoned down stairs to
see q caller. This was the. first time she
had left him during the day for more than
a moment and had refused to see any one
before. His assertion that he was free
from pain dispelled an uneasiness that she
had felt about his condition, and when she
left it was with the assurance that she
would be absent but q few moments. She
was delayed longer than she expected and
when she returned to the room she found
that Mr.. Hendricks was dead. The end
of q busy and eventful life had come peace
ably and quietly. On his face there was
no indication of pain or suffering and his
eyes were only half closed, as if in gentle
sleep. But the deathly pallor indicated
only too plainly that he had passed away.
1t needed no close examination to tell that
he was dead and Mrs. Hendricks screamed
and ran down stairs. A servant was dis
patched to the residence Of DR.. Thomp son,
adjoining, and he came Immediately, but
by the time he had reached the bedside
the limbs of the distinguished dead man
were becoming cold and rigid, and to Mrs.
Hendricks pathetic appeal, "Oh, doctor,
can't you do something 7" he was obliged
to answer ut is too late y Mrs. Hen
bricks became almost distracted with
grief and it was an hour OF more before
she became sufficiently composed to give
any information about her husbands last
moment.
THE PEOPLES GRIEF.
There was nobody in his room when he
died, and only Mrs. Hendricks, the SER
wants and caller were in the house. The
family servants, two of whom had lived
with Mr., Hendricks for years. ran about
the house crying and moaning and there
was the utmost confusion for time. The
news spread quickly and the house was
soon filled with anxious friends, While a
crowd collected around the gate, and it
was found necessary to refuse them adj
mittance. Announcement of the event
was received with incredulity by the
public, but when there could be no longer
any doubt concerning it much sorrow was
expressed. The bells were tolled and
many evidences were given of the people IS
sorrow
Mr.. Hendricks died in his private
chamber, a large, comfortable room, in
which he did the most of his work. =
Near his bedside was case containing
legal and political works and on his desk
were his papers, memoranda and large
number of letters, which had been allowed
to accumulate without answering in the
last two or three days. His dressing gown
and slippers were at his bedside and near
by was a small stand, on which were var
ious medicines and a goblet of water.
Portraits, landscapes and bric-a-brac
adorned the walls Of the room and were in
striking contrast with the sad scene. DR..
7 Thompson says that in his opinion Mr..
Hendricks died of paralysis of the brain
and there will probably be a post-mortem
examination to establish what the disease
was.
AN OyERWoRKED MAN.
For several years Mr.. Hendricks had not
been a robust man and was subject to
frequent bad spells as he called them,
during which he would be Frustrated
sometimes for days at a time. Abou
two years ago he was confined to his room
for several weeks by a gangrenous atfec-
ton of the foot, which at the time it was
feared would result in blood-poiS0ning