The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-03-25

was written in the little ante-room which
opens from the secretary's office. 1t was
penned, sealed and directed to the presl-
dent in a few moments. Mr.. Blame
then arose and strobe from the building,
never to enter it again.
Those who were long in the state de-
partmcnt and knew Mr.. Blaine when he
vas at his best, recognized with sorrow
during his last service that there was q
remarkable change in his physical con-
dition. Mr.. Blaine was conscious of his
Door state of health. A prominent Re
publican who called on him about a year
ag;, in speaking of this said: 4 went 10
Mr.. Blaine the latter part of last january
and asked him if he was going to be a
candidate for the presidency. He an
swered: No, sir; I cannot entertain the
thought for one moment. 1t would XIII
me sure, and I know it, and 1 do not be-
lieve I have a(friend on earth who Would
ask me to be a candidate if he knew the
stat, of my health Mr.. Blaine added:
& am going to write a letter on the SUB
iect.' After Mr.. Blaine had written his
letter announcing that he would not be q
candidate for the Republican nomination
he was waited upon by his friend n
urged to reconsider his action. 1t was
represented to Mr.. Blaine, who was then
ill, that the campaign would be made SO
easy for him as to involve no physical or
mental exhaustion, and that the result
would be his triumphant election. With
an air of dependency the sick man re-
Piled that he was satisfied tina he could
not live through a heated political cam
paign, or that if he should, the harrass-
ments of a presidential office would
surely terminate his life within SIX
months after he took his seat. He In
tended, and this statement is significant
in some of the subsequent events, TO re-
sign his Office of secretary of state in the
early summer, retire to his Maine home
and spend his remaining days in quiet
literary work. Mr.. Blaine's death at
last a
Came Painlessly and Quietly,
but not without premonition. The at
tending physicians have said repeatedly
in these later days, since hope OF re-
covery was Abandoned, that when the
end came it would probably occur with
at least two or three hours warning.
This 6Dne announcement at least among
many perplexed and contradictory state
ments has been verified by facts. The
approach of death was made evident to
the family fully two hours before its
actual occurrence. Tt was between 8
and 8 o'clock this morning when the first
dangerous symptoms were observed. The
family had taken their breakfast, and
the trained nurse. Mrs. Price, had gone
down for breakfast also. leaving the pa
tent temporarily alone. James G. Blaine,
Jr., had on his coal and hat preparatory
to starting off for his days duties in the
office of the Pennsylvania Railroad COM
pany, where he is employed, when his
mother suggested to him that it would
be better to wait till the nurse came up.
He promptly acQuiesced. Mr.. Blaine
had passed a restless night and had been
pronounced mo worse" even by his eau
tious physicians. But beyond a ~percepti-
BILE increase Of languor, which had
marked his condition4during the past few
days, there was no very alarming change
to be noted. When the nurse returned