The sun., 1901-09-08
DR.. LEI FEARS THE WORST.
NE ASSISTED AT THE OPERATION
ON THE PRESIDENT.
while Here Yesterday He sad ~ Csnssder
President Mckiniey's Condition sers-
eu>-Nery serieus" Gave De
tailed Description ef the Operation.

w wv Otfftttpf VIZ
Mckinley In tho Emergency Hospital on
Friday night. was In this city for few
hours yesterday Al the Firth Avenue
Hotel in tho afternoon DR.. Lee said that
as he had not seen the President since
his removal from the Emergency Hospital
10 the residence Of President John q. Mil
burn, Of the Exposition. he had to rely
10 a great extent. on the press reports
of tho Presidents condition. He said
however. that not outstanding the favor
able reports which had come from Buh,lo
he felt that the Presiden,'s condition was
far moro serious than was generally be
lieved. When pressed for direct answer
a. TO whether hs thought that the Prcsi-
dent would recover DIR. lec aid:
Il consider that President Mckinley's
condition " serious-vory serious. II
ducs not matter where that second bullet
lodged We did not ascertain whare II
was. Il may be In the Presidents back.
or u mhy b. loose In the abdominal cavity.
! That Ia not important at present. 1t has
done It's work.
Dr l. N. Love Of this city. who had been
for some time IN conversation with Dr.
/ Lee and who had been fully Informed OF
his views. said:
a wound like the President has re
ceiv-d u always dangerous. From what
I have been Informed would not be sur
! pris"d II the President died within three
days
( Dr. Lee bowed in silent assent.
Dr L.. who was medical director 81 the
/ Trans Mississippi Exposition In Omaha. WAS
I visiting the Pan-American Exposition on
Friday and was talking To Col William
=. Cody Ola the opposite side of the Expo
-ition grounds from the Temple of Music
where the President was shot A friend
who knew that he was visiting Col. Cody
rushed over To DR.. Lee a. soon he had
learned that an attempt had bcen made
on the Presidents life and told him that
he was wanted at the Emergency Hospital.
The President had been taken o. the
hospital when | reached there. said DI.
.sc Yesterday. IL vas then Some minutes
after the shots had been fired There was
an cnger, pushing crowd around the hospital.
but Il was moycsl only by anxiety a- to the
Presidents condition. | had no dithculty
In getting through. My friend shouted
Make way for physician and passage
oTsnei a. II by magic
The President had been undre.rs>d and
vas lying on the operating table when ]
entered the Operating room. There were
no outsiders there, ! think just the regular
hu-I ital nurses. two or thrco of them, and
two young physicians aitached - tho hos
p'al think that son Of DIR Matthew
u Mann, who h also a physician. and n DIR.
Wilson. removed the Presidents clothes
| can't say positively what physicians wers
la the Operating room when ] reachHd there,
n I did not learn their names until later.
The PrcSident's Secretary. George y. Cortel-
YOU remained in the room throughout tho
,nsu'tatlon aud operation. s> did Mr.
Nilhurn.
The President Law quietly throughout
the cor~ultation. and answered the few
questions put To him In a very satisfactory
manner They were mostly as to his diet,
whether he had lunched and other questions
Il was requested that we should ask before
an anrrthetic was administered. II was
determined 10y the physicians in consulta-
tion that al immediate operation Was
necessary The decision was impaired TO
the President.
'He smiled. and then In the quiet. dig
nifi.d manner so well known to all who have
come into close contact with him, said
Gentlemen. do whatever YOU think
IL nccc-sary'
The operation was performed 10y Dr.
Mann. Or Myuter and myself assisting
Before the anr-,hetic was administered
the Prevalent was suffering from shock
20 some extent and was In considerable
pain. Ether was used ~ the snssthetio
and was Administered 10y one % the local
physicians. Just which one ] cant say.
II Was about half an hour after the Prc-i-
dent was shot that the ether Was admin
isterpd. He responded to its effects very
readily and remained under It's influence
throughout the operation. He wRs still
under the infiuenc. Of the anssthetic when
removed TO President Milhurn's residence
The operation was perform'd a calmly
and deliberately. While We never forgot
for an instant that the patient was n mag
nihcent man and our President our emo
tions did not In the l,ast hamper our work
The wound Ia the chest required no atten-
tinn until the more serious one In the abdo-
men had been operated upon. and dressed
The first bullet had simply caused an nhra-
sion ~ tho skin which was morc painful
than sarin,ls The wound was dressed later
with a solution Of collodion and a loose
baniage.
The bulle, hole in the abdomen was
about five inches below tho left nipple
and an inch and n half to the lcft of the
mcdian line DR. Mann made fvcirc
incision along the line ~ tho wound through
which the line Of the bullet was followed
until II wss ascyrtained that !, had pene-
traicd the anterior wall 81 the stomach.
II vas found necessary To turn the stomach
out through the incision To -c"riain whether
the bullet had gone completely through that
organ We then found that the pos,eTior