The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-10-10
HIS WORK Is FINISHED.
Death of Oliver Wendell Holmes,
the Poet.
The End Came Mt His Home In Boston and
He Was Conscious Until Almost the
Last Minute = History of His
Literary LabOrs and
Useful Life.

BosTON, Oct. Solver Wendell
Holmes is dead. Without the SEM
blance of struggle or pain he passed
away as he lived, peacefully and beau
tifully. The end came at 1910 o'clock
Sunday afternoon, at the venerable
poets town house, 296 Beacon street.
He was surrounded by his children and
visibly conscious of their presence up
to within few minutes Of the last,
though unable to speak. Then he
closed his eyes wearily and seemed to
fall asleep as indeed he did-the sleep
of death at which the whole world will
mourn.
DR.. Holmes came from his summer
home at Beverly ten days ago and
while not quite in his accustomed
health at that time did not regard him
self as i'll, nor was he SO regarded by
his children and friends For several
years he has been sufferer from
asthma and the day after his return TO
Boston he had a particularly severe at
tack of this malady. 1t was the be-
ginning of the end. DR.. Holmes never
left his bed again,f while the asthma
was conquered it left him in such
weakened condition that he never raj
lied.
Gradually and calmly he waited for
the end, knowing full well that it was
near for DR.. Charles P. Putnam told
the sufferer week ago that it must
come. DR.. Putnam had been the
Holmes family physician for years and
knew his patient well. His practiced
eye saw the gradual breaking up that
others could not see Ever robust, DR..
Holmes lived to the great age he did
through having taken the best OF care
of himself at all times. DR.. Putnam
knew that when the final illness did
come it would not last long.
His last call upon his patient was
made at 9 o'clock Saturday morning
At that hour he found him little
changed except for the ever growing
weakness so gradual and insiduous in
its work that even Dr. Putnam did not
apprehend that the end was nearer
than a day or two at the least. On the
strength of this DR.. Putnam went to
Weymouth to attend a patient, first ar
ranging with his brother Dr. James
Putnam, to call upon his patient during
the afternoon.
1t was not until nearly noon that DIR.
Holmes attendant and family noticed
any decided change in his condition.
This was in the form of an unusual ex-
haustion and almost before any stimu-
lating remedies could be administered
DR.. Holmes had become partially un-
conscious, his breath came shorter and
shorter and within the brief space of a
quarter of an hour the great poet that
all the world has loved, was no more.
oliver Wendell Holmes was born at Cam.
| bridge, Moss, August 29 1909. He was gradu-
! ated at Harvard college in 1929 and began the
study Of law, which he subsequently abandoned
for that Of medicine. Having attended the
i hospitals OF Paris and other European cities
he commenced practice In Boston In 1885. In
1893 he was elected professor OF anatomy ane
physiology in Dartmouth college and in lS4l
was appointed to similar professorship In the
Massachusetts medical school, from which he
retired in 1882. AS early as 1885 his contribu'
tions in verse appeared In various periodicals
and his reputation as poet was established
by the delivery Of metrical essay entitlec
Poetry" which was followed by others II
rapid succession. AS writer Of songs, lyrics
aud poems for festive occasions he occupied
first place, He was for many years popular
lecturer.
In 1857 he commencedin in the Atlantic Month
Iva series Of articles under the title "The Au
tocrat OF the Breakfast Table, which we're fol
lowed in 1860 by 1.-The Professor at the Break
fast Table" in 1872 by "The Poet at the Break
fast Table" and inIlsS5 by ''TheNew Portfolio.
In 1885 he visited England, where he was re
ceived with great cordiality. Editions of hi
collected poems have appeared from time Il
time, the first In 1885; the last in 1889. He ha
contributed largely to current medical litera
ture as well as to the literary journals and re
views. Aseries Of genial papers from hisspen
entitled "over the Teacups" appeared in tn
Atlantic Monthly during 1890.