New-York tribune., 1901-09-07
rHE CAPITAL STUNNED.
oow THE NEWS REACHED
THE WHITE HOUSE.
aE CABINET WIDELY DIsPERSED-PRo-
s,ovs OF THE SUCCESSION LAW.
r,v rrIrerArH TO rHE TRIBrNE.l


,...or sent. 6-Citizens OF Washington
. u,ere here when Lincoln was assassinated
FhU a,d when Garfield was shot down by
H,-..r say that the national capital was not
S-an,stelv stunned by either of those terri
y .-.seaies as by the news that President
80, - while mingling as one Of them with
= e,,ow citizens at Buffalo. had been foully
nv an anarchist-for the first impression
-. news was that the President had been
,.s outright. The great departments Of the
-.-,rnent. every one Of which has been run
g. vrithout its tituar and authoritative head
- .-on two DAYS 10 three weeks, had poured
70. ,bousands Of employees into the broad
-.,,s of Washington only about half an hour
-. the shocking intelligence was received
a., Ruffalo and, the day being especially in
-s,,g for promenading. the thoroughfares in
-. .sn7ral part Of the city were filed with
-.,,ls The dread tidings were communicated
;. +bs tbrongs with lightning speed, and al
..,,, IN the twinkling Of an eye the mood Of the
-.or,s changed from gay 70 grave Men were
Z. benurnbed that they found il impossible 10
.sr. vent 70 their feelings in any other ex-
r-sss,on than contained in the question. whis-
r.rss in husky tones one TO another, My God,
is il true"
SILENT CROWDS SCAN BULLETINS.
s,oulv-not hastily or noisily. because that
mere nrofanation-the stricken throngs, para
lyzed with dread, gravitated TO the newspaper
bulletin boards. Silently they scanned the
meagre bulletins. Words scarcely escaped the
lins az the silent watchers. Even the accustomed
mise of the streetcars broke upon their ears
With a sharp, jarring shock As the dinner
hour approached the crowds in the downtown
streets and around the bulletin boards grew
larger instead of smaller. With the increase of
the numbers the silence seemed TO be all the
more intense and reverential.
There was no hope in any of the bulletins
that were received during the first hour Of the
nerve racking suspense. To the thousands of
awestruck people that pushed and crowded
without grumbling or even murmuring, il
seemed evident that the President either was
dead or dying At $50 o'clock the first faint ray
Of hope fickered through a short message from
the cot OF the wounded man. II recited simply
that the President had completely recovered
from the shock that the bullet fired at his
heart had been extracted. and that there was
hope Of his recovery. Then the vast throng
thct had stood stunned and stupeied IN Penn
sylvania-ave. for an hour gave vent TO its feel
ing in a joyous shout that rang through the
tpleuGlQ luOTOISuldEe lIOIn luc w nlle IlOuSc W
he Capitol The tense strain at last had been
relieved, and the men and women OF Washington
IS1 Tegs med the power of speech.
TIE TENSE STRAIN RELIEVED.
From that time on the spirit of the crowd was
gay. Though fearful that all danger had not
been passed, the people appeared unable TO re-
strain themselves from giving expression to the
relief that had come TO every mind. The Presi-
dent viii liye," From the throats of men and
women this shout is going up. and from the lips
of children that were stilied strangely only three
hours ago there is the ripple of laughter and the
melody Of song. The national capital will sleep
tonight all the more soundly, now that the
tense, indescribable strain to which its nerves
were so suddenly and startlingly subjected has
been relieved.
The first news OF the tragedy reached the
headquarters Of The Associated Press in this