Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-14
Bullet Blots Precious Life and There is
 Sorrow and Grief in Every Household
THE END CATE AFTER HEROIC STRUGGLE

14.-WiIIiam Mckinley, twenty-nfCh president of the United States. died at 2s15 o'clock this morning from the ef- feet of an asSasSinss bullet
 Theodore Roosevelt. twenty sixth president of the United States succeeds to that exalted office under the constitution and laws of the cOun- try and with the administration of the oath of office to-day he will begin to exercise the functions of president.
 In these statements are embraced the cOnsummatiOn of an awful trage- dy. and the historic event by whicn the entire administration of govern ment is changed.
 But for the moment the transfer of the government is forgotten in the great sorrow which has fallen on the nation in the passing of President Me KinIey. Soldier. statesman, president devoted husband and friend, he was beloved by all who knew him.
 The death of President Mckinley came in the early morning. under cir . cumStances of peculiar weirdness. For hours he had lain unconscious. with all hope of his survival abandoned As early as 6 o'clock last night the doe. tors had pronounced him dying man, and soon thereafter the rigors of ap- preaching death began to creep upon him. The administration of powerful Etimulants was maintained until o'clock. but with no effect. 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 He came out of a stupOr about o'clock. and while his mind was partially clear there took place the last endearments. the last submission of the sufferer to the will of the Almighty. the last mur- fnured expressions from his dying lips and the last good byes. In this inter- val of consciousness Mrs Mckinley was brought into the death chamber. The president had asked to see her. 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.
 The president himself fully realized that his hour had come. and his mind turned to his Maker. He whispered feebIy: Nearer. My God. to Thee. 7 the words of the hymn always dear 10 his heart. Then in faint accents he murmured: Good bye. all: good bye. It is Gods way, His will be done, not ours-H
 With this sublime display of Chris tian fOrtitude the president soon after lapsed into inconsistencies.
 The members of the cabinet. grief- stricken, were gathered in the large drawing room of the AIilburn house. The time had come when they were to look upon the president for the last time fn life They aScended the stair way one after the other. noiselessly approaching the threshold of the chamber where the dying man lay, and gazed within. Those who came first turned back appalled, and over wheImed and did not pass within the chamber. Secretary Wilson remained below. unwilling to have imprinted on his mind the picture of his expiring chief. Secretary Long. who arrived on a late train. went at once to the chamber and passed directly to the bedside of the president, grasping the hand that was already cIammy with approaching death.
 Meantime the president had lapsed into a state of complete unconscious ness. and it was only a question of hours. perhaps minutes, when the end would come
 By 10 o'clock there was no percep- tibIe pulse The extremities had grown cold and the rigidity of death was fast failing upon the sufferer The physi- clans who remained at his side detect ed only the faintest heart beats. Some of them. knowing that all was over, departed. while others remained, noI because there was any further need for their ministratiOns but out of re spect for the expiring president DT Janeway. the eminent heart specialist, who had been summoned from Wash ingtOn. arrived shortly after midnight and proceeded at once to the bedside of the president An instant's glance told him the time had passed for hope. He turned away. telling the assembled relatives and officials that the end was very near. Midnight came and still the tremendous vitality of the presi- dent was battling against dissolution. Another hour passed so. and still an- other. Al o'clock Dr Rixey was the only physician in the death chamber
 
 while the relatives. cabinet officers and nearest friends were gathered in silent groups in the apartments below. As he watched and waited. Dr Rixey ob- served a slight. convulsive tremof. The president had entered the valley of the 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. They came in groups. the women weeping and the men bowed and sob bing fin their intense grief. Grouped about the bedside at this final moment were the only brother of the president. Abner Mckinley. and his wife: Miss Helen Mckinley and Mrs Sarah Dun ran- sisters of the president: Miss Mary Barber. niece; Miss Sara Dun can. niece: Lieutenant James F. Me Elnley. William M. Duncan and John Barber. nephews: r. M Osborne. a cousin. Secretary George B. Cortel- 4ou. Hon Charles c. Dawes c0mptrol-