Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-09-19
PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY.
Sublime Christian Fortitude Displayed h,
President NICK lnIeY.

y
small hours OF the morning, under cir
cumstances of peculiar weircness. Fos
hours, he had lain unconscIously, with
all hone OF his survival abandoned. Ae
early as g O'Clock last night, the doc
tors had pronounced him dying man
and soon thereafter, the rigors of ap.
preaching death began to creep upon
him. The administration of powerful
stimulants was maintained until Z
o'clock, but with nc effeot. 1t was
seen that the end was near at hand,
and those nearest and dearest to the
stricken President were summoned for
the Offices of the last farewell. lie
came out OF stupor about o'clock,
and, while his mind was partially clear,
there occurred the last endearments,
the last spkAhission of the sufferer to
the will q the Almighty, the last muir
INJURED expressions from his dying lirs,
and the last good byes In this interval
of consciousness, Mrs. Mckinley was
| brought into the death chamber. The
President had asked to see har. She
came and sat beside him, held his
hand, and heard from him his last
words of encouragement and comfort.
| Then she was led away, and not again
during his living hours did she see
| him.
"GoD's WILL BE DoNT.n
The President fully realized that his
hour had come, and his mind turned
| to his Maker. He whispered feebly
Nearer, My God, to Thee, - the words
of the hymn always dear to his heart.
Then, in faint accents, he murmured
"Goud-hye. all, goodbye. 1t is God q
way. His will be done, not ours. -
With this sublime display of Christian
fortitude, the President soon after
lansed into Inconsistencies.
The members of the cabinet, grief
stricken, we're gathered in the large
drawing room of the Milburn house.
The time had come when they too were
to look upon the President for tho last
time in life. They assembled the stair.
way one after the other, noiseessly ap-
preaching the threshold of the cham
ber where the dying man lay, and
gazed within. Those who came fret
turned back appalled, and overwhelmed,
and did not pass within the chamber.
Seol etary Wilson remained below, un-
willing to have imprinted on his
momofy tho picture Of -expiring
chief. Secretary Long, who arrived on
late train, went at oncs to the cham
ber, and passed directly to the bedside
of the President, grasping the hand
that was already clammy with ap.
proaching death.
Meantime. the President had lspsed
into a state OF complete unconscious.
ness, and 1t was only a question of
hours, perhaps minutes, when the end
would come. By 10 O'Clock, there was
no perceptible pulse. The extremities
had grown cold, and the rigidity Of
death was fast falling upon the sufferer.
The physicians who remained at his
side detected only the laintest heart
beats. Some of them, knowing that
all was over, departed, while others re-
mained, not because there was any
further need for their ministrations,
but because OF respect for the expiring
President.
DIR. Janeway, an eminent heart
specialist, who had heen sunni moned
from New York, arrived shortly 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 assembled relatives and
officials that the end was very near.
HAD TREMENDOUS VITALITY.
Midnight came, and still the tte-
mendous vitality OF the President was
battling against dissolution. Another
hour passed 30, and still another. At
2 O'Clock, DIR. Rixey was the only
physician in the death chamber; the
others we're in an adjoining room, while
the relatives, cabinet officers and nearest
friends were gathered in silent
groups in tine apartments below.
As he watched an6 waited, DR..
Rixey observed slight tremor.
The President had entered the valley
and shadow of death. Word was at
once taken to the immediate relatives
who were not present to hasten for the
last look upon the President in life.
lhey came in groups, the women weep
ing and the men bowed and sohbing in
their intense grief.
Grouped about the beside at this
final moment were the only brother of
the President, Abner Mckinley, and
his wife; Miss Helen Mckinley and
Mrs Sarah Duncan, sisters OF the
President; Miss Mary Barber, a niece;
Miss Sarah Duncan, a niece; Lieut..
James f. Mckinley, William NJ. Dun.
can and John Barber, nsphews f. NJ.
Osho re, cousin: Secretary George
b. Cortelyou, tho Hon. Charles G.
Dawes, Comptroller of the Currency,
Col. Webb O. Hays and Col. William
O. Brown. With these, directly and
indirectly connected with the family,
were others who had kept ceaseless
yieil--the wlIite-garbed nurses and the
uniformed Marine Hospital attendants.
In tho adjoining room were Drs
Charles MoBurnoy, Eugene Wasdin,
Roswell Park, Charles G. Stockton and
Herman Mynter. The minutes we're
now flying, and 1t was .. 10 O'Clock.
Silent and motionless, the circle OF
living friends stood about the bedside.
DIR. Rixey leaned forward, and placed
his ear close to the breast of the ex-
piring President. Then he Strengthened
up, and made an effort to SPEAK. 1.-THE
President is Dead" he said.
PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY.
: The President had passed away
peacefully, without the oonvulsive
struggle of death. 1t was as though
he had fallen asleep. As they gaaed
ON the face OF the martyTed President,
only the sobs of the mourners broke
thesilenoe Of this chamber of death. Mr..
Cortelyou bad been one of the first to
rouse himself after the stunning effect
OF the announcement OF death. He
passed from the room and down the
stairway. There, ia the large drawing
roOfn uara atill- aaSamhl lad tho mann |