Morning journal and courier., 1891-10-13
THE LATE GOVERNOR BIGELow.

THE LATE GOVERNOR BIGELOW. His Last Hours-HIs sudden Demise The City Mourns-Sketch of the Life of Decentralization Taken By the Republican League Last Night The Funeral To-MorrOw at the Church of the Redeemer-The Fun- era1 Arrangements.
 The city mourns ex-Governor Bigelow, whose death occurred yesterday morning at the New Haven house shortly before g o'clock. Everywhere about town the sad news, was received with sorrow. The National flag was at half-mast on the old green. At the Republican league, the National colors were also at half-mast and the fine portrait of the deceased in the league parlors was draped in mourn ing. At the Quinnipiack club the flag was at half-mast. Citizens everywhere expressed sorrow and regret, and the feeling that public loss had been sus- tained was universally met with.
 Ex-Governor Bigelow's death was very sudden and unexpected and came as a shock to all, as he had spent so comforts ble day and night just preceding that the suspense and fear of his family and friends had given place to hope and cheer. When the ex-governor awoke yesterday he remarked that he was feeling better and spoke in cheerful vein. He con- tinued in this cheery spirit and later re- marked to his wife that he felt more like himself again and had renewed hopes that he would soon be able to be out again and take the air. When, at about half-past eight o'clock his physician, Dr. Whittemore, came, the nurse greeted him with the information comfortable night, the improvement mani fest on the day before having been con- tinued. Said the nurse: "My patient, doc tor, says he feels much better and that he has had comfortable night and is feeling much easier" Dr. Whittemore, turning to ex-Governor B:gelow, said to him: 'T trust, Governor, you will confirm what the nurse has told me-" "Yes," Govern or Bigelow replied, with cheerfulness and animation, fI hope now to get up by and by" "Well, how are you feeling," the doctor added. "Au right" replied Gov ernor Bigelow, "all except for little bad feeling here," pointing to his chest. Dr. Whittemore placed his ear to the patients chest, and hardly had he finished listen ing, when Governor Bigelow was seized The convulsion lasted about ten minutes, and although he did not suffer any, his death was a most painful one to witness. It was 8 very sad scene and the event shock and terrible disappointment to his wife, who was present. and to the family. Only the day before the governor had resumed much of his old natural cheeriness of spirit and rallied the doctor and his attendant regard ing his diet, jokingly asking how he could regain strength on such light food as was permitted him in his enfeebled state. The doctor answered him that the diet would be regulated with due regard to his return of strength. "Well," !" said the ex-governor iestingly, "how about small bird on toast to-day and larger one to-morrow?"
 Governor Bigelow had rallied so material ly Sunday and was feeling so much better yesterday that his son, Frank, finding his father still feeling so much improved. felt that he might venture to go to the office in New York to attend to business matters awaiting him there and which he had been postponing from day to day during his attendance upon his father. Hardly had he arrived in New York when he was summoned back by telegraph by the sad news of his fathers death. To Mrs. Bige- low, wife of Governor Bigelow, the blow vas nearly prostrating, especially after her hopes had been so revived.
 The ex-governor's death was apparently painless and it's suddenness was in accord rp;f ho had pressed to his wife. His physician says of l the case: "Governor Bigelow died in an uramic convulsion, which was produced l by chronic inflammation of the kidneys l the invasion of which disease was so insid- | ious that it would be impossible to say | when it began. Ursemia is symptom ot 1 this disease, and the heart trouble which has been so frequently spoken of was ol course entirely dependent upon the i'm proper action of the kidneys. Governor Bigelow was first taken sick on Tuesday September 29, and then complained of blurred vision, difficulty in breath ing and neuralgia pain in tht chest. He was advised to keep to his room, which he did, and on the following Thursday, October 1, was sud denly seized with convulsions. This wal about 6:30 in the evening, and in the next l sions, amounting to about twenty in all Some of these convulsions were so severe that the governors life was despaired of
 but by the use of powerful remedies they were finally controlled and the danger fol time awarded off These severe convul | sions, however, were followed by semi l coma. The convulsions were likely to re l cur at any moment, and have from tht
 very first regarded his condition as mos
 critical, for I believed that the disease which produced the convulsions was in curable. For the past few days he hal
 been very comfortable, however.
 During his illness the governor wal
 never made aware of the serious nature O.
 his disease but he nevertheless seemed tt
 be apprehensive that his disease was
 grave one and during his conscious mo
 ments was very Respondent. This wa
 only natural, however, for he had neve
 been sick in bed day in his whole life
 He had a remarkable sturdy constitution
 and came from stong and vigorous fami
 ly, as is shown by the fact that both hi
 father and mother, who reside in Clinton
 vile, North Haven, are yet alive, the form
 CT being almost ninety years of age.
 was only his wonderful vitality that kep
 him alive on the irst night when he sui
 fered that long succession of terrible con
 vulsions and it was owing to the fact tha
 he was such vigorous man that they en
 tertained hopes for his recovery"
 A favo-ite place for ex-Governor Bige
 low to call for an hour or so in the even
 ing was at the Quinnipiack club, near tn,
 hotel. He was always very welcom
 addition to the circle of congenial mem
 bers upon these occasions. His death vii
 be regarded by the members as persona
 loss.
 Ex-Governor Bigelow frequently spen
 an hour or two afternoons at the Republi
 can league rooms, and it was while ther
 that he felt the first serious symptoms o
 his last illness. He was sitting resting hi
 feet on 8 chair and speaking to MT. Bas
 sett, ex-United States minister to Hayt
 who was near, when he said he felt pal
 in the chest which was beginning to alarr
 him. MT. Bassett advised him to see
 doctor at once in the matter. Governo
 Bigelow replying said he had decided to d so. This was the afternoon before he wa
 taken ill, two weeks ago to-day. Governo
 Bigelow was member of the league an
 had served upon the league's executiv committee. He was also an ex-presider F of the Mercantile club. The full details (
 his life are given in the sketch of his lii given below, taken from the History o New Haven, and which was prepared un der the ex-Governor's immediate supervis ion.
 Of splendid physique, fine presence an
 carriage, 8 handsome, manly man, e1
 Governor Bigelow was one who would al \ k~.no oI L