Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-09-18
PASSING Of A GREAT LIFE.
President Mckinley Met Death
with That Heroic Calmness Which
Marked His Public Career.
TT is GODS Way" He WHISPERED.
Last Hour OF Consciousness Was Spent with
the Wife to Whom He Had Devoted a
Lifetime of Care-Grief OF the Nation
Knows No Bounds-Interment at His
Old Home in Canton


Buffalo, \. Y, Sept. 15.-President
Mckinley died at 2:l5 Saturday morn
ing. He had been unconscious since
1850 p. IN. His last conscious hour
was spent with his wife to whom he
devoted lifetime of care. He died
unattended by II minister of the gos-
pei, but his last words were an hum
bic 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 op-
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 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
srriaf ,,f h. 4rn III, 4, ;.I l.
life.
The president in his last period of
consciousness, which ended about
7:40, 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
We're: '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
rcinistration of oxygen aud he finally
expressed a desire to be allowed to
die. About $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
retary 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
After her final parting with the
president Mrs. Mckinley was urged
to go to her room and obtain
rest. She was sleeping when the
end came. Up to $50 o'clock
Saturday morning no members of
the afflicted family had put in an
appearance. From the servants
it was learned that Mrs. Mckin-
ley had not yet left her room. At
the house the only visible sign of
the nations calamity was to be found
in the doorpost.
DIR. Wasdin came from the house
at $40. He said that Mrs Mckinley
had rested well during the night and
was feeling quite strong. She bears
up wonderfully well in her grief and
some of the apprehension as to her is
passing away.
Absolute quiet prevailed in the
neighborhood of the Milburn resi-
dence through the early hours of the
day. The police maintained the lines
on Delaware avenue and and the
streets which intersect it, and double
picket lines patrolled by Fourteenth
infantrymen protected the house
from any intrusion. Many persons
came to the outer police lines and
gazed in silence at the house where
the body of the dead president re-
poses. Some talked in awed whispers
of the cruel tragedy that had taken
the nations ruler and among all the
deepest sorrow was manifest. Pa
thetic figures in the crowd were scores
of old Grand Army men who grieve
at the loss of comrade. Their bit
terness at the crime seemed melted in
regret. Many of them pleaded with
the police for admission to the lines,
declaring that it was their right and
privilege to guard the body of the
man who had fought in their ranks
and was their comrade. The police
regretfully enforced the order against
them.
Mrs. Barber and Miss Mckinley. sis
tiers of the dead statesman, drove to
the AIilburn house at 9:30 and were
at once escorted in. Both showed
deep grief.
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
ewait the arrival of the new presi-
dent. They said that the entire pro,