The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-14

ceived by the score at the residence for
some time after the end came In all, there
were something like three hundred sucn
messages received. Not until two or three
hours had elapsed after the death did the
character of the communications change TO
coincidence. These kilograms and letters
showed graphically the great esteem IN
which General Harrison was held by his
fellow-countrymen. A telegram expressive
Of the deepest and 'sincerest grief was re-
ceived from Richard Mansfield, the brill
liant actor. Mr.. Mansfield and the ex-
President were personal friends, and the
latter had frequently spoken in terms of
the highest praise of the actors ability TO
portray character. Justice John NJ. Hal-
Ian, of the United States Supreme Court,
wired assurances of his profound sympathy
to General and Mrs. Harrison in the hour
Of their great trial. A message of great
depth of feeling came from Gen. John w.
Noble. who was President Harrisons secre-
tary of the interior. Ex-Postmaster Gen.
eral John Wanamaker made anxious in
Quiries by wire concerning the condition
OF the distinguished patient at intervals
throughout the day.
GENERAL TRACYS TELEGRAM
Gen. Benjamin F. Tracy, who was sec
retary of the navy in President Harrison's
Cabinet, also wired a solictous inquiry for
information of his friends condition. Other
dispatches were received from ex-Secretary
of State John w. Foster, ex-senator Thom-
as w. Palmer, of Michigan, United States
Senator Charles w. Fairbanks, United
States Senator Albert ]. Beveridge, Mr.. and
Mrs. Andrew Carnegie and scores of other
prominent people in all parts of the coun-
try. The messages came so rapidly yester-
day that il was impossible for each of
them TO be opened and examined carefully,
the attention of everybody in the Harrison
household being kept constantly confined to
the man who lay dying in a darkened
room upstairs.
peculiarly sad feature of the closing
hours of General Harrson's- life was the
fact that neither his son, Col. Russell Il.
Harrison, nor his daughter, Mrs. Mary Har-
rison Mckee, was able to reach his bed
side before the end came. Colonel Harri-
son did not get to indianapolis until late
hour last night and Mrs. Mckee will not
arrive until some time to-day from Sara
toga, n. Y. Mrs. Bevin, General Harri-
sons third sister, is supposed to be on her
way from her home in Ottumwa, Ia. al
though no definite word has been received
from her. The generals brother who re-
sides in Murfreesboro, Tenn, has not sent
any information as TO his intention, but it
is believed he has started for indianapolis.
John Scott Harrison, the other brother of
the deceased, arrived at the family home
| last night from Kansas City.
INCIDENTS AT THE HOUSE.
The group of watchers about the sick
| man spent the greater portion of the after
| noon yesterday, until they were summoned
| TO the bedside to witness the closing scene,
in discussing incidents in his active life and
also the marvellous struggle he made to
ward off the deadly assaults of the disease
which held him in it's grasp. II never saw
anything like the way in which General
| Harrison resisted DEATH" said Colonel
! Ransdel. "It seemed as If he just gritted
his teeth and said L will live" Viewed
from the standpoint of the physician. the
| case of General Harrison is almost phe-
| nomenal. That man of his advanced age
| (sixty-eighD should be able to withstand
| for more than forty-eight hours the steady
| assault of a disease such as pneumonia,
complicated with intercostal rheumatism, is
| almost incredible, except to those who wit
messed the wonderful struggle. For the
L
waged against a weakened heart also, for
| during the night of Tuesday the infiamma-
ton which had previously confined itself
| TO the generals left lung spread to his
heart and made very perceptible differ
| ence in its action. BY all who observed the
case it is declared without hesitation that
| General Harrison must have possessed a
| constitution of really marvellous strength.
/ ID all .lau
| within a short time after he left the room
| OF death, and 1t was only with the greatest
| difficulty that he could control his emotions
| sufficiently TO speak of the tragic affair.
| General Harrison was almost father to
me-" he said, finally. with choking voice
and moist eyes. II went into his regiment,
| the Seventieth Indiana, when mere
boy, and We formed, on the sanguinary
battlefield and almost at the cannon 5
mouth, a friendship, the ties of which be-
came only the stronger with the passage
of years. Even at that early period Cen
eral Harrison was the greatest man with
whom L had ever come in contact, and such
he remained all through my life until death
took him from me forever a few minutes
ago. fie was indeed a friend to me- |
never had a friend who was near to being
so much to me as he was"
MANY PEOPLE CALLED.
When the condition of General Harrison
became so much worse yesterday morning
the house was practically closed to visitors.
Throughout the day, however, people came
| in a steady stream to the door to make
! inquiry as TO the distinguished mans con-
dition and the prospects for his recovery.
Many of the callers left baskets. bouquets
| and handsome designs of flowers. These
| gifts of love and friendship came in such
numbers that a room was almost filled
with them. The telephone bell was not
muftled, Tor the dying man above could
not hear it's sharp tones and there was
hardly an instant in the day that il was
not pealing forth an intimation that some
one wanted to know about General Har-
rison. All the newspapers in Indianap-
oils had TO have people stationed at their
telephones with no other duty than an
swering inquiries concerning General Har-
| rison's condition. Everybody everywher,
| seemed TO have but one thought, and that
was OF the ex-President who was slowly
passing from among his felowmen, by
whom he was universally beloved.
Governor Durbin and his secretary, Col.
Charles +. Wilson, were the first TO reach
the Harrison home after the news of the
generals death went forth. They came