The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-03
LAST INTER!IE II WITH SCI
ATOR VANCE.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Is IMMORTAL
What He Said on His Death-bed of the
Party He Loved 50 Well and Served
SO Long.


week l bad the melancholy pleasure Of
a long personal conversation with SEN
ator Vance. As | now feel that his
utterances to me were perhaps the last
that fell from his lips TO any person
outside his own immediate family. |
think they should lie recorded, and
handed down to posterlty as the words
his feet were actually laved by the wa
tiers of that dark river across which his
noble spirit was waited only few hours
later.
1t was late "Wednesday afternoon
when | reached the Senator's residence
on Massachusetts avenue 1t was a
dark, dull, rainy, cherries day, and
there was a hush in the street that i'm
pressed me as | hurried along. The
senator was sleeping when | arrived,
but Mrs. Vance welcomed me to the
sitting room. Her face showed the
anxiety she had suffered, and the ca
tastrophe she feared. She gave a min
ute description of the Senator's trip
South. and the changes in his condl-
ton during his stay. How the balmy
sunshine at Tampa had revived him and
how for few days he seemed almost
his old self again. How sudden re-
currence of the intense pains in his
chest and stomach led her to think that
what they both at that time thought
to be intercOstal rheumatism. How
they fastened to Suwanee Springs, in
the hope that the hot sulphur baths
would bring relief so essential to the
Senator's comfort. Of the food in the
river at the time of their arrival, which
overlooked the pools, making the talk
ing of baths almost impossible OF their
Journey to Jacksonville, and down to
st. Augustine, with little improvement
and less of hope How, at last, the
Senator's limbs gave way. SO that he
was unable to walk. OF the conclusion of
physicians that the former diagnosis of
his condition had not been correct
that it was enlargement Of the liver
which caused his suffering. and not in
tercostal rheumatism. OF the journey
to Washington and the agreement Of
the physicians there that enlargement
of the liver was the trouble.
During all this recital there was APP
parently nervous anxiety which show
ed me, before words conveyed the i'm
preston, that hope had almost gone
| from the heart of the Senator's devoted
| wife and my own was heavy when !
| mounted the stairs to where the man
lay
His voice was clear and full, howev-
er. when he greeted me- He lay at
| full length in the bed, with his head
and shoulders upon bank of pillows
His hand grasped mine with a firm
pressure, but as my eyes caught the
expression of his cOuntenance. the
thought forced itself on my mind, ''He
will never leave this bed" The fire of
strong intelligence was in the eye. the
ring OF conscious mastery of his mental
faculties was IN his voice, but over it
| all came the instructive conclusion that
he was in the valley Of the shadow OF
death.
| He enqured infinitely concerning
| friends in AsheviIe, and as to the eff
fects Of tho recent cold weather upon
the fruit III North Carolina. and ex-
pressed the hope that his ''Gombroon'
orchard had escaped by reason of its al
| titrlde, saying that the season was fully
two weeks later up there than at any
point east Of the ridge.
The Senator then turned his face full
upon me and asked ''How IS tie Dem
Ocracy in North Carolna?"
replied that political matters were
more or less unsettled with lis, waiting
for the final action of Congress upon
questions now being discussed.
The Senator lay perfectly still for a
few moments, and ! could see that his
mind was at work preparing words for
his thoughts. Presently, raising both