The record-union., 1895-05-28

His Devoted Wife and Daughter Pres
ent at the Bedside When the End
Came-His Son Absent. Not Being
Able to Reach Washington A~efore
the Secretary Expired-Sketch of
the Life of the Soldier, Jurist and
Statesman.
Special to the RECoRD-UNION
WASHINGTON, May 2Sl-Secretary
Gresham died at 1:l5 o'clock this tues
day. morning at his rooms at the Airing
ton Hotel. Although his recovery was
practically abandoned when his spell
occurred. shortly before 6 o'clock last
evening, the most powerful heart stimu-
lants known to medical science were in
jected periodically, and an infusion Of
normal saline solution was made through
an open vein. He made improvement
slightly, but owing to severe rigors
shortly before II o'clock he began TO fail
rapidly. and his vitality began to ebb.
The three physicians saw that the end
was near, and at II O'Clock withdrew to
the ante-room, leaving in the sick-room
most of his family and the nurses.
| Up to that time he had been conscious,
and talked at intervals. His words were
full of bravery. He fully appreciated his
! condition, and spoke words of hope and
cheer to his stricken wife and daughter.
| Sometimes his mind wandered slightly.
and went back 10 the days OF long ago,
recalling incidents of life and happiness
in the spring of his life. He spoke, too, of
| his absent son and his Private Secretary,
Mr.. Lands, whom he loved as a son, and
who. like his son, was speeding TO his
| bedside. all too late.
Mrs. Gresham sat at the bedside, sooth-
| ing his fevered brow, and occasionally
| read to him from the Bible passages
which he loved. AS the end approached
his pulse became hardly perceptible.
Gradually his eyes glazed and closed.
Mrs. Gresham, with noble and heroic
fortitute. continued to read the words
of the gospel to her departed hus-
band. Her daughter and son-in-law
stood with bowed heads at the side of the
couch.
At I:l5 his breathing ceased, peaceful
shadow passed over his pale countenance.
/ his pulse licked and the sorrowing
family were in the presence of death.
One of the nurses conveyed the news
that the end had come to the physicians
in the next room, and they in turn
brought it TO the watchers in the recep-
tion-room and by them to the hotel lobby
outside, where were gathered a half a
! hundred of the Secretary's friends.
| No arrangements will be made for the
funeral until the arrival of his son to-day.
Mrs. Gresham's devotion to her hus-
! band during his illness has been of the
most tender, patient and faithful charac-
ter. She seemed determined to fight off
death. ''If he dies" she said many times,
81 lose ALL" The utmost persuasion was
required to induce her even to lie down.
Yesterday she grew so faint from ex-
hauston that she reeled and would have
fallen had not one of the nurses caught
her in her arms.
Mr.. Gresham's illness began May 1st,
when he was attack ed with acute pleurisy.
The physicians diagnose his case as gall
stone i'll the bladder at first, his pleurisy
symptoms being overlooked for almost
thirty-siX hours. AS soon as DR.. w. w.
! Johnson, who is now the attending
| physician, was called, he discovered that
the Secretary was suffering from an acute
case OF pleurisy, probably caused by eX
| posure while riding out TO Woodley, the
Presidents country home, at night.
In the meantime the gall stone had
passed. The Secretary's right lung was
affected, the cavity being already filled
with pIeuritic fluid. His respiration rose
to 43. The physicians decided not to
tap the cavity, but TO rely upon aDsorp-
tion to rid it of the exuded fluid. Grad
ually Secretary Gresham grew better.
| The respiration was reduced to almost
normal.
Last Saturday, when DR.. Johnson
thought all danger past. the left lung be-
came suddenly affected aud filled rap
idly. Since then either DIR. Johnson or
the consulting physician have been at
| his bedside constantly, as have Mrs.
Gresham and the Secretary's son-in-law,
Mr.. Andrews. He passed a very bad
night on Saturday and bad day Sum
day. suffering so much pain that last
night he was placed under the influence
of opiates. He has been kept more or
less under their influence all day.
His long illness had weakened the
| Secretary greatly, and his physicians de-
cided that in his exhausted condition he
could not undergo an operation Tor the
removal of the fluid. The fact that the
Secretary has had stomach trouble for
years. and has been obliged to diet, inti-
| gated against any rapid recovery Of
strength. Secretary Gresham had an at
tack OF pleurisy years ago. He has also
suffered much from his wounds, being at
one time bedridden for over year.
| The news which came later that Secre-
tary Gresham was dying spread like wild
fire through the city. and public officials
and friends of the Secretary called at the
| hotel by the score and asked anxiously
| for information. President Cleveland,
who was at Woodley, was telephoned to,
and kept constantly informed as to his
Premiers condition. He, too, has been
confined to his room. it is said. Tor two
days by bilious attack. He sent in word
that if it was possible for him to see the
Secretary or to be of any assistance, he
would be glad to come in, but the physi
clans stated that it would be impossible
for the Secretary to see anyone, and he
therefore decided to remain at Woodley.
Walter Quinton Gresham, born near
Lanesville, Harrison County, Indiana.
March IL, 1882. lie was educated In
country schools, and spent one year in
the State University at Bloomington
Ind, but was not graduated. He then
studied law i'll Coiydon. Ind, was adj
mitted to the bar in 1858 and became a
successful lawyer. He was elected to the
Legislature in 1860. but resigned in Au-
gust, 1861, to become Lieutenant-Colonel
OF the Thirty-eghlh Indiana Regiment.
He was promoted to Colonel of the Fifty
third Indiana in Decent ber, end on Au-
gust ii, 1853, after tho fall OF Vlcksburg,
was made BrIgauler- r-General OF volun-
teers. He commanded the fourth division
of Blair's Corps in the fighting before
Atlanta, aud received severe wound
that disabled him for q year and pre-
vented him from seeing further service.
+ On March l3, 1850, he was brevetted
Major General of volunteers for his gal
lantry at Atlanta. After the war be re-
| suined practice at New Albany, Ind. He
/ was an unsuccessful Repu blican candi-
date for Congress III 1S66, and in lo6I-6S
was financial agent of his State in New
\ ork. President Grant, who hold him
IN great esteem, made him United States
Judge tor the Distric. OF Indiana in 1863,
and IN 1880 he was an unsuccessful candi-
date for United States Senator. He re-
signed his Judgeship in April, 1882, 10
/ accent the Mace of Pnsttnaster-C C.nneral in