The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-19
A SCARE OVER BLAINE.
THE Ex-sEoRETARY AT DEATHS
DOOR IN THE MORNING.

Later in the Day He Rallied and Was
Not in Immediate Danger Last Night.
His Condition so Weak That Sink
ing Spell May Garry Him Off at Any
Time.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1s.-At s o'clock TO-
night newsboys were crying. Extra, Ex-
tral Blaine is dead !" all over Washington.
A local paper had gotten out an extra en-
nouncing in big headlines under a picture
Of Mr. Blaine: "Near Death-Mr. Blaiues
Condition Critical-His Fatal Malady-
Waiting for the End-Physicians Have
Little Hope, etc.," and in spite of the fact
that 1t was Sunday evening half the news.
boys In town were trying to sell it. They
cried 1t past the white house and copy of it
was bought for the President. They cried
1t past the red house and James G. Blaine,
Jr., got a copy Of it. Mr.. Blaine himself
may have heard their shrill cries. Mrs.
Blaine certainly did. Her feelings and
those Of the rest of the family may be
imagined. The streets were we'll
filed with people on their way to
church. many of whom bought the extra,
supposing that it contained the announce
ment Of Mr.. Blaine's death, and all believ-
ing it to be true as some thing they had been
expecting. When they glanced through the
rwo columns of the extra they learned that
Mr.. Blaine was worse. that he had had a
sinking spell this morning and that his
death was momentarily expected.
DECLARED BETTER BY HIS DOCTOR.
DR.. Johnston, Mr.. Blaine's physician, was
as much disturbed as the family by the
extra. He said as soon as he heard of it:
"There is no truth in the statement that Mr..
Blaine Is dying. There is no danger Of his
dying tonight. He did have bad turn
this morning, but he was quite as well when
saw him little while ago as he was at the
same time last evening. He is bright and
BETTER" \
He would not define more exactly than
on his bulletin last night the character or
location of the "local organic diseasen
which had manifested itself recently and to
which Mr.. Blaines present condition is due.
He denied once more, however, that it was
Bright's disease, but it is evident that Mr..
Blaine's kidneys are affected. DR.. Johnston
denied emphatically that Mr.. Blaine had
had hemorrhege this morning, as was re-
ported this afternoon. Nevertheless he did
not deny that in his present weakness Mr..
Blaine's condition was critical.
AT THE DOOR OF DEATH.
The fact is that this morning, after bad
night with a high fever, Mr.. Blaine went
down to the very door Of death, but during
the afternoon and evening he rallied under
treatment and especially stimulants. How
ever, to recover he ought to have rallied
steadily and strongly without such serious
setback as that Of this morning, and there
can be no doubt that the physicians and the
Irr he tha
best. realizing as they do how enfeebled and
congested is his whole system and how pre-
carious is his hold on life.
NOT LIKELY TO RECOVER.
Mr.. Blaine is not likely to recover from
his present illness. He may linger, bus be
is not likely to get we'll. OF course, while
there is life there is hope, but there is very
little life in Mr.. Blaine. Intellectually he
still seems intact. He is certainly conscious
and coherent, but physically he seems
broken up. His weakness seems equivalent
to a general prostration of all his physical
energies and functions, his kidneys being
more seriously affected than any other
organ. The physicians will not admit all
this, but there is no doubt that IL ia true.
They had to be with him last night, this
morning, this noon and sagain this evening
for more than an hour each time, and
they are momentarily awaiting another
summons.
HIS SONS STATEMENTS.
But the statements of James G. Blaine,
Jr., indicate the true state of affairs, as for
example the following at o'clock: my
father had a sinking spell this morning, the
worst one in fact which he has yet had.
We feared for time that he would not re-
cover, but he finally rallied and now sp-
pears to be little stronger. AT present he
Is sleeping quietly. Ii Mr.. Blaine should
have another sinking spell as serious as that
OF this morning 1t is doubtful whether he is
strong enough to survive it," and
the following at o'clock tonight:
I'VE think that father Is considerably
better than he was this morning. He was
dangerously Ill during the forenoon. Dur
ing the afternoon, however, he seems 90
have rallied somewhat. The physicians
have been here this evening, and we now
think that he will live through the night,
and we hope for the best Still, it must be
said that he is very dangerously ILL.,"
CONFIRMED BY FRIENDS.
The friends of the Blaine family also con-
firm this information. Senator Hale, for
example. whose wife spent most Of the day
with Mrs. Blaine, and who saw Mrs. Blaine
himself this evening, said later: ''Mr.
Blaine Is a little more comfortable this
evening than he was earlier in the
day, but his condition is critical.
It may be-" he added, "that he will re-
cover, but those who have an interest in him
have reason to be alarmed In fact his con-
dition is alarming. IL is difficult to name
the trouble. II is general physical break
ing up. When he takes cold it brings on q
consuming fever, and he Is not in a condi-
ton to Withstand it, Besides there are the
ordinary complications His mind is per-
fectly clear"
TREMBLING IN THE BALANCE.
(Bp the Associated Press.)
WASHINGTON, Dec 1S.-All day long the
life OF James G. Blaine has hung trembling
In the balance. For more than an hour in
the forenoon hope was abandoned, and the
end was momentarily expected by his ply
sicians, family and friends. All stimulation
was thrown aside in the apparent imminent
presence of death and the suppressed facts
OF bis illness-long denied, but now adj
mitted-Bright's disease, occasional inter-
vals Of delirium, long hours when he has
lain incapable Of speech or motion las It Is
now said was the case when Cardinal Glib
bons paid him bis recently friendly call
these and other distressing features Of his
illness, all incidental to the one overpower-
ful trouble (Bright's diseased, aggravated as
this has been Of late by a cold contracted
while imprudeDtly venturing out driving
two weeks ago. and by malarial fever and
confronted by a constitution impaired by