The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-04-17

| baaObL hANDhLL'
Death had come with the coming OF
| the dawn. The watchers saw that all
was over and the brave wife and daught-
er, who had nursed and cared for him
during his long illness, could restrain
their feelings no longer, but gave way
to their grief, while the physician and
| Mr.. Wanamaker endeavored to console
| them as best they might, though their
own grief hardly permitted them to
speak.
Mr.. Randall's death had been expect
ed at any time during the past three
days and his family and friends knew
| that he could not last much longer.
The physicians had informed the fami-
ly that death might come almost any
hour, and last night they told Mrs. Ran
dali that his endurance could not pro-
long his life through another day.
Friday night had been bad one for
the sick man and he had several sinking
spells, from which he rallied, to the as
tonishment of his physicians. These,
however, left him weaker, and when
morning came it was evident that his
extraordinary vitality had almost left
him. He rested easily and comfortably
during the fore part of the day, and the
doctor was encouraged to hope that he
might live several days yet. He took
some nourishment and dozed off without
difficulty. Shortly after o'clock, how
ever, marked change was noticed in
his appearance and he seemed almost to
sink away. This spell was worse than
any of the preceding ones, and it was
thought that the end was at hand. All
the members of the family were present
and also DIR. Mallan, who has attended
Mr.. Randall through his illness, and
who has grown to have an interest in
the case almost as great as that of one
of the family.
DIR. N. S. Lincoln, the consulting ply
sician, and Postmaster-General Wana-
maker, were hastily summoned. They
remained around the bedside, expecting
each moment would be the last, until 6
o'clock, when he rallied some from the
state of collapse. 1t left him with very
little strength remaining, and DIR. NAL
Ian became convinced that he could
hardly live through the night.
DIR. Lincoln left soon after o'clock,
but others remained with the sick man.
There was little or no change up to mid
night, except that he was steadily grow
ing weaker.
Young Sammy Randall went to a
neighbor's house to sleep, but was
hastily summoned about o'clock in the
morning, when the doctor informed the
family that Mr.. Randall could not live
through the night. He was in state
of semi-unconsciousness most of the
time.
About $3.50 o'clock he had another
sinking spell and afterwards his mind
became more bright. The sick man lay
in the front room of the second story of
his modest home and daylight was just
beginning to shed its rays into the
room when Mr.. Randall opened his eyes
and looked tenderly at his wife. He re-
cognized her and in half whisper said
simply mother" He then closed his
eyes and sank away, death coming from
exhaustion, as the bells of a nearby
church rang the hour of o'clock to call
worshipers to early mass.
Mr.. Randall's death was painless, and
he was unconscious during the greater
part of his last hours. There were in
tervals when, from the intelligent and
steady gaze which he directed at those
about him, he must have been conscious,
but he seemed unable to speak, and the
word mother" was the only one he
uttered for hours preceding his death.
This word he murmured so low that the
only one who recognized what he said
was his daughter, who was kneeling just
behind him.
Around him were Mrs. Randall
Robert E. Randall, Miss Susan Randall,
Mrs. Lancaster, the married daughter,
and her husband, Samuel Randall, Jr.,
DR.. Mallan, Postmaster-General Wana-
maker and the household servants.
For moment the family hardly real
lied that all was over, but then as the
fact that he was dead broke upon them
they gave way to their grief and burst
into tears. The shock was especially
severe to Mrs. Randall and her daughter
Susan, who, rejecting all offers of assist
ance, have nursed the husband and
father throughout his illness of almost
two years duration.