Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-10-29
MRS. HARRISON dead.
Peaceful End Of Long and Painful
Illness.
The Stricken President Watches Every
breath.

Mrs H rrison, the wfo of the z ideat
of the Unit ID States, is deaf. The brave
woman, who has been ma sing fight against
that dreat disease-consump E--Wh CD
challenged the admin alton OF the vorld ard
won tae sympathy Of all her coantrymen
and countrywomen fina ~ succu ,be at
twenty minuu before two DC ock.
DR. Gardner bad renal ed in tn Elecl.
tive Mansion all the evening. but he la not
been IN the SICK room. Atl2;s5 he went in
to &c tie patient. Re found her much
weaSer. Her breathing vas ia inter-, ard he
thought that she would hardly last more
than half an hour longer. Bat her marvel
Gus vital y again asserted i self At lbs
Mrs Harrison was breathing at tho rate of
only eight rtspi ations to the minute. aud
could hardly last more than fifteen minutes
onger.
All of the family were in the ck-room ex-
cept DIR. Scott He has not had at any time
a very vivid apprecir lion Of WI at is goi ig
on He had retire 40 his room before IN d
night. The President sat at the teis,de.
where he ha been setting for nine long
hour, waiting for the end
ABB ut the b were grouped the m ambers
of h hou ehold The trained nurse, Mi
Davis, stood by the bedside, moist ening the
dyi1g woman's lips atintervals, Mrs Harri
son lay mo; ionl, s., unconscious. Her breath.
ing was so faint that it was hardly percept
b!e.
Az twenty minutes of two, all the family
being at the be side, Mrs. Harrison ceased
breathing. She passed away SO peacefully
that none could tell the moment when the
last breath pas sed her lips. There was a
pelc slul look on her wan face. The Pres..
dent turned from beds de in silent gcief
DIR. Gard ier was not in the room when the
en- came. He was called in minute later.
an6 form lily confi me- the fact.
IL had been Mr.. Halfoid's Intention 10
notify all OF the Cabinet households whel
th end cane; ut ecause of the lateness OF
the LOur, it was thought best not to attempt
to call them all up. Mr.. Hbford himself
went to the telephone and Gale up the At
torney Gene al Mr.. Miller k | there was
anything that ne could do, but Mr., Halford
responded in the negative.
At two o'clock the President came into
the executive office TO send some telegraph
messages, This other members Of the family
went to their rooms to get some rest and the
President too, retired for short time. Mrs,
Mckee has borne the strain Of nursing her
mother like a heroine, but she is worn and
weak Tho Pres ident, too, is nearly worn
out. He is very nervous from anxiety and
loss Of sleep. Many kilograms OF coincidence
are in the White House, but they were not
shown TO the President.
Religious services will be held at the
White House, Wednesday morning, after
which the remains will be taken 10 Indian
apoli where the interment will be made at
Crown HUI Cemetery, Thursday.
The room in which Mrs. Harrison died Is
in the extreme southwest Of the second story
Of the White House. The wide corridor
which runs east and west through the build
ing leads to the chamber, but tbs room has
been practically cut off from the official end
Of the building. The room was Mrs. Harr-
sons preference Of all the rooms in the house
though when she took possession Il was per-
baps the shabbiest. 1t had been in this room
that President Garfield had spent no many
weary weeks Of pain and suffering, and IL
had been somewhat abandoned by the sue
ceeding inmates of the Executive Mansion
on account of the painful associations. But
Mrs. Harrison chose it for its two large
windows and the rare view Il afforded Of
the Ever and the Virginia hills beyond.
Perhaps another reason lay in her deyo-
tion to the traditions of the White House.
Until President Garfield's time IL had been
selected by the wife of every president, and
Mrs, Harrison, in choosing that room, simply
returned to earlier customs Her own liv-
ing-room, Mrs Harrison endowed IL with
her own individuality. 1t was decorated in
her own favorite color, blue, and on the
walls were some of her own pictures The
wallpaper is Of blue aud silver; all the
woodwork was finished in blue and in the
carpet on the floor blue tints predominated
The room has been frequently photographed
for the White House views, which are sold
everywhere, but Il differs at present from
the current photographs, in that the huge
bedstead has been removed, and in its stead
two small brass bedsteads have been placed
N..,hA f.lss re.glst.
easy chair or two also supplanted some
of the heavier furniture which is shown in
the pictures. A large fireplace gives
bright, CHEEKY fire. though the warmth Of
the room is more reliably assured by regis
tiers in the walls
President HarTson's room adj0ins his
wifes on the east While she was awake he
was almost constantly at her bedside, only
slipping to his room when she sleptfor few
moment rest.