Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-09-20
"IT rs GODS WAY"
Thus Spoke William Mckinley as
He Sank Slowly to Rest.
Death Came After q Day Full of Alarms
and Hopes, But Result Was Certain
for Many Hours-Graphic De-
scription OF Last Moments.

Buffalo, n. Y, Sept. 15.-President
Mckinley died at 2:15 Saturday morn
ing. He had been unconscious since
1850 p. m. His last conscious hour
was spent with his wife to whom he
devoted lifetime of care. He died
unattended by minister of the Cos
pei, but his last words were an hum
BILE submission to the will of God in
whom he believed. He was recon
ciled to the cruel fate to which an
assassin's bullet had condemned him
and faced death in the same spirit
of calmness and poise which has
marked his long and honorable ca
reer. His relatives and the members
of his official family were at the Mil
burn house, except Secretary Wilson,
who did not avail himself of the OPP
portunity, and some of his personal
and political friends took leave of
him This painful ceremony was sim
pie. His friends came to the door of
the sick room, took a longing glance
at him and turned tearfully away.
He was practically unconscious during
this time. But the powerful heart
stimulants, including oxygen, were
employed to restore him to conscious
ness for his final parting with his
wife. He asked for her and she sat
at his side and held his hand. He
consoled her and bad her good-by.
She went through the heart-trying
scene with the same bravery and for
titude with which she has borne the
grief of the tragedy which ended his
life.
The president in his last period of
consciousness, which ended about
7:4O, chanted the words of the hymn,
Nearer, My God to Thee" and his
last audible conscious words as taken
down by DR.. Mann at the bedside
were: 'Good-by, all; good-by. 1t is
Gods way. His will be done" Then
his mind began to wander and he COM
pletely lost consciousness. His life
was prolonged for hours by the adj
ministration of oxygen and he finally
expressed a desire to be allowed to
die. About $3.50 the administration
of oxygen ceased and the pulse grew
fainter and fainter. He was sinking
gradually, like child, into the eter-
nal slumber. By ten o'clock the pulse
could no longer be felt in his extrem-
tiles and they grew cold. AT 9:37 Sec
rotary Cortelyou, who had been much
of the time with his dying chief, sent
out formal notification that the pres
ident was dying. But the president
fingered on, his pulse growing fainter
and fainter. There was no need for
official bulletins after this. Those who
came from the house at intervals told
the same story-that the president
was dying and that the end might
come at any time. His tremendous
vitality was the only remaining fac
tor in the result, and this gave hope
only of brief postponement of the
end.
An affecting incident of the morn
ing was the coming of Mrs. Garrett
A. Hobart, wife of the former vice
president of the United States and
her son. Mrs. Hobart was in. deepest
mourning and after her visit to the
house, came out with her handker-
chief to her eyes, weeping.
The cabinet held brief meeting at
noon Saturday and then adjourned to
await the arrival of the new presi-
dent. They said that the entire pro-
gramme for the funeral had been
agreed upon. 1t includes provision for
short service of prayer at the Mil
burn residence Sunday afternoon at
five o'clock. On Monday at seven a.
M the remains will start for Wash
ington on a special train in which the
cabinet as we'll as the family will en-
bark. Arriving there in the evening
the body will be taken to the white
house, where it will remain over
night, and on Tuesday it will be taken
formally to the capitol where the
state funeral will be held. On
Wednesday the remains will be escort
ed to Canton and on Thursday inter-
ment will take place at President Nc
Kinley's old home
Graphic Description of Last Hours.
Buffalo, n. Y, Sept. 1.-THE death
of President Mckinley came in the
small hours of the morning, under cir
cumstances of peculiar wierdness.
For hours he had lain unconscious,
with all hope of his survival aban-
doned. DR.. Janeway, the eminent
heart specialist, who had been sum
moned from New York, arrived short
ly before midnight and proceeded at
once to the bedside of the President.
An instant's glance told him the
time had passed for the slightest
hope. He turned away, telling the as
sembled relatives and officials that
the end was very near. Midnight came
and still the tremendous vitality of
the president was battling under dis
solution. Another hour passed so,
and still another. At o'clock DR..
Rixey was the only physician in the
death chamber. The others were in
IN adjoining room, while the rela-
tives, cabinet officers and nearest
friends were gathered in silent groups
in the apartments below As he
watched and waited, DR.. RiXey OBJ
served a slight, convulsive tremor.
The president had entered the valley