Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-12-13
HIS LAST MOMENTS.
Scenes at MIR. Davis Death Bed.

| - S~''S
Three weeks ago Mr. Davis left Beau
voir and went to New Orleans for medical
advice, He became the guest of MI j, II.
Payne, corner of First and Camp streets.
1t was in the guest chamber there that he
died at 10 minutes to l o'clock on Friday
morning.
The residence, built by Mr.. Payne, is one
of the most comfortable and artistic in all
the city. 1t is of brownstone, succeed,
and two stories high, with broad verandahs
and set in lovely grounds, where came
liza bushes are spiked with bloom and oran-
ges hang in clusters on trees.
The house has a wide hall running
through the centre with drawing-rooms on
one side, a library on the other, and on the
rear corner of the house is a lovely and
CHEEKY apartment, in which, the southern
sun streaming nearly all day, lay the pa
tient and distinguished invalid.
1t is wonderfully pretty room with
rich-toned Persian-hued carpet on the
floor, and shades and delicate lace curtains
at the four windows, two fronting to the
east and two to the south. Pictures are on
the walls, and there are lounges, easy Tur-
kish chairs, and pretty carved tables and
a huge carved oak Victoria bedstead, on
which the ex-President of the Confedera-
cy lies in the embrace of death.
| HIS HELPMATE IN LIFE
His constant attendant has been Mrs
Davis, who has never left his bedside since
his illness began.
In comfortable home-wrapper of gray
and black, this gentle, mlnistering wife
was always at the invalid S side, and if she
left him for moment he asked for her,
and was fretted OF uneasy until she re-
| turned.
! His friends constantly sent him beautiful
flowers, of which Mr.. Davis was very fond,
but these were not allowed to remain in
the sick room for any length of time. At
the outset, jellies, fruits, and all manner of
invalid delicacies were proffered until Mrs
Davis was compelled to decline them.
The sick mans food was only milk, ice,
beaf-tea, and rarely broiled chop.
MI. Davis remained in bed all the time,
and was never left alone, being guarded
lovingly by his wife and the capable quad
room hired nurse Lydia, and Mrs. Davis's
own little hroWn-eyed hand-maiden Betty,
who at all times had all entre6 to the sick
room, But little talking was allowed, and
newspapers, letters, and kilograms We're
tabooed.
On Wednesday afternoon reporter had
a Jew moments conversation with Mrs
Davis. She was worn and wearied with
service at the sick bed, hut which she
would not allow to any other, and her step
was tagging as she came into the dining
room. She was very hopeful, however, of
her husbands ultimate recovery.
| From the beginning Of his fatal Illness
MI. Davis had insisted that his case was
quite hopeless, though the dread of pain OF
fear of death never appeared to take the
slightest hold upon his spirits, which were
brave and even buoyant from the begin
ming OF the attack. In vain did the doctors
strive to impress upon him that his health
was improving. He steadily insisted that
| Tiers was 40 ln.IIQNement, but with Chris
| tan resignation he was content to accent
whatever Providence had in store for him.
Only once did he wayer in his belief that
his case showed no improvement. and that
was at an early hour Thursday morning,
when he playfully remarked to Mr. PAYNE:
| Il am afraid that | shall be compelled to
agree with the doctors for once and admit
that l am little BETTER
| FAVORABLE SYMPTOMS.
All day long favorable symptoms CONT
nued, and late in the afternoon as late as
) o'clock, Mrs. Davis sent such cheering
messages to Mrs. Stamps and Mr.. and Mrs
Farrar that they decided for the first time
since NJ. Davis had been taken i'll, to at
| tend the French opera.
! At o'clock Thursday evening, without
any assignable cause. MI. Davis was seized
with a congestiye chill, which seemed to
absolutely crush the vitality out of his al
ready enfeebled body So weak was Mr.,
Davis that the violence of assault soon
subsidized for lack Of vitality upon which
to Prey. From that moment to the morning
of his death the history OF his case was a
gradual sinking.
HIS LAST WORDS.
Att O'clock Mrs. Davis administered
some medicine, but the ex-President de-
clined to receive the whole dose. She arg
ed upon him the necessity Of taking the re-
-,