Huntsville gazette., 1886-02-13
The Gallant Soldier, Patriotic Citizen and
Perfect Man Receives and Answers the
Final Summons--How the News
Was Received.

| Final Summons-How the News
Was Received.
NEW YORK, Feb. 10.-The whole coun-
try was shocked yesterday afternoon by
the brief telegraphic message from Adj
jutant-General Whipple, on Governors
Island, announcing the death of General
Winfield S. Hancock, senior Major-Gen-
eral United States army, and Commander
Of the Military Division of the Atlantic.
The sad intelligence was Immediately
conveyed to the remotest corners Of the
country, and, as if by magic, the flags
appeared at half-mast on the various pub
lie buildings in the city.
Within an hour the telegraph wire lead
ing into the headquarters was burdened
with messages of coincidence and tender
sympathy with the bereaved widow,
whose grief is overwhelming, and OF
tributes to the Generals private and pub
lie virtues as citizen, as well as to his
greatness as a commander.
The news Of his death was all the more
startling from the fact that few of his in
innate friends had any knowledge that his
illness was considered to be serious. As
late as Saturday last he was in his private
office attending to his official duties.
When he went to Washington two weeks
ago to-day slight eruption on his neck
near the base of the brain gave him some
uneasinesS, and the Inflammation in
creased SO rapidly that on Friday, January
20, he had it lanced by DIR. O'Reilly,
the attending surgeon in Washington.
The eruption continued to discharge
| freely, and the loss Of blood Was
such as to make very perceptible differ
| cnce in his usual robust appearance. I'M
mediately after his return to Governors
Island week ago, the General sent for
DR.. John H. JaDeway, attending surgeon
of the department, who soon perceived
signs of carbuncle. To his experienced
eve the evidence of this was unmistaka-
BILE. The next day the carbun-
Gle appeared, and it gradually
grew worse, although DR.. Janeway
did not consider the condition of his
illustrious patient past the point of
speedy recovery until Sunday night,
the 7th inst, when decidedly unfavora-
BILE symptoms set in, accompanied by de-
irum The malady had then touched
the brain and there appeared to be good
|
were numbered.
Proper nourishment, consisting of con-
ccntrated beef tea, milk and stimulants
were iudiciousy administered. Colonel
Charles Sutherland, medical director on
! the island, co-opcrated with DR.. Janeway
| in attendance on the patient, and the
| General cheerfully assisted his physicians
| by complying strictly with their direc-
| tions. lie recognized their supreme
authority under these circumstances, and
| like true soldier to the last, he Obcyed
all orders of his supcriors. Although his
condition was alarming, his pulse was
regular and he rested easily up to Mon
day evening and during the greater part
Of the nights that the hope of ultimate
yccoycry was by no means abandoned.
| Oliver Russell, the Generals brother
in-law, watched by his bedside, and did
not notice any decided change until at an
early hour this morning. Between four
and five O'Clock the General becam rest
less, and was unable to take either medi-
cine or nourishment. The physicians
were called Immediately, and they sent to
this city for Dr. d. M. Stimson, of No.
West Seventeenth street, an old friend
of the Generals, who arrived at ten
| O'Clock.
In the consultation which was held the
| physicians were unanimous in their dag
nosis of what soon after proved to be
| fatal illness. This was to the effect that
| the General was rapidly sinking from
! exhaustion, caused by the loss of vitality
| incident to the powerful drain upon his
constitution made by the carbuncle, COM
plicated and aggravated by chronic dia-
betes. The General soon fell into what
appeared to be a quiet slumber.
General James B. Frye, who had served
on Hancock's staff as an assistant Adju-
tant-General, having heard that his old
commander was i'll, arrived during the
morning, and, together with Drs. Jane
way and Sutherland, Mr.. Oliver Russell,
| hospital steward Robinson, Ward, the
Generals faithful private messenger, and
Daniel, his young colored servant, were
| in the room watching and waiting, when,
at seven minutes before three O'Clock, the
| final summons came, and the great COM
mander passed away to join the noble
army of his departed comrades without
| murmur
The sorrowing spectators of this peace
! full and impressive scene were still
standing there as though trans1xed,
when the cathedral clock on the mantel-
| piece in the sitting room below sounded
| in it's three sweet-toned strokes. Then
they fully realized that all was over, and
the sad intelligence was publicly an
nounced.
| representative of the United Press
was dispatched Immediately to Governors
Island. He was allowed to look at the
Generals s remains within an hour after his
death. General Hancock lay on the bed
| in the easy natural position in which he
| died in the simple second-story chamber
| with its windows facing west and south.