Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-01


of Medicine-objo and temperance.
john sherman and Allison--something
About Jennie Chamberlain, the Beauty.
Special Correspondence
CLEVELAND May 23--Ntrs. James A.
Gar. cid is living very quietly at Mentor,
Ma: ~ preparations for the two weddings
wi..h are to shortly take place in her
fa;- =. Friends of hers tell me that she
h. ot changed to any degree since Pres.
i.:. Carheld's death She is devoting
hc; f 10 her family, and She is we'll sat
Is with her son and daughter in-law in
pro nctu Stanley Brown. who will
mar" Miss Mollie Garfield. has shown
hilr@ylf to be a man of sterling ability
and worth, and Miss Mason, who is to be
Harry Gartield's bride comes of one of
the good families of the Western Reserve.
The Mentor homestead has been enlarged,
and it is now one Of the pleasant ramb-
ling country seats in the United States.
1t is within ia hour Of Cleveland, on the
Lake Shore railroad, and the Garfield es-
tate is within u short distance of a very
pretty depot. Mrs. Garfield likes it so
well that she has long since decided to
sell her Cleveland home and this, | am
told, is now in the market. understand
she still holds her Washington house, on
the corner Of Franklin park and | street,
and this is the house which Garfield
bought when he was in congress. 1t is a
three story square pressed brick, worth
about $25 0C0, and is on the edge of fash
tonable Washington, and not far from
the home of John Sherman.
Speaking of Mrs Garfield calls atten.
tion to the severe illness of DR. Bliss, who
was the chief of Presidents Garfelds
physicians. Dr. Bliss failing health
dates from the day Of Garfelds assassi-
nation and the seeds of his present trou-
BILE were sown in the care and watching
which he devoted to the presidents bed
side. From the time Garfield was shot to
his death Bliss was with him almost day
and night. He gave up a practice amount
ing to from $25, GOO 70 $50, 900 year and
for those weary months let himself ont
body and soul to the government and it's
president. He was the watchguard of
the bedchamber, and was the moving
spirit of the wonderful means which kept
Garfield alive for months After his
death he found himself broken down. lie
was forced to take a vacation. and he
came back at the end of six months some
what better. He soon failed again. how
ever, and for the past two years he has
been unable to attend to his practice, and
the result is that instead of being the
leading doctor of the capital, and the
easy poss" r Of an income of $50. 900 a
year, he is poor and his health is broken.
His fate is that of all men who have
done work for Uncle Sam without having
written contract before the work was
performed.
DR.. Bliss put in a bill for his services In
the Garfield case for less than he could
have made during the time in his easy
outside practice. Uncle Sam gave him
one-ffth Of what he asked for and told
him to whistle for the rest. He might
have made up the money loss easily if his
health had not been broken He did re-
gain much of his old practice, but his
constitution could not stand the strain,
and it is now question of life or death
saw him in the Capitol at Washington
not long ago, and | was surprised at the
change in him. Before Garfield was shot
he was apparently in his very prime. Tall,
straight and black eyed, he had the face
of a gentleman scholar His hair was
black, and his well combed let side wills
Eers made him one Of the most admired
men Of Washington. A good talker. a
good LIVER and the most noted doctor of
the capital he was one of the leading
public men of the United States. and was
the life Of many an elegant crowd He
was man of ideas a thinker and a gem
tle1nan welcomed everywhere. He lived
| in fine style and he drove one of the finest
teams Of Washington city. Fond of music
and the theater, he was in the very thick
OF the life at the capital, and with his big
reputation and income he seemed to have
DIothing more to wish for.
Then came Garfeld's sickness. and every
little whipper snapper OF a country doctor
in the United States began to abuse and
criticise him. The worry of the sick room
and of the nation was added to by the
barking of the Trays, Blanches and Sweet
hearts of his profession, and he broke
down under the strain. Then the nation
refused to pay his bill, and the result is
ss have stated.
1t is easy to criticise and the alibi gods
exist in every profession. These albi
gods, as Gath" calls them, are the men
who never do anything great themselves,
but who can tell you just how the great
men make their mistakes and how much
better they would have done if they had
been there. But they are never there,
and it is perhaps well for the world that
they are not
These alibi gods of medicine sprang up
all over the country while Garfield was
sick, and they helped to ruin Bliss. They
came to the front during the illness Of
Cen. Grant, and blighted the life of Dr.
Douglass, one of the kindest and ablest
of physicians who ever managed a case
of that kind. | heard one of them whis-
per that Conkling was murdered by his
doctors and they hevered over the corpse
of Chief Justice Waite and embittered
the sorrow of his widow by their unjust
suspicious. They are croaking today
about the illness of the emperor of Ger
many, and they will keep on croaking
over the diseases of great men until some
day the God of disease will lay his hand
npon them and they will die from taking
the medicine which they would prescribe
for others. ~
Cleveland is growing like green bav
rec 1t has at least 100000 people now
pnd claims more. 1t has tens of million
ipau nd