Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-12-19

BLAINE NEAR TO DEATH.
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A Victim Of So called Brigbi's
Disease.
NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH SUNDAY,
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Ills Condition ~ Revealed In
Mondays Dispatches.
TIM SUNDAY CRISIS.

TIM SUNDAY CRISIS.
WAsHfNoroN, Dec. 1S.--AlI day
the life Of James q. Blaine buoe
trembling Ia the balance. For more
than an hour In the forenoon how
was abandoned, and the end was
momentarily ex xpected by pbysi-
clans, family aud friends. All sim
ulstion was thrown aside 10 the ap
parent imminent presence of death,
aud the suppressed facts Of bis III
ness, the long denied, but now ad
mitted, Brighps disease, the occas-
ional intervals Of delirium, the nine
long hours he has laid incapable OF
speech or motion (as IL is now said
was the case when Cardinal Gibbons
paid him his recent friendly call)-
these, and other distressing features
OF his illness, all incidental to the
one trouble, Bnghts disease, aggra-
vated a. this has been OF late by q
cold contracted while imprudently
venturing out driving two weeks
ago, aud by malarial fever, and con-
fronted by constitution impaired
by nearly two years of continual
sick ness, are now tacitly admitted
The physicians assert that there
have not been any hemorrhages,
as has been asserted, but this Is al
most the only alarming symptom
which Is now denied. The first
crisis was reached between 10 and ii
o'clock q. H., when sinking spell
set In from which the worst was
feared. His family were called
around the bedside. The distin-
gushed patient lay unconscious and
to all appearances dying until q lit
tie before / o'clock p. M, when a
slight rally set In. His, s,pulse which
had almost ceased to beat, became
again perceptible, and partial con-
sciousness was restored. AT 2
o'clock his physicians, Drs. w. W..
Johnson and Hyatt, considered him
30 much improved az to render their
constant attendance at the bedside
unnecessary. While there had been
no marked improvement and no
change In bis condition upon which
hopes of ultimate recovery could be
based, the immediate crisis had
ceased.
HOW HE RALLIED.
From an intimate friend of the
family 1t was learned that 1t was on
ly when Mr.. Blaine was suddenly
seized with the sinking spell this
morning, which threatened forssome
minutes 10 terminate In heart fail
ure, that his family fnlly realized
how near he was TO death. For q
few seconds he seemed to be In ex-
tremIs and the watchers bent an
xiously over him. Tho emaciated
face of the dying statesman was as
white as marble and his features
were sadly drawn. At times he
scarcely seemed to breathe and at
others he gasped for breath. The
who had been hastily
were In the meantime
not Idle. They piled him with
cordials. The trained
nurses chafed his extremities, and
II was only after working over the
patient for upward Of 80 minutes,
and the application Of every art
known to the medical profession
that no slowly recovered. But
the battle with death found
him extremely weak, weak
or than at any time when suf-
fering relapse. He was too weak
even to whisper, and made no sign
of recognition. The family gathered
around the bedside we're all In tears,
except Mrs. Blaine. She main
tanned an outward composure
through the trying scene, and calm
~ gave such directions to the at
tsndants as were necessary. Her
will power, when In fact her heart
was breaking, Is described ms some
thing pathetic and marvellous.
Whatever may have been Mrs.
suspicious or knowledge of
hsr husbands condition, through
III VI the intervening months OF his
llness she has given no outward
Iisn that would Indicate that she
iId not believe in his future recov-
~. 1t has been her cheerfulness,
znder most distressing circum-
|lences, but has soothed her hus-
|, ,usbsnd's dependency. OF late
fr. Blains's physical condition has
zen such that he has at times given
nv " dsspondsncy.
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