The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-12

physician. With dawn, however, his
family summoned Dr. Craik, his close
friend and hero of the revolution. He
felt alarmed and Washington then ex-
pressed the fear that he would not re-
cover. Drs. Dick and Brown were at
once called into consultation, but all
day long the disease grew upon the
strong man.
He was the most self-contained, calm
and unmoved person in the house. He
repeated his belief that he was dying
and added, "but am not afraid to die"
He called his wife to him, delivered to
her the keys of his desks, handed her
two wills prepared in his own hand,
instructed her to burn one and keep the
other, gave orders concerning his burial
and directed how long his body should
be kept before being consigned. to the
tomb.
1t was then the evening Of the l4th
and he had been sick less than forty
eight hours. Having given his wife the
instructions he desired he called Colonel
Lear to his bedside and asked him II
he recalled anything he should attend
to before he died The Colonel told him
he thought of nothing, but he trusted
that he would recover and remain with
them many years to come. With
smile, which all who knew him say no
other man possessed, he answered that
he knew he was dying, that he ap-
preached death with perfect resignation
and regretted only that he gave trouble
to those who sought to relieve his pain
for he was then breathing only with
greatest difficulty and in the midst Of
torturing spasms Of pain.
To the loving reply that to serve him
and render him comfortable, if pos
sible, was a task to be envied. he ans
wered, speaking with great difficulty,
that it was a debt we must pay to
each other and said to Colonel Lear,
land I hope when you want aid of
this kind you will find it"
In these last hours he kept cool and
frequent account of his pulse and
noted the decline Of his physical pow
ers. About 10 o'clock he said 81 am
going" and gave instructions as to his
burial. He asked if he was understood
and assent was bowed by his speeches.
friends. He replied, "'Tis we'll" He
folded his hands, composed his
head upon the pillow, placed his finger
upon his pulse and spoke no more. In
half an hour his hand fell from his
wrist. Colonel Craik placed his own
hand over the eyes Of the dying hero,
and in a moment Washington was no
more
He died as he had lived, calmly, peace
fully, courageously, with dignity and in
the beauty and glory Of splendid
manliness. 1t was a noble tribute to
the worth of great man that when
the news of his death reached England
the flags of that nation were instantly
placed at half-mast on the British
fleet, and that in France Bonaparte,
then First Consul, ordered that black
Grape should be suspended from all
standards and foated on all flags
throughout the public service for the
period of ten days.
For forty years his devoted wife had
been his best friend and closest coun-
sellor She was with him in his great
est triumphs and his trials and was by
his side when he died. She survived
him three years and five months, and
dying as resignedly and peacefully as
had her illustrious husband, her body
was placed beside his in the tomb at
Mount Vernon, which is and should
ever remain the shrine to which tens
of thousands of citizens annually go to
pay tribute by their visit to the virtues
of the first among all great Americans.
The commemoration of the hundredth
anniversary of the event which laid
low the father of his country is to have
in Washington City the special care
u Tic IlesioeAl oho Tic Ooh6l cSS VI
the United States. In every other
community it should be recognized by
such service, or by display of the flag
his valor and wisdom gave US, as will
quicken anew the patriotic impulse and
freshen in our hearts the admiration
and love we entertain for the fathers
who battled for and won US our iiber-
ties