Evening journal., 1900-03-15
Jennie O'Neil Potter.)

psychological phenomenon. Jennie
ONeil Potter was one of the best
known elocutionists in the United
States. She made herself popular by
reciting How Salvador Won, "Flirts
and Matrons" and Swinging in the
Grape Vine Swing Now she is dy-
ing and knows it. Her great desire
expressed by herself for publication
is to appear once more n public. AID
Is to appear once more in public. and
If she can summons strength, the doc.
tors will let her do it, A literary
friend-to please her-has written a
monologue which tells of the scene
when the doctors told her she must
die, and closes with her death. And
this strange woman, looking forward
TO the end, and now in the Valley OF
the Shadow, longs to recite It. To a
New York newspaper reporter she
said the other day:
1T won't be months; not many. any
way. Father died last March, and he
is lying in the little cemetery at Patch
Grove, Wisconsin. I wish you could
see that little cemetery IL is so, so
pretty and cozy in the spring. It will
be spring when they take me there
that is, if l go, as / think / will, in
March.
You know, it never looks cold or
sad or lonely in our little cemetery.
In summer it is just one beautiful
bloom of roses-father always loved
June rOses-and mother and he plant
ed a great many in our plot. / shall
be there when they bloom again.
u have absolutely no fear of death.
There has, of course, been a great
deal of pain. It was agony. agony, ago
ny. And I'm so happy now TO think /
shall never have that awful pain
again
"Oh, yes, Of course I have treatment
It's horribly painful-and some
times think how good it will be over
there to have nothing to get pains in.
I mean to have no physical body. But,
ahl I'm wrong; something remains
that can still pain-that can ache and
ache. mean the mind, the heart. the
something we call soul
Wont it be lovely in Patch Grove?
When summer comes / shall look
down to see the roses on my grave.
They're always lovely then-and you
know that one of my pet ideas about
heaven is that I can see and know
what's going on down here. There S
so much human comfort in that
thought
Il was taken with terrible hemor.
rhage in my apartments, and some one
sent for the Bellevue ambulance
When the doctor came he said If he
had delayed five minutes more
should have bled 10 death. But all the
time 1 wasn't a bit alarmed, myself
didn't think it was anything serious
"Well. that night in Bellevue | had
a most horrible dream. | dreamed that
was I'm a room alone with a great
/ black horse. Everywhere 7 noted that
| he followed me-always with his head
/ on M skcuider-the fright and hor
ror he inspired me with | can't des
cribe. because I have always loved
horses-bOrn on a stock farm, yol
know.
well. in trying to escape from hin
I rushed into an adjoining room
There stood my friend-him I have
not Well, / rushed to him for protec
tion. the horse always by my side
He put out his arms. but somehow h'
could not clasp me, and then, lookini
at me sadly. he said Jennie, littl'
girl, it's too late. it's too late At tha
moment-God help mel suffered
all the agonies possible. knew
knew it was my death sentence, anG
from his lips Then, suddenly, afte
what seemed to me centuries of ag
ony, a great peace settled down ol
my torn heart.
"Then 1 knew better when the doc
tors told me it was all over.
1T is too late. poor little girl. Moth
ing can aid you. Four, five month";
ago there might have been time. To
day you would die on the operating
table. Be brave. that's a good child
and enjoy the little of life's sunshin
that yet shines for you
The advice was unnecessary. Neve
in art. fiction or nature has womai
faced and awaited death more coura
geously. more patiently than doe
Jennie O'Neil Potter in her littl
white cot at st. Luke's Hospital 4
New York, where the cancer is eatin
her life out.