Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-25
MRS. HARRISON DEAD.
The Second Death in the White
House of a Presidents
Wife.
Mrs. Harrison Paid Natures Debt With
the Patience and Resignation of
Devout Christian.

w ASHlNGTON, DCL. ZO.-m is. I1dE'
rison is no more. At lao II. IN. came
the end. For the second time In the
history of the White House Presi'
dents wife has died within its walls.
Mrs. Harrison met death with the
patience and resignation of devout
christian, and her last days were COM
paratively free from pain.
For twenty-four hours the Presi-
dent had been constantly at her bed
side waiting the end. Last night
was without special incident, but late
and early, so frequently that he
could have slept but little at all, the
President was in and out of the sick
chamber and was never away for
any length of time.
1t could hardly be said that the pa
tient was unconscious. During the
evening hours when she did not be-
tray some sign of understanding the
sympathetic efforts to save her by
opening her parched lips for the stim-
ulating fluid applied from time to
time, but not drop could she swal-
low, and the power apparently left
her frame forever.
The measure of the debating tide
was the respiration which slowly
sank from about Is at nigh tfall to II
at midnight. The physicians had
said that if she tided over that hour
she might and probably would sur
vive until daylight; 50 frequent
glances were cast at the clock. The
hope inspired by the Doctors last
statement was only of short duration.
About 1890 O'Clock, while he sat by
Mrs. Harrison's side with his fingers
more lightly pressed to her pulse,
and his pracliced hand noticed the
hcart's work, which was beginning
to cease, he notified the griet-strick-
en- family grouped around the couch
that the end appeared to be very
near, and that unless she soon rallied
from the stupor into which she wss
tlpn drifting she could scarcely live
half an hour longer. This inteIli-
gence had most depressing effect
upon the President, who had been in
constant attendance upon his afflicted
wife for over nine hours, and he sus-
tains himself with the greatest diff
Guilty.
Ii it was possible to add to the gray
ity of the situation and TO stimulate
the agonized apprehension OF the
sorrowing family gathered about the
scarcely animated form of the beloved
wife and mother, the results were at.
tanned when DR.. Gardner, after mar
rowly examining her countenance
and feeling her pulse, sorrow fully an
nounced that all the indications ju5ti-
fed the belief that she could not sur
vive more than half an hour. This
was at I2:45 o'clock. The minutes
passed with frightful iapidity and the
half hour passed. The almost pulse
less form, however, still retained the
sacred spark.
The resistance offered by the cons
titution Of the patient was marvellous
and surprising to tha physician and
all at the bedside. There was no
Struggle, no exhibition Of pain, but a
simple, passive resistance that
was battling in lis quiet in.
tensity. In few minutes DR.. Gard
ner again took up the hand and felt
the wrist. The blood still coursed
through the arteries. The agitation
of the family could no longer be con-
trolled, and realizing his ute: help
lessness to longer cope with this great
foe, and from consideration for the
sacredness Of such grief as this, the
physician and friend bowed his head
and passed out the door. Outside Of
the threshold he took stand and
waited. 1t was not a long time.
The minutes flew like seconds, and
suddenly there was an expression of
heart stricken woe and the end had
come. The President was beside his
dying wife as he had been for nine
hours continuously, and his was the
last Of the loved features her eyes
dwelt upon. Her breath was labor
ed and very slow. AS the hands of
the clock crept toward the next hour
ii grew fainter yet, and as the time
piece marked the hour Of 1:I0 O'Clock
there was an interruption of the fee
BILE breath, resumption and then q
stop, this time to be eternal, and
the life OF Caroline Scott Har-
rison had gone out peacefully and
quietly and without pain. All of the
family in Washington were at the
bedside except the three little grand
children and the venerable DIR. Scott,
the father of Mrs. Harrison. They
were: President Harrison, Mr.. and
Mrs. Mckee, Mr.. and Mrs. Russell
Harrison, Lieut.. and Mrs. Parker
Mrs. Dimmick and Mrs. Newcomb
In addition, Mrs. Harrison's faithful
maid, Josephine, and Miss Davis, the
trained nurse, were in the room.
The members of the family spent 8