The Washington times., 1901-09-14
VIGIL AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
A Constant stream of Omcial visitors
During tine, Evening

Constant sfrenm Oh OHctal Visitors
During tine Evening.
At the White House the most intense
perturbation prevailed from the time of
the first announcement that the condi-
ton of the President was critical Every
succeeding official bulletin, every tele-
phonic communication direct from the
Milburn house. every press despatch an
nounced by the numerous newspaper
men on duty at the White House, who
were In constant communication with
their Headquarters. reported the increas-
ing gravity of the Presidents condition.
4 settled gloom pervaded the building
conversation was conducted in subdued
tones as though the dying President was
in adjoining room, and every face
bore evidence OF intense anxiety and sus-
| pense.
constant stream of visitors flowed
into the Executive rooms of the White
| House. Many of these were prominent
officials, and close personal friends of
| the President, and the sadness of the oc-
cason and the weight of personal grief
| were reflected evidently in countenance
! and demeanor.
| Judge Ryan. Assistant and Acting Sec
retary of the Interior. who has been a
close friend and colleague of the Presi-
| dent for many years. was among the
| early callers. Judge Ryan. who served
| fourteen years in Congress, was elected
| Representative in 1876, tho same year
| that Mr. Mckinley first entered Congress,
| and served with him through each sue
| ceeding Congressional term until 1890,
when both retired finally from Congress.
Both were Republicans, both warm
friends, and the intense feeling of Judge
| Ryan last night was plainly visible. He
spent half an hour with Colonel Mont
gomery, but in the absence of further
news, left for the newspaper Offices.
| where more frequent information was
| available
Assistant Secretaries Taylor and
| Spaulding. both of the Treasury Depart
ment. called at separate times during the
evening. Neither stayed any length of
| time in conversation with Major Pruden,
| the Assistant Private Secretary to the
| President.
! The following also called during the
! course of the evening:
John G. Thompson, one of the Assistant
Attorneys General of the Department of
Justice; Col. A. S. Kimball Acting Adju-
| tant General, War Department; ex-Sen-
| ator Blair, of New Hampshire; Major
Russell, of the Signal Corps; Assistant
Secretary Campbell, of the Interior De-
| partment; o. B. Austin, Chief of the
| Treasury Bureau of Statistics: Chief
Clerk Dawson, of the Interior Depart
ment: Pay Director Rand and Mrs Rand;
Senator Clarence d. Clark. of Wyoming.
| and Oscar j. Ricketts,, of the Government
Printing Office.
Frederick b. Owen, the architect in the
office of the Superintendent of Public
Buildings and Grounds. who has been
| making the plans for the proposed adj
ditions to the Executive Mansion. was
among those who called at the White
House during the evening. Mr.. Owens is
| the man who, in Buffalo, at the time of
| the assault on the President by Czolgosz,
placed a settee for Mr. Mckinley upon
which the President sank as he was shot.
Mr. Owen waited in the ante-room for
several hours anticipating news of the
| end.
The news yesterday during the later
| morning and early afternoon hours had
been somewhat reassuring in comparison
with preceding bulletins stating the Presi-
dents critical condition during Thursday
night Grounds for hope had been the
burden of the reassurfng dispatches. and
| 1t was hoped and generally believed that
the President would pull through Alarm
had been considerably allayed, and 1t was
great shock when a despatch from Mr
| Cortelyou, at $50 O'Clock. unsigned by
any of the attending physicians, an
nounced that the Presidents condition
was grave at that hour, and that he was
| suffering from extreme prostration. The
despatch also stated that oxygen was be-
| ing administered and that he responded
but poorly to this stimulation. The pulse
was recorded as 125. with 40 respirations
to the minute. A pail fell over the White
| House at the moment. and the gloom
| thickened every moment.
A premature announcement of the death
of the President arrived at the White
| House at 6:23 p. M. This unfortunate er.
ror originated in Buffalo. An unofficial
despatch announcing that the end had oc-
CURED at that moment was flashed over
| the country. and was also sent TO the
| White House.
room. where the telegraphic instruments
are kept, and which Is secluded from
| general intrusion. One of Colonel Mont
gomery's stan was at the moment using
th,e telephone in conversation with per-
sons in the city, who were enquiring con-
cerning the Presidents condition. When
| the operator announced the receipt of the
| despatch. the statement supposed to De
authority was repeated over the tete-
phone that the President was dead.
The next moment the newspaper men
fastening to convey the news to the va
rious bureaus and local newspaper Of
fees. Colonel Montgomery himself, who
had an engagement to meet some friehds
at the Raleigh Hotel. communicated to
them the report that the President was
dead. ard that he would consequently be
unable to keep the engagement
Although the report was denied within
few moments, it had already spread
over the city, and in some places the
statement of the Presidents death was
bulletined. though subsequently, retracted.
This news brought stream of visitors
to the White House, and even the state
ment that the report was erroneous did
not for several hours receive entire ere
| dence, ard it was supposed in some quar-
ters that the actual fact OF the Presi-
dents death was being suppressed for
some reason of state. This suspicion.
| however died down after the continued
receipt of bulletins announcing that the
! President was still alive.
1t is believed at the White House that
| the premature report of the death of the
| President originated with overzealous
| correspondents in Buffalo, or was a mis-
| take of the telegraph operator. 1t is
surmised that possibly at moment when
| the Presidents condition was very pre-
| carious. correspondents anticipating that
/ the end was matter of moment or so,
| had rushed to the wire and forwarded
/ the dispatches. or that anticir de-
| sDatches announcing the death were
/ placed with the operator, with instruc-
/ tions to forward when directed, which he
/ misunderstood. and forwarded at once S
| a statement OF fact.
When word came that the President
| was conscious and that Mrs. Mckinley
was at his bedside. il brought no cheer
| to those waiting anXiotsSly at the Presi-
| dents home. on the,f contrary, the i'm
/ preston prevailed that the return to con-
sciousness was but the beginning of the
| end, which was expected to occur at any
moment. a press despatch received few
/ nfrls mr. lea r He Il <in1.a