The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-06-18
HIS LAST HOURS.
General Grants Condition
Again Serious.
TERRIBLE TORNADO IN IOWA.
Injuries From Which the Country
viii Not Recover for Years
Loss of Life and Property.
General Grant.

General Grant sank into his pillowed
chair on the piazza of the Drexel cot
tage here, soon alter his arrival yesser-
day, the thermometer on the pillow in
front of him marked the temperature at
SO degrees. Mr.. Drexel said that was
excessive heat for the locality. The
clouds and rain and sunset beat the
mercury down to oYercoat Temperature.
On through the night until 3 O'Clock
gusts of wind swept the rain in sheets
over the mountains. but the sun came
up over the mountains this morning
and found no clouds. At 10 o'clock the
thermometer marked 65 degrees. Doc
TOR Douglas felt encouraged when he
came out at 8 o'clock He thought the
General had slept well, although he had
been called to attend him three times
during the night. The huskiness Of his
voice was considerably relieved, but its
loss had been owing to general weak
ness rather than to fatigue and its re
covery would be slow.
MT. McGREGoR, June 17.-Dr. Douglas
has this evening telegraphed DIR. Sands
to come here by the first train tonight.
During this mornings airing upon
the piazza of the cottage. General Grant
slowly and with the aid of a cane
walked around the house. Quite often
he paused. at times with his eyes to the
floor, as though intently thinking and
again gazing away toward the east
ward, where the Green Mountains were
within his view. But while out of doors,
he, most of the time, sat motionless,
with one hand pressing handkerchief
to his mouth to protect his throat from
the cool air that had followed the rain
OF Tuesday night, the other hand
grasped the cane which the general
now, at all times carries. The sick mans
face was less strained in its appearance
than when he concluded his journey.
About midday, the general walked
around the corner of the piazza and
entered his room. He signifed desire
to have his throat treated and the phys
ician complied with his wish. The
general then stretched himself on his
bed and the doctor and nurse went
away to gain much-needed rest.
After his rest, about O'Clock, and
while his physician and nurse were
asleep. the General drew his silk hat
over his skull cap, slgnalled Harrison to
his side and walked down the cottage
steps. He walked slowly along the
pathway over an easy slope to the brow
OF the mountains. several hundred
yards away. Several times he paused
to rest and at length he sat down on a
public settee, when chair was
placed for his feet. He removed
the handkerchief from his mouth and
essayed TO speak, declining the support
for his feet, but his voice was not audible
and the General recognizing the fact
shook his head. The fact that mess
of frogs had been caught during the
morning at one of the little mountain
lakes near by, was mentioned to the
General, and he was asked if he would
attempt to eat them. Again the General
tried to speak, but the attempt did not
result in words that we're audible, and
again he declined by shaking his head.
His attention was directed to the monu-
ment that marks the surrender of
Burgoyne, twenty miles away, but the
elevation of his head to gaze so far
away seemed painful, his head bowed,
his chin dropped to his breast and his
eyes rested on nearer objects. His neck
and the diseased portion are strained
and painful when he holds his head erect.
Five minutes passed while the
General sat on the bluff, and he
then arose by steadying HIM
self with the arm of the settee and
his cane and retraced his steps TO the
cottage. No one was more surprised at
the Generals walk than DR.. Douglas.
He was amazed that the General
should have attempted it, but was
amused by his selecting the time when
the doctor was asleep to steal over and
take peep from the bluff. Later in
the afternoon, DR.. Douglas, in referring
to the Generals actual condition in
connection with his walk, expressed
himself thus:
THE disease is following its character
istic course, which is the course of
steady, increasing exhaustion. We do
not look for cure from this change.
Nothing can be a curative, but we do
hope to prolong his life and that is the
most that can be expected. Under the
exhilarating effect OF this atmosphere
and Of this cool day, he has, for instance,
walked over there 10 the knoll. He
might do that easily and not be able TO
do the same tomorrow or next day.
The course of the disease is, as L said,
one of increasing debility"
When General Grant reached his cot
tage, after his walk to the brow of the
mountains this afternoon, he was much
exhausted and sank into chair in the
parlOr or the cottage. very soon ne
indicated by signs that he wanted some
writing materials which were procured
for him, and he then wrote for nearly
half an hour. The result was two let
tiers, or papers. One was headed 'mem7
randum for my family In it the
general had written that he thought ne
was failing and for certain instructions
that he desired carried out. He re-
ferred his family to other and
more definite memoranda prepared
by him before leaving New York.
The other note he folded and addressed
to DIR. Douglas. He handed both papers
to Colonel Fred Grant and that adj
dressed to the physician is understood
to have been of similar import as that
to. the family. The afternoon wore
away with the General sitting outside
on the piazza. After having written as
stated, sunset found him still On the
piazza, and when dusk deepened on the
side of the mountain he was yet sitting
silently on the porch on the side of the
front door of the cottage. When the
lamps were lighted inside, and the light