Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-04-06
Madison, April ;.

family residence i'll this city yesterda,
afternoon at ITO o'clock, and was
caused by phlegmonous erySpeIas,
Vlrulent ailmenU which in her case at
tackled the throat and was as painful
and intractible as the worst type Of
uphtheria.
Several days ago Mrs. Villas and Miss
Nellie left Washington, where they had
been spending the winter, for New
York to visit Mr.. Royal G.. Villas, a
cousin of Senator Villas. At about the
same time Senator Villas left for Tampa.
on the west coast Of Florida, where he
was to join his friend, Col. j. H knight
and depart i'll Il chartered schooner on
twenty days cruise, far away from
telegraph or mail communication, for
health and pleasure, but especially for
il season Of tarpOn fishing. The stay in
New York was made very brief by Mrs.
Villas because of the illness OF Mrs.
Royal Villas with tOnSilitiS; but Miss
Villas had already begun to feel Suf
ticiently indisposed to warrant the call
ing OF a physician, yet not so badly a
to justify pOstpOning the journey home
The alnent, however, developed very
rapidly Oh the cars, and physicians wer
advised to meet the train at Syracuse
Buffalo and other points. AS Miss Villa
had been subject to attacks of QJlinSy
the physicians, who We're able during
the short stops to make only haSty eX
animation, pronounced the trouble a
recurrence of that disease, and supplied
the sufferer with suitable remedies to
afford relief from the great distress
then endured. AT Chicago, after Il dis
treSsing trip for both the daughter and
her anxious and devoted mother medi
cal attendance was also obtained; but
it WAS not till late Friday afternoon
when Dr. William Fox boarded the car
i'll Milwaukee, that the reall.
grave condition Of the patient was
appreciated. DR.. Fox was deeply con-
cerned as soon as he saw Miss Villas,
and told Mrs. Villas that her daughter
o;ts dangerously i'll, and that the all
ment was of such a nature that it
might at any time close up the throat
and produce death. A special car was
provided for Mrs. Villas in Milwaukee.
In compliance with Il Geographic re-
quest a closed carriage met the weary
travellers at the Northwestern depot in
this city at s O'Clock Friday evening,
and DR.. keenan, awaited them at the
Villas home. Long before Madison was
reached Miss Villas was unable to
speak. Friday night, all of Saturday
and Sunday, and UP to the moment
yesterday that death supervened, ply
SicianS exercised their utmost skill in
an earnest endeavOr to save the threat
ened life. Dr.. McDill, of Milwaukee,
came Sunday night, and at 4 o'clock
yesterday morning the difficulty in
breathing had become so great that
DR.. keenan,, with DR.. Phil. Fox and
Dr.. McGill at hand, performed the oper
alton technically known as tracheOtomy
the insertion of a tube Surgically
into the trachea to facilitate respiration.
The patient sitting in a chair heroically
bore this ordeal without the aid of
an aneSthetic and even cOurted it as
a hoped-for relief from the agony which
she suffered. Temporary relief result
ed, but the swelling continued descend
ing toward the lungs; and finally pro
ducing commissions ending in death.
Half an hour before the end came
Or. William Fox, of Milwaukee, reached
the bed and was recognized by the suf-
ferer, who tried to voice her greeting.
She made a brave struggle for the
life so dear to her, but against an an
tagonist too powerful even for con-
stitution incomparabIy stronger than
her own.
During the trip from the east Mrs.
Villas sought to have Miss Nellie con-
sent to leave the train and stop in some
city for treatment, but the patient was
so earnest in her desire to get home
where she felt that restoration to
health would soon follow, that she was
permitted to have her wish respected.
For several days the most earnest
endeavor has been put forth to get
into communication with Senator Villas,
but in vain. Ali that is definitely
known as to his whereabouts is that he
left Tampa some days ago and intended
to cruise among the islands off the
west coast of Florida. He expected to
be out at least twenty days. and during
the whole of that time to be beyond
the range of the telegraph and the post.
His absence renders the death of the
daughter additionly sad, and places
uuon the sOTroWing mother a load Of
grief which his presence would tend to
divide In this connection is recalled
that some twenty-three years ago Col.
Villas, while arguing Il case before the
supreme court in Washington, was has
thy summoned home only to find upon
arrival that death had claimed his be-
loved son, Levi, the child next younger
than Miss Nellie who has now been
called.
a tug has been dispatched from Tam
pa in search of Senator Villas. but
under the most favorable circ1lln-
stances many days must necessarily
elapse ere the bereaved parent can
reach home.
Miss Cornelia Vilas,-called Nellie
the eldest of the four children of Sen
ator and Mrs. Villas, was born in Mad
ison, May 81. 1867. hence had not at
tanned her 26th year. All the years of
her life We're spent at home, till the
entrance of her father into the cabinet
of President Cleveland, when she with
the rest Of the family went to Washing
ington. There she was a conspicuous
figure in the social life of the admins
tration, and was beloved by he new
acouaintarces just as she had been by
the old friends at her childhood's, home.