Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-07
MACDONALD IS DEAD.
Canada's Premier Passes
Peacefully Away.
The Great Mans Wonderful
Combat with Death.
He Could Not Die So Long as His
Will Power Remained.
The Entire Dominion Plunged in Grief.
Lady Macdonald Prostrated-A
Biographical Sketch.
Associated Press Dispatches.

OTTAWA, June 6.-Sir John Macdonald
is no more. The distinguished states
man who has guided the destinies o.
Canada for nearly half a century, passed
peacefully away at 10 :15 tonight, sur
rounded by his entire household. Lady
Macdonald, who bore up SO bravely dur.
ing his fatal illness, is now prostrated
with grief. All the church bells are
tolhng, and thousands of citizens are
expressing deep regret at the premier's
demise.
For hours the members of the house
hold had been watching at the bedside,
waiting to see life depart. Although
the physicians declared last night that
Sir John could not survive until morn
ing, they had not made allowance for
his marvellous vitality. He had lost
consciousness thirty hours ago, and had
taken no nourishment since, save small
quantities of champagne, which were
administered with difficulty:
THE UNEQUAL STRUGGLE.
The premier, sick unto death, kept up
the unequal struggle until after 10
O'Clock tonight. For days, it is as
sumed, he resisted the inevitable by
sheer force of his powerful will, but
yesterday his consciousness disappeared,
never to return. In the ensuing period
nature, now no longer restrained, as
serted itself. Life's fire, already burning
low, fiickered and smouldered as though
the soul would not leave its earthly
tabernacle.
ALL HOPES VANISHED.
AT 10 O'Clock this morning hundreds
who called to make inquiries realized
that all hopes had now vanished for
ever. The news from the sick room was
more discouraging than ever. A strange
and leaden color oyer-spread his counte-
nance, and his extremities as
sumed an icy coldness. Once or twice
the watchers at his bedside thought
death had come, and DIR. Powell, hold
ing the premier's pulse, discovered only
faint trace of life. Lady Macdonald
for three hours before the sad event
never left the room, for an instant. Tha
other watchers included Mary, her in
valid daughter; Hugh John Macdonald,
the premier's son; Job Pope, Sir Johns
faithful private secretary, and near
friends OF the family.
THE FINAL COLLAPSE.
At 10 pm. complete collapse set in.
In the succeeding few minutes the pre-
mier's breathing became more and more
labored, and only the slightest flutter of
the heart indicated life's presence.
At 10:l5 the premier gave few long
and heavy inspirations, and, without
struggle or the slightest evidence of
pain, passed away.
An undertaken was promptly notified
to prepare the body for embalmment.
The funeral is likely to take place Tues
day next, and will be of a state charac
ter. On that day the body will likely
be removed to the senate chamber and
lie in state for four or five hours. The
interment will subsequently take place
at Kingston, Ont, where the premier's
first wife and father are buried.
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
[Sir John Alexander Macdonald was
born in Glasgow, Scotland, January 15,
1916; emigrated with his parents to
Kingston, Ont, in 1920; received a
grammar-school education and took up
the law as his profession, being admit
ted to the bar in 1885, He entered pub
lie life in 1874 as the representative of
Kingston in the Ontario assembly, of
which he continued member until the
union of the provinces in 1867, when he
was elected to the house OF commons Of
Canada. He soon became the foremost
statesman of the Dominion, aud
in 1871 negotiated the treaty
OF Washington, for which SER
vice he was rewarded by
being called to the privy council Of
Great Britain, an honor seldom con-
ferred on colonial statesman. He had
many other high honors conferred upon
him, and, although several times de-
feated at the polls in the course of his
political career, few statesmen of any
country have more uniformly command
ed the confidence of the people. Sir
John had natural abilities of the highest
order, was an authority on constitu-
tional law, and ranked high as public
speaker and parliamentary debater. His
bitterest opponents never charged him
with being governed by avarice or per-
sonal ambition in his conduct of public
affairs.