The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-05-28

THE LATE WALTER Q. GRESHAM.
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, re-
calling incidents of love and happiness in
the springtime of his life. He spoke, too,
of his absent son and his private secre-
tary, Mr.. Lands, whom he loved as q son,
and who, like his son, was speeding to his
bedside all too late. But just before tho
physicians retired he ceased speaking,
though he appeared to be conscious.
Mrs. Gresham sat at the bedside smooth
ing his fevered brow and occasionally
reading to him from the Bible passages
which he loved. AS tho end approached
his pulse became hardly perceptible. Grad
ually his eyes glazed and closed. But Mrs.
Gresham, with noble and heroic for
titude, 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 l:15 o'clock his breathing ceased; q
peaceful shadow passed over his pale coun-
tenance his pulse flickered and the sorrow
ing 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 broke 1t to
tuB WulCneEo III bht IttcpbiOl IOOiis
Mrs. Gresham's devotion to her husband
during his illness has been of the most
tender, patient and faithful character.
Although physically slight she displayed,
SO said one who has been In the sick
chamber several times day throughout
the secretary's Illness remarkable endur-
ance 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 on u
lounge in his room. She seemed deter
mined to fight off death. "If he dies"
she said many times, 81 lose all. +"
RIBut she did not complain. With pa
thence and devotion she ministered to his
every want, giving everything her per-
sonal attention, and trying to cheer and
brighten him when he was peeyish and
fretful. The utmost persuasion was re-
quired to induce her even to lie down. On
Sunday she grew so faint from sheer ex-
haustion that she reoled and would have
fallen had not one of the nurses caught
her in her arms.
Mr. Grosham's illness began May 1
when he was attacked with acute pleurisy.
The effusion filled the pleural cavity, but
his condition yielded to treatment until
last Saturday, when he suffered relapse,
accompanied by acute pneumonia. His
condition since that time has been ex-
tremely critical. His heart action became
enfeebled requiring the constant admins
tration of the most powerful heart stimu-
lants. One or the other Of his physicians,
Drs. John and Prentiss, or both, were
constantly with him. His pulse reached
16O and was SO feeble that 1t could barely
be counted.
Stimulants kept him alive. Nitro-gly.
crime and strychnlne were given continu-
ously hypodermically, together with digi-
tails and whisky. He was able to take nc
nourlshment save in liquid form-prin-
cipally milk punches-and the whole ef-
fort of the physicians was directed toward
sustaining end strengthening him. The
right pleuritic cavity was filled with the
effused fluid, and the lung so compressed
as to make breathing impossible. About
80 last evening he sank SO rapidly that
death was momentarily expected. Restor-
atiyes were applied and hypodermic injec-
lions of nitro glycerino and strychnine
were made His blood vessels were in
state of collapse, and his condition was SO
extremely critical that the physicians de-
cided that TRANSMISSION was Immediately
necessary to stimulate the heart. DR..
Van Ransselear, an expert young sur
Keon, was hastily sent for. He opened q
vein in the left arm and infused q pint
and half of normal saline solution. The
operation was successful and at 0 o'clock
the stricken statesman had revived some
what.
The secretary lay in one of suite of
rooms on the ground floor of the johnson
annex of tho Arlington Hotel. At his
bedside were Mrs, Gresham, his devoted
wife: his daughter Mrs L, f. Andrews
of Chicago, and his sonin-law, Mr.. An
drews, the nurses and the three physicians.
Secretary Lamont First Assistant Post
master General Jones, Assistant Secre-
tary of State Uhl, Chief Justice Fuller,
Colonel Corbin and Captain Fuller, of tho
army, remained in parlor A, connecting
with Secretary Gresham's suite, receiving
such persons as were admitted and an
swering inquiries.
Secretary Gresham was conscious al
most the entire evening. Many times he
inquired for his son Otto, who was on his
way from Chicago. Secretary Lamont
and his private secretary, Mr.. Seager, kept
the wires busy trying to locate him with
the purpose of Fastening his arrival, il
possible, by means of special train. 1t
was discovered about 8 o'clock that Otto
Gresham was on the Pennsylvania lin
tied, due to reach Altoona, Pa, at mid
night. Tho Pennsylvania officials de-
clared that it would be impossible to ex-
| pedite his passage to Harrisburg, but a
special train was arranged for to bring
him to Washington. In this way he reached
hero soon after O'Clock this morning,
four hours too late.
SECRETARY GREsHAMs CAREER.
| The Farmers Boy who Served In the Cab