St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-26
An Attempt to Serve a Sum-
mons on the Secretary on
a Sleeper.
Great Differences Of Opinion
Among Correspondents
on Blaine'S Health.
Some Of Them Express Sur
prise at the Evidences Of
Weakness and Decay.
While Others Contend That
He Looks Better Than for
Many Months.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25.-Jacques van
Raalte, native of Rotterdam, Holland,
but who resides and does business in
Glasgow, Scotland, where he is also
consul for the Netherlands. instituted
suit lately against Mr.. Blaine, as
secretary of state. Prior to 1865 Van
Raalte bought, at their then full value.
SIZE, 900 negotiable coupon bonds issued
by the Southern States. On that
day Mr.. Seward, then secretary of
state, issued proclamation which
reclted "that neither the United States
nor any other state shall pay any
debt or obligation incurred in
aid of the Rebellion against the
United States. but that all such
debts shall be held illegal and void.''
Ever since the beginning of his suit,
Mr.. Gephart, the counsel for Van Raalte.
has watched his chance to serve sum-
mons on Mr.. Blaine. Not until yester-
day did the opportunity present
itself. Mr.. Gephart learned of Mr..
Blaine's departure from New York for
Washington and stationed United States
Deputy Marshal Davis at the union
depot at Baltimore with instructions to
board the train as it came through. 1t
was O'Clock when the train came in.
The deputy inquired for Mr.. Blaine,
and was directed to sleeper. The COR
dnctor stopped him at the door with. the
statement that Mr.. Blaine was sleeping
and should not be disturbed. The
1pnntU did no IN.
and so quietly stepped off. Three min
utes later the train was pushing on to
Washington. Mr.. Gephart will watch
for Mr.. Blaine when he is awake.
MIR. Blaine's Health.
Concerning Mr.. Blaine's physical con-
ditiou opinions are diverse and contra
dictory. Every one of the score of cor
respondents who were waiting in the
station yesterday to see Mr.. Blaine
was there for the purpose of judg-
ing for himself the. truth of the va
rlouS stories that have been told
about Mr.. Biaine's health.s~NearIy all
OF these correspondents know Mr.. Blaine
personally, and have for years been ac-
customed TO watching him and noting
his movements. All of them saw Mi.
Blaine and scanned him closely in a
good light. But they cannot agree
90 " thC olS VI NDdt
they saw. Some think the secre-
tary is looking better than he has
looked for years, while others were
shocked at the evidences of weakness
and decay, and look upon MIR. Blaine as
dying man. The truth appears to be
that Mr.. Blalne's case is as mystifying
as ever, and that probably the members
OF his family are at loss what to make
of it.
MIR. Blaine Very Shaky.
While Mr.. Blaine was walking from
the train to his carriage Mrs. Blaine
supported him. He, in part, threw his
weight upon her arm, too, and it was
painfully obvious that he needed this
assistance. The secretary did not
walk with the ''elastic STEP
which the Bar Harbor dispatches
have described. His steps were lab
ored, and ne moved with that hating,
twitching movement which would have
led a sporting observer to remark that
he was ''shaky on his pins" Possibly
Mr.. Blaine can walk mile
day, as the inspiring dispatches
from Bar Harbor have stated, but
few who saw him yesterday believe he
could have walked twenty rods unas-
sisted. Every movement of his arms
and legs indicated great physical weak
ness. Even when he stopped to shake
hands with friend Mrs. Blaine did not
relax her support of him, and when he
leaned forward Oil the pavement to
shake the hand of his old coachman
Mrs. Blaine chung to his arm.
His Face Chastity Pale.
y On entering the carriage Mr.. Blaine
stood for an instant with his foot on the
step while endeavoring to lift the robe
from tho cQot II q fOffnrn6
when doing so, and did not appear to
have enough strength to lift the robe
Young Jim Blaine came to his relief
by reaching and arranging the.
robe and then assisting his father to
enter. Mr.. Blaine's face is CHASTITY pale
and many of the bystanders were
shocked when they beheld his pallid
features. AS the secretary passed out
Pm old woman remarked loud enough
| for Mr.. Blaine to overhear:
"Well, he is very sick man,
+ The pallor of his face does not indi-
cate a change of condition, for Mr..
Blaine has been almost phenomenally
pale for twelve or fifteen years. But
his eye is lusterlesS and ''dead;o he is
thinner than when he left Washington
in the spring; under his eyes are pair
of unpleasant looking puffs, and there
is a dropping and twitching about the
dry, parched lips which indicates lack
of full control OF the facial muscles.
Two strokes of Paralysis.
The opinion of a majority of the news
paper correspondents who stood in line
diagnosing Mr.. Blaine's case and after
wards sitting in judgment upon him,
was that on ''public fOrm' he is a
broken man, with barely enough
strength to move about, and with
his nervous system badly shat
fefed. Others declare that he is as we'll
as he ever was, and point to the fact
that on arriving at his house the secre-
tary alighted from the carriage unaS-
sisted, and stood a minute or more on
the steps, unsupported. talking with
friend. and doing this, apparent
iy. with the purpose of showing the
unlocking correspondents that he is at
least strong enough to stand alone.
While it is obvious that Mr.. Blaine is
very weak, the mystery as to the cause
of this weakness is as deep as ever.
Has he Bright's disease? Has he suf-
fered a stroke of local paralysis, or
is he a victim of dyspepsia or of
nervous disorder? A member of the
administration emf Dying President Har-
rison'S confidence told your correspond
ent ten days ago that the presidents
private information was that Mr.. Blaine
had suffered two light strokes
Of local paralysis, one in En-
rope and the other in Bar
Harbor, and that, as a cOnsequenceiof
this tendency to paralytic condition,
Mr. Blaine was brooding over his future
and fearing that the end might come at
any moment Ony one who saw Mr.