The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-12-19
Whe Distinguished Patient Suf-
fers Serious Relapse.
LYING AT DEATHS DOOR
His Family and Close Friends
Greatly Alarmed.
HIS PHYSICIANS NOW HOPEFUL.


Fate of His Late Chief Adviser.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-All day yes
terday the life of James G.. Blaine hung
trembling in the balance. For more
than an hour in the forenoon hope was
abandoned and the end was momentarily
expected by physicians. family and
friends. All stimulation was thrown
aside in the apparent imminent presence
of death, and the suppressed facts of
his illness the long denied but now ad-
mitted Bright's disease, the occasional
intervals of delirium, the long hours
when he has lain incapable of speech or
motion, aggravated as this has been of
late by cold contfacted-while inn
prl1dently veuturing out driving two
weeks ago, and by malarial fever, and
oonfrontt n by a constitution impaired
by nearly two years continuous sick
ness-all these facts are now tacitly ad-
mitted.
The first crisis was reached between 10
and | o'clock in the forenoon, when a
sinking spell set in. from which the
worst was feared His family were
called round the bedside and the physi-
clans sent messenger after messenger to
the nearest drug store with prescriptions
requiring hasty attention.
The distinguished patient lay unscon-
Bclous and TO all appearance dying, until
shortly before | O'Clock p m. when a
slight rally set in His pulse, which had
almost ceased to beat, became again per-
ceptible, and partial consciousness was
restored. AT 3 o'clock his physicians,
Drs. Johnston and Hyatt, considered
hun 50 much improved as to rcnder
their cRnstant presence at the bedside
unnecessary. While there had been no
marked improvement, and no change in
his condition upon which hopes of ulti-
mate recovery could be based, the inn
mediate crisis had passed
Mr.. Haic's Alarming Statement.
Mrs. Hale, wife of Senator Eugene
Hale of Maine. one of Mr. Blaines
closest friends, was at the house for
several hours during the day and made
second call late in the afternoon.
About o'clock she left and soon after
Benator Hale called Mr. Hale's state
ment, as he left the house. us to Mr..
Blaine's condition was that Mr. Blaine
Feemed little more comfortable than
ne had been earlier In the day. but that
his condition appeared to be critical. lit
may b9, he said, THAT lie will recover,
bat those who have an interest in him
have reason to be alarmed. 1t is diff
cult to name the trouble. Ii is IL gen
Pral breaking up When he takes cold
- = ygtis. -alSs consuming fever, and he is
Pin condition to Withstand it. Be-
s!des, there are the ordinary complica-
hons. His mind is perfectly clear
DR.. Hyatt returned to the house shortly
after o'clock, and was followed soon
By DR., Johnston. The fact that both
DR.. johnson and DIR. Hyatt We're sum
mOned gave rise to II rGmor that the pa
tlent was suffering from another attack
of exhaustion This. however. proved
to be an error, and the statement was
RuthoritatiYeiy made ut midlight that
nothing in the nature of relapse had
occurred. As the doctors left the house
DR.. Hyatt said he said heE hought there
was no doubt Mr.. Blaine would live
Through the night At the same time
he is undoubtedly critically i'll, and any
complication that may now arise would
doubtless cause fatal termination to
his illness
Late last night Mr.. James q. Blaine
lr., came out and said TO tho renurtcrs
1--WE think that father ID considerably
better than he was this morning He
was dangerously i'll during the forenoon.
During the afternoon. however, he
seems to have rallied somewhat Still,
hmust bo said that he is very danger
ously ILL.,
The President Anxious
These were the strongest statements
fhat had yet been made by the fanily or
ths physicians as 10 the condition of the
ex.seGr5tary
President Harrison, accompanied by
his private secretary, Mr. H. Hafori,
walB6h over from the White House to
the ex-secretary's residence last evening
to personally inquire as TO his condition,
and expressed relief and qualification at
being informed that there had been some
Rb nf le Il
toms. The excitement throughout the
CITY was intense as the News of Mr..
Blaines condition spread, and Sunday
though it was the newspapers issued ex-
tras, which found rapid sale.
From an intimate friend oF the family
1t is learned that it was only when Mr.
Blaine was suddenly seized with the
sinking spell which threatened for some
minutes to terminate in heart failure
That his family fully realized how near
ne was 10 death. For few seconds lie
seemed to De in extremis,' and the
watchers bent anxiously over him The
smaciittod face of the dying statesman
was white as marble, and his features
sadly drawn. At times he scarcely
seemed TO breathe, and at others gasped
for breath The physicians who had
been hastily summoned We're in the
meantime not idle. They piled him
with stilnulgtiye Cordials the trained
nurses chafed his extremties, and il was
only after working over the patient for
upwards of thirty minutes and the appli-
cation oiNeYeI'y art known to the medical
profession that Mr.. Blaine slowly re-
y1yed. But the battle with death found
hun extremely weak weaker than at
any time when suffering a relapse. He
was too weak even to whisper and lay
with no sign of recognition in his half
closed eyes.
mrs. Blaine's Fortftude.
The family gathered around the bed
side were all in tears, except Mrs.
Blaine. She maintained outward COM
posure throughout the trying scene, and
calmly gave such directions to the at
tendants as were necessary. Her will
power. when In fact her heart was
breaking is described as something
pathetic and marvellous. Whatever
might have been Mrs. Blaine's suspicion
qr knowledge Of her husbands condition
tnrough all of the intervening months
Of his illness she has given no outward
Agn tnat would indicate that she did
NOT peleVe ~ mis- recovery 1t has been
her cheertulness under most trying cir.
eumstapces that has soothed her nus.
bands despondency.
His PHYSICIANS Hopeful
At midnight reporter for the TTnitaa
Press had an interview with Mr. Blaine's
attending physicians, Drs w. w, ,Iobn.
son and Frank HYATT Speaking for
them both Dr. johnson saidf HMr,
Blaine u distinctly better tonight than
he was last night, and much better than
he was this m6rningh
"What was the nature d. he attack
today, doctorf''
1T was failure Of his heart to per-
form ia functions satisfactorily.
His trouble u not in his hearth" was