The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-21
EX-PRESIDENT G. A. ARTHUR
The Causes Leading to the Present Ill
ness of the Former Chief Executive.
His Private Griefs and Political Disappoint-
ments Prove Load Under Which He
Breaks Down and Becomes an Invalid.
Special to the Indianapolis journal.

| ana ne is SO carefully protecLe0 agatnSb tuoSe
who try to find out the truth as to his condition,
that it is impossible to tell just how near TO or
| how far from death he is. All the rest of the
| nports about his morbid desire not to miss a
word that is printed about him. about his pros
| tration and the sorrowful state of mind into
which he has fallen, are said by his friends to be
very little in excess of the truth. His illness
began with an ailment of the kidneys; that, in
| turn, grew out of disconnected mental condi-
| ton which has grown more and more melan-
choly; and now it is said that he eats little else
than baked apples and milk, and is very weak
indeed
"Chester A Arthur's recent history has been
peculiar" says friendly publication ITO
put his case into the fewest possible words, and
yet to give it the fullest explanation his heart
| was broken when he found he had to leave the
White Heuse. This country never knew a case
| like his. On the 4th of March, 1885, when
Grover Cleveland was installed in the executive
mansion, and Arthur came to take his leave, his
friends say he gave way to tears. He had be-
| como infatuated with his position, with social
life at the capital, and with all the power. dig
nifty and honor that. in his case above all other
Presidents. was 80 little blended with the dis
fractions that attend high Office in countries
rent by internal trouble, distress. or popu-
| lar discomfort. Hayes and Arthur had
the easiest and quietest administrations of the
last half century, if not of the entire
existence of the Nation. In fact. as we glance
over President Arthurs regime we shall see that
what annoyances he did feel were mainly of his
own making. Having quilted the White House,
he did not quit Washington, but went to the
house of Secretary Frelinghuysen. with whose
family he had been on the warmest terms of
friendship Late In the summer. or autumn,
when he came back to New York. it was
nounced thai he had re-entered his former part
nership with Lawyers Kneval and Ransom, and
| much space was given I'D in the newspapers to
descriptions of the elegance with which the ex-
Presidents room, first in the suite Of handsome
apartments rented for the firm in the Mutual
| Life building, was fitted up But that elegance
was not sufficient to win back the ex-President
| to the humdrum course of events in law Office,
and he has seen very little indeed of his magnif-
cent room there.
has so engrossed his mind, but 1t is not the only
| grief that has fallen upon this kindly, genial,
even-tempered gentleman, for whom nearly
all who know him entertain so high re-
find kindly Judgment in the hearts of the people
generally. His first great grief was occasioned
by the loss of his wife. She was an exceptional
woman noble among the noblest, and his love
for her was great that to this day his friends
think it ineffaceabe. She was the daughter of
Lieutenant Herndon, who met tragic
death. Being in ship off the coast with body
OF soldiers, a storm was encountered and the
ship foundered Herndon that the ships
boats were needed to save the women and chill
dren, and he ordered his soldiers to remain while
the weaker ones were put off to shore. Thus he
and they went to their graves. heroes, every one
of them-they for their fidelity to discipline, and
he for his humane application of it.
General Arthur had sbeen elected Vice-presi-
dent on a ticket made up to interest and carry
the State of New York, and Senators Conkling
and Plat had resigned their places In Washing
ton and were in Albany fighting to be reinstated,
with Mr.. Arthur as their ally, when Mrs Arthur
died 1t was peculiar and most trying time
for Arthur. His wife had been proud beyond
expression at her husbands elevation, and he
had left her at home while he obeyed an unfeel-
ing and altogether unworthy summons by some
of the leaders of his party to go to Albany and
take part in the fierce political battle waging
there. 1t was out Of place and huniliating for
the Vice president to bother. but the leaders in
sisted that in such an extraordinary situation
ordinary rules must be ignored. While he was
there the painfulness of his position was ex-
aggerated. it will be remembered by report
published everywhere that the Vice president
d
Roscoe Conklng, and had there been severely
upbraided for remissness in some way or an
other. Whether the report was true or not time
has not made public but on the next day the re-
port was silenced by the appearance, in the thick
OF the struggling. camoring crowd of politicians
in the hotel, of Vice president Arthur and Sena-
tor Conkling, arm-in arm Thus they went out
into the street and back through the crowd
again
news reached him that cold his wife had con-
tracted while he was last with her, and which
then seemed trivial had developed into fatal
illness, and that he must hurry if he would see
her alive. The last express had gone, and it was
found that he could soonest reach New York by
a milk train. His feelings as he was dawdled
along the journey of 150 miles, stopping at even
the smallest hating places, can better be I'M
sgined than described His wife was yet alive
when he reached her bedside but she only re-
manned SO a little while, and she died in his
arms. He was so oyerpowered with anguish by
the loss that mis- spirit seemed utterly crushed
for time General Sharpe went back to AL
bany little later, saying that the night after
Mrs. Arthur's death he had walked the whole
night long up and down Fifth avenue with the
General who was almost distracted.
The Vicepresident was on Hudson river
steamboat, on his way from Albany to New
York, on the I'd of July, 1881. AS the boat
neared her wharf in New York, policeman
shouted from the string piece that President
Garfield had been shot General Arthur drop
ped into chair, as if he had been shot and
buried his face in his hands. From that mo-
ment until be became President, in fact. no
blame was attached to his conduct, trying as the
ordeal was, and angry as the popular temper
prov I'd to be- Yet in the next year he adopted
a political course that gained defeat for his
party in the State, and that many of his friends
think led to his failure to be returned as Presi
dent. Alonzo B. Cornell was Governor of the
State of New York, and was DESTROYS OF being
returned He and President Arthur had not
frio dc nd fha mt Il
Folger. Secretary OF the Treasury, in nomina-
ton. The result was that Grover Cleveland
was Overwhelmingly elected and in two years
succeeded Mr.. Arthur in Washington.
While in the White House, endeavoring in all
ways to overcome the prejudice against him on
account of Garfeld's death, and making no
other mistake-that is, If Cornells defeat in con-
vention mistake-he endured another sore