Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-01-07
THE PREMIER SICK.
Secretary Blaine Frustrated at
His Post Of Duty.
ALARM AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

An Attack of His Old Complaint Over
comes Him for AN Hour and Fills the
City with startling RumOrs, One of
Which Il that 1t Was Apoplexy-The
Illness, However, Not Regarded Seri-
ous-The House sits Down on n $780,
600 Appropriatiou-SiIve Talk in the
sennte-W Gton Notes.
WAsHINGToN, Jan. Secretary Blaine's
prostration 10y illness while dscharging
his onerous duties ut the state department
yesterday was sufficient to fill the city
with every Kind of alarming rumor The
attack came upon him while he was en-
gagged in the transaction of business in the
spacious and well ventilated diplomatic
reception room, which he has OF late or
dinarily occupied when at the department,
in preference to the less commodious Of
flee which j. regarded as the secretary of
states private room. His illness was
sudden and was accompanied by vertigo
and nausea
Resembled His Former Attacks.
The preliminary symptoms of the at
Gus visitatiOnS-one two years ago after
the Gardner Hubbard dinner in this city,
which kept him confined to his room six
weeks, and the other of more recent date,
following his visit to New York to take
part in the opening of the Damrosch music
hall, which resulted in an illness Of six
mOnths-IuOre or less of course, excited
the approximations of those around him.
His daughter, Miss Hattie Blaine, was
telephuned for AT his residence only two or
three squares distant from the state de-
partmeut, and promptly responded and
came to her fathers aid at the depart
ment.
Visited by the President.
In about an hour Mr. Blaine was suf-
ficientIy recovered to be removed to his
house i'll the department carriage, where
the family We're soon besieged by callers
anxious to learn the secrctary's condition.
President Harrison walked over from the
White House. and was shown up to the
secretarys room. Attorney General Nil
Ter, whose official quarters abut on the
Blaine mansion. also saw him. During
the balance Of The day there was a constant
succession Of inquiries from the highest
officers in the government a. well as from
members of the diplomatic corps and the
secretary many personal friends.
The Result OF IDdiscrction.
Surgeon General Browne. OF the navy
whose Office is in one of the rooms assigned
TO the navy department on the floor below
the secrctary's offices, was summoned, and
came up at once, and administered such
remedies ~ the occasion demanded. He
gave the same diagnosis that accompanied
the previous attacks. that the secretary's
illness the result OF indiscretion in
eating failure To take proper exercise, and
excessive mental eNertiou under these I'M
favorable conditions. The attack occurred
shortly before noon.
Not Regarded a. Serious.
To all callers the same answer was given
that Mr. Blaine WAS better, and that his
illness was not regarded rs serious; that, in
fact it was considered as merely stOm-
ach troUtyAp. Mr.. Blaine is habitually care
less as toaHs food, eating what is set he
fore him, regardless of its character as di-
gestibe or otherwise Mrs. Blaine herself
has been to considerable extent an in
valid for some weeks. and the sccretary's
friends trace indirectly to this fact Mr..
Blaine's present trouble On every hand,
however, the hope is expressed that the
present sickness will turn out to he only
OF a temporary and trivial character.
\ Druggists Diagnosis.
George Alfred Townsend l"Gath) tclc-
graphed the following to the New York
Sun: "Thnmp-uu, the Central druggist,
tells me that Mr. Blaine surely had "a
knock-dowu stroke like apopipNy this afJ-
eruOOu.'