Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-01-28
ETERNITY'S SLEEP
Ends the Vigil at the Couch of
j. G. Blaine.
HOW THE DREADED CALL CAME.

Death "Ravels Up the Sleave of Care"
and Makes Nation Mourner Der the
Dust and Ashes of Her Great Son-The
Passing ONES With SteaIthy steps,
But Not Without Premonition-His
Loved Ones Watch the Ebb of Life as
the Husband and Father Sinks Softly to
His Last Long Rest-Congress Pays TrI-
butte to His Memory, and Sorrow Is
Everywhere
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S-The watch at
James Gillespie Blaines bedside is over
and death has at last insisted on the full
measure OF his claim. At IL a. m. yester-
day, the great commoner" passed from
inconsistencies to the sleep of eternity and
the long struggle was over. 1t took little
tity and hardly more for the lightning to
tarry it to the ends of the earth. For tie
press was watching and waiting and as
soon as the announcement was made, the
telegraph was put to work sending the
news everywhere. One thing noticeable
was that, Notwithstanding the fact that
| the event had been expected for weeks,
it came with a shock when it did come
and at no time since the death of Abraham
Lincoln have official circle been so i'm
pressed.
Wafned of Deaths Approach.
Mr.. Blaiae's death at the last came pain
lessly and quietly, but not without pre-
monition. The attending physicians have
said repeatedly III these later days since
hope of recovery was abandoned that when
the end came it would probably occur
with at least two or three hours warning
| This one announcement at least, among
| many perpleXing and contradictory state
ments, has been verified by facts. The ap-
prOach of death was made evident to the
family fully two hours before its actual
occurrence. 1t was between and o'clock
| yesterday morning when the first danger
Gus symptoms We're observed The fam
| lily had taken their breakfast and the
trained nurse, Mrs. Price, had gone down
for her breakfast also, leaving the patient
| temporarily alone.
The Nurse Notes a Change
James G. Blaine, Jr., had put on his hat
and coat preparatory to starting off for his
days duties in the office of the Pennsy,-
vania Railroad company 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 pro-
nounced mot so well" even by his eau
tious physicians. But beyond percepti-
BILE increase of the langour which had
marked his condition during the past few
days there was no very alarming change to
he noted. When the nurse returned from
hnr hpr
eye at once saw that the end was drawing
near.
Nitro-GIycerine Has No Effect.
Both physicians were Immediately tele-
phoned for ana arrived within few min
utes of each other The powerful heart
stmulant. nitro-glycerine which had sew
eral times before brought the patient back
out of the dark valley of death, was pow
/ erless now. Or. Hyatt at $50 came out
and said to the group of waiting news
paper men that be feared the end was at
hand. In the meantime all the family had
been summoned into the death chamber
Mrs. Blaine, the devoted wife; Miss Hattie
Blaine, his unmarried daughter; Mrs.
Damrosch. his married daughter; James
! G. Blaine, Jr., his only surviving son, and
Miss Dodge Gail Hamilton. his cousin.
Watched His Life Ebb Away.
In silent, fearful sorrow they witnessed
the closing scenes The patient lay so qui-
etly tina: even the doctors were hardly able
to say when he died. No word of conscious
ness, no look of recognition had passed At
l0:45 he lay so still that the window shades
were raised to give more light to enable
the physicians to determine if life still lin
gered. Fifteen minutes later they pro-
claimed him dead. The physicians have
officially made public the cause OF death
as Bright's disease, aggravated by tuber-
| cular disease of the lungs and followed by
heart failure.
President and Cabinet Call.
Young Mr.. Blaine was in the act of writ
ing a note to President Harrison to inform
him of the event when the president him
| self arrived, accompanied by his private
secretary and Secretary of State Foster
All the rest of the cabinet quickly followed
and the excitement throughout the city
became general as the news spread Both
houses Of congress adjourned and the for
mer associates of the ex-senator and ex-
speaker of both political parties united in
eloquent tributes to his memory pub
lie funeral was suggested, but the wishes
of the family prevailed and the ceremonies
will be of a private nature.
CONGRESS HONORS HIS MEMORY.