Evening star., 1895-05-28
MR.GRESHAM'S M'SDEATH
It Occurred at an Early Hour This
Morning.
A SAD AND IMPRESSIVE DEATH SCENE
Fatal Termination Of a CompIica-
ton of Maladies.
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER

Secretary Gresham passed away quietly
at lis o'clock this morning, at the Arling-
ton Hotel after an Illness of twenty-seven
days. The fatal termination of the compli-
cation of diseases with which he was af-
fiicted was not entirely unexpected by
those familiar with his actual condition,
but to the general public the news of his
death came as a great shock. He was
known to be very i'll. but there was san
guine expectation that he would ultimately
recover. Yesterdays Star showed that his
condition had taken a decided turn for the
worse, but at that time the symptoms did
not indicate that the end was SO near. 1t
was realized that his condition was serious,
but hope of his recovery was not in grave
doubt until about 6 o'clock last evening,
when the distinguished patient suddenly
sank into state of coma.
The most powerful heart stimulants
known to medical ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
and digitalis-were injected hypodermi-
cally, and an infusion of normal saline
solution was made through an opened vein
in the arm He recovered slightly, but
after two severe rigors, shortly before IL
o'clock, he began to fail rapidly, and his
vitality began to ebb.
The Final Scene.
The attending physicians saw that the
end was near, ard at midnight they with
drew to the ante-room, leaving in the sick
chamber only the members Of his family
Mrs. Gresham, her daughter. Mrs. An
drews. and son-in-law, Mrs. Andrews, and
the nurses. Up to that time he had been
conscious and talked at intervals. His
words were full of bravery. He fully ap-
precated his condition. and spoke words of
hope and cheer to his stricken wife and
daughter. Sometimes his mind wandered
slightly, and went back to the days of long
ago. recalling incidents of love and happi-
ness in the springtime of his life. He spoke,
too, Of his absent son and his private Sec
retary. Mr.. Lands. whom he loved as
son, and who. like his son, was speeding to
his bedside all too late.
But Just before the physicians retired he
ceased speaking, though he appeared to be
conscious. Mrs. Gresham sat at the bed
casionally reading to him from the Bible
passages which he loved AS the end ap-
preached his pulse became hardly percep-
tible. Gradually his eyes glazed and closed,
but Mrs. Gresham, with noble and heroic
fortitude. continued to read the words of
the gospel to her departing husband. Her
daughter and son-in-law stood with bowed
heads at the side of the couch. At 10 q m
his breathing ceased. peaceful shadow
passed over his pale countenance. his pulse
fiickered, and the sorrowing family were In
the presence Of death. Those present In
the reception room were Secretary and
Mrs. Lamont. Secretary Herbert, Assistant
Secretaries of State Uhl and Adee. First
Assistant Postmaster General Jones, AS
sistant Secretary of Treasury Hamlin,
Attorney General Olney. Col. Corbin Of the
army and Private Secretary Thurber.
Mrs. Greshnm's Devotion.
Mrs Greshams devotion to her husband
during his illness has been Of the most
tender, patient and faithful character. Al
though physically slight. she displayed, so
said one who has been in the sick chamber
several times a day throughout the Secre-
tary's illness. remarkable endurance and
nerve. For four weeks she has hardly had
her clothes off. Night and day she was at
the bedside, snatching an hour or TWO of
sleep, when she could, a lounge in his
room. She seemed determined to light off
death. IF he dies" she said many times,
Il lose ALL
But she did not complain. With patience
and devotion, she minstered to his every
want, giving everything her PERSONAL atten-
ton, and trying to cheer and brighten Kim
when he was peevish and fre.ful. The ut
most persuasion was required TO induce her
even to lie down. Yesterday she grew so
and would have fallen had not one Of The
nurses caught her in her arms.
Mr.. Grcshnm's Illness.
instant with an attack Of acute pleurisy.
The effusion filed the pleural cavity. but
his condition yielded to treatment until last
Saturday when he suffered relapse, ac-
companied by acute pneumonia. His heart
action became enfeebled, requiring the con-
slant administration of the most powerful
heart stimulants One or the other Of his
physicians, Drs. johnson and Pfeltiss, or
both, were constantly with him. But for
the stimulants he would have died. Nitro
glycerine and strychnine were given con-
tinuously, hypodermlcally. together with
digitalis and whisky.
About u o'clock last evening he sank so
rapidly that death was momentarily ex-
ted. Restoratives were applied, and
hypodermic injections of nitro-gfycerine,
the most powerful of all heart stimulants,
and strychnine were made. His blood ves-
sells were in a state of collapse, and his
condition was SO extremely critical that the
physicians decided that TRANSMISSION was
Immediately necessary to stimulate the
heart. The operation was performed about
8 O'clock and the stricken statesman re-
vived somewhat, but it was only a tenn
porary improvement, and a relapse fol-
lowed that ended in death. The physicians
at that time issued bulletin announcing
that there was little or no hope of recovery.
Some criticism was heard about the hotel
corridors because the serum in the pleuraI
cavity had not been drawn off in the first
instance. DR.. Prentiss. when asked 10 re-
ply to these structures, replied: 1T is an
established principle of surgery not to tap
for pleurisy until life is threatened. While
the serum can be easily drawn off, the
cavity refilis, not with serum, however, but
with pus. Our treatment was to secure the
removal of the serum by absorplion.'
MIR. GRESHAM's CAREER.
His Long Public Scryfce-His Political