Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-03-28
A NATIONAL LOSS.
The Supreme Court Invaded by the Grim
Messenger-Chief Justice Waite Sue
cumbs to an Illness of Short Dura-
ton.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March 23.-Chief
Justice Waite, of the United States SUI
preme court, died at his residence in
this city at 6:10 o'clock this morning.
| Particulars of the illness of Chief
Justice Waite are obtained from DR..
Caroline B. Winslow, who has been the
family physician for the last thirteen
years. The imme date cause of his
death, the Doctor said was nervous fail
ure Of the action of the heart, and it
came with such startling suddenness as
to be absolutely appalling. There was
not the vaguest symptoms of heart
complication throughout his sickness.
On Saturday night the Chief Justice at
tended the authors reception, given by
Senator and Mrs. Hearst, but feeling
! slightly indisposed, he left their house
early. About half an hour after he
| chill and Immediately retired. At 3
o'clock in the morning DR.. Winslow was
called and found the Chief JUS
tice suffering acute pain in his
back and bones. Later on in
the morning he felt somewhat better
and rested quite comfortably. At this
time he said to his physician in tone Of
inquiry that he must attend court on
| Monday. He was cautioned to take no
chances. He persisted that he felt quite
well enough to ride to the capitol, and
return and looked for no unfavorable
results from little outing. On Mon
dav, after his return from the
capitol, the physician called and found
him complaining of a soreness in his
right lung, and when asked to take a
long breath said that the effort caused
him pain. An examination showed
that part of his right lung, two or more
inches in diameter, was hepatized. This
was accompanied with slight cough.
He was extremely restless, as indeed he
had been from the first, and his
face was much flushed. He was very
wakeful during Monday night, lying on
his right side most of the time. He
rested easier on that side, he said, than
on the other or his back. While bis i'll
ness was 0y no means regarded as crit
zeal, his physician, on Tuesday, sug-
gested that his son, G. G.. Waite, be
teleeraphed for which was done.
The Chief Justices condition remain
ed much the same during Tuesday
morning. He was very cheerful and
laughingly remarked to those present
that he didn't know how to be sick, but
later in the day symptoms of acute
bronchitis appeared, and on Wednes-
day. symptoms of pneumonia, made
He breathed hard and with a
slight groan; and when asked if
he was in pain, smilingly replied that
he was not in pain, but he really did
"not know how to be sick"
There was no material change during
the day. He remained cheerful,
talking pleasantly with his nurse
and attendants. During the night
of Wednesday and on Thursday
he was quite comfortable, no one feel
ing any alarm, though naturally anx-
ious. He was getting along well, every
one believed, and when at 10 o'clock
last evening his physician left him he
responded to her good night" as cheer
fully and in as strong voice as he did
in health.
The nurse who remained during the
night observed no change in his condi-
ton, not even in the expression of his
face, until o'clock this morning, when
he turned over on his back. and in ten
minutes was dead.
| On Monday when he attended court,
the Chief Justice was accompanied by
his daughter, who took wraps and a bot
tie of hot beer extract in case he should
need them, but aside from slight fatigue
|
ginning of his illness the Chief
Justice, fearing to needlessly alarm
his wife, who was on her way to
California in company with an invalid
sister, cautioned those about him to
keep his condition from the newspa-
pers. He was not alarmed himself, and
was unwilling that his wife's journey
should be curtailed or interfered
with by his slight indisposition.
It is said by his physician
that this was the only severe illness the
Chief Justice ever had in his life except
that Of two years ago when he suffered
sometime from erysipelas in his face and
hands
Justice Waite's illness was due to
trouble with his liver and spleen; COM
plicated by very painful stomach dis
orders. Justice Waite had a very seri-
Gus fit of sickness Just at the close of the
administration of President Arthur.
He was confined to his house
for several weeks with an at
tack of erysipelas that threatened
at one time to have fatal termination.
The serious character of his illness at
that time was not generally known un-
til after the crisis had been passed, and
it was not until he became we'll enough
to be up and about his house on I
| SCACO1 CuctG newspaper paragraphs
appeared reporting him to be in
danger. The justice was hale
man to look at, but he had stroke OF
paralysis some years ago and his friends
were solicitous about him on that ac-
count, fearing a recurrence of the old
symptoms. After his recovery from
that illness he travelled and sought
recreation by prolonged abstention from
the duties of the supreme court.
Chief-Justice Waite's daughter, Miss
Mary F. Waite, and his son, G. G. Waite
| (vice- president of Cincinnati, Hamilton
& Dayton Railroad), were with him
when he died. Drs. Caroline B. Wins
slow and Frank A. Gardner were in at
tendance. Mrs. Waite left Washington
for California about week ago and is
supposed now to be in Los Angeles.
Arrangements for the funeral have
not as yet been made. The Chief Jus.
tice will be buried in Toledo, O.