The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-21
GENERAL SHERMAN.


GENERAL SHERMAN.
battle. Early in the evening the physi.
clans knew that the end was approach
ing slowly but surely. The swelling of
the face and neck had disappeared, but
with the subsldence of the symptoms of
erysipelas came the development of
lung trouble, complicated with return
of the long-standing asthma. Mucous
began once more to accumulate in the
lungs and the first signs of passive
pneumonia became apparent.
At o'clock DR.. Alexander noticed a
change for the worse. It was slight, to
be sure, but the trained eye of the
friend and physician saw an ominous
significance in it. By $50 o'clock the
change had become so marked that DIR.
Alexander sent messenger to summon
DR.. Green Shortly afterward other
messengers were sent to sum
mon Lieutenants Thackera and
Fitch. When they had come, still an
other messenger went to summon Dr.
Janeway. All this time General Sher-
man was constantly growing weaker
The will power which had kept him
up so long was breaking down. Not
a bit of strength did he have left with
which to fight off his last and mightiest
foe. He made the last rally of his life
Friday
All the family were about the Gener-
al when DIR. Janeway arrived at 7
o'clock. Another consultation was held.
DIR. JaNeway left at $3.50. A glance at
his features told the story.
''All hope is gone" he said. "The
General may live few hours longer.
He certainly can not last throughout
the day" Then this bulletin came from
the Gen aral's house:
"The physicians, after consultation, declare
that the Generals condition is now hopeless
He is dying and the end is near"
There was no mistake about it this
time as before. The erysipelas
had again set in and bronchitis
had also attacked the sick man.
At $50 another report came from
the house through a friend of
the General. He said that the dying
man was in no physical pain. 1t was
somewhat difficult for him to breathe,
but otherwise he was not suffering.
From 10 o'clock on General Sherman
continued to fail. At l1:2O it was stated
that his death was but q question of
minutes.
A son of General Sherman called on
a Times reporter at the newspaper
headquarters near the Sherman resi-
dence and severely arraigned him for
printing statement concerning the
administration of extreme JUNCTION to
General Sherman by a Roman Catholic
priest. Mr.. Sherman's vehement
objection was to what he con-
strued to be a statement in the article
that Rev. Father Matthew A. Tay-
1or was admitted quietly into the
house and that there had been great
secrecy about it. He admitted extreme
JUNCTION was administered to the Gen
eral at the request of the family. 1t
was true that General Sherman was
gasping for breath at the time, and
might not have been conscious of what
was going on about him. Mr.. Sher-
man declared positively that his
father was not a Roman Catholic, and
had neither asked for nor consented to
receive extreme JUNCTION. General
Sherman's children had asked the priest
to administer the last rites of the
Roman Catholic church to their father,
and 1t had been done. There had been
no secrecy about it whatever. Senator
John Sherman has sent to the Times
this letter:
"GENrLEMEN: A paragraph in your paper
this morning gives an erroneous view OF an in
'cident in General Shermans sick chamber
which wounds the sensitive feelings Of his chill
dren, now in deep distress, which, under the
circumstances, deem it proper to correct.
Your reporter intimates that advantage was
taken Of my temporary absence to intro
duce Catholic priest into General
ShermanN chamber to administer the
rite Of extreme JUNCTION to the sick man
in the. nature OF claim that he was
Catholic II is we'll known that his family
have been reared by their mother, devoted
Catholic In her faith and now cling TO 1t. II is
equally we'll known that General Sherman and
myself, as we'll as oil my mothers children
are by inheritance education and connection,
Christians, but not Catholics and this has been
openly avowed on all proper occasions by
General Sherman; but he is too good Chris
tian and to humane man 10 deny
20 his children the consoiAti0n Of
their religion. He was insepsible az Ne time
and apparently at the verge OF death, but II hD
had been well and in tho full exercise Of "a
faculties he would not have doAfed TO them the
consolation OF the prayers and religiOue obeerV.
ances for their father OF any GLASS or denomina.
tioh d Christian priests or preachers. Certain.
ly, had been present, would at the request
of the family have'assented to and reVerAntIS
shared in an appeal to tho Almighty for the
life here and hereafter Of my brother, whether
in q prayer or extreme unction, and whether
utteDed by priest or preacher or AnY other
good man who believed what he spoke and had
an honest faith in his creed. hear that Your
rnnnftpr uttarpd thraat In Oltnin inform ntiOh
which can not believe you would for moment
tolerate. We all need charity for our froities,
but can feel none for any one who would
wound those already In distress. Very truly
yours, JOHN SHERMAN"