New-York tribune., 1901-03-14
THE END PEACEFUL AND
PAINLESS.
BY MEMBERS OF HIS
FAMILY, THE EX-PRESIDENTS
LIFE ENDS-THE FUNERAL
TO BE ON SUNDAY.
MFNIRERS OF HIS
rBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrRrxE.I ]

family and the physicians who had been con-
stantly in attendance on him since Monday
evening His death was quiet and painless. there
being gradual sinking until the end came.
which marked by a single gasp for breath
life departed.
The ex-President's condition was So bad this
morning after restless night that the attend
ing physicians understood the end could not he
far off. and all bulletins sent from the sick
room to this effect. so that the family and
friends prepared when the final blow came.
The gradual failing of the remarkable strength
shown by the patient became more noticeable
in the afternoon. and few moments before the
end there was an apparent breakdown on the
part of the sufferer. he surrendered 70 the
disease against which he had been bravely bat
Ting for many hours. The change was
noticed by the physicians and the relatives and
friends who had retired from the stckroonn the
library below were quickly summoned. and
| reached the bedside of the general before he
passed away.
LAST SCENE IN THE SICKROOM. 4.
The group at the bedside included Mrs. Har-
rison, William H II. Miller. Samuel Miller. his I
son; the Rev. Dr. NJ l.. Haines. pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church. which General Har-
rison had attended for many years; Secretary
Tibbott Drs. Jameson and Dorsey. Colonel Dam /
eI y. RansdeH. sergeant-at t-arms of the United /
States Senate and a close personal friend of the
dead ex-President; clifford ArTick and the two
nurses who have been in constant attendance. /
General Harrison's two sisters and an aunt wers1
also present. Mrs. Harrison knelt at the right
side of the bed. her husbands right hand I
grasped hers. while DT. Jameson held the left :
hand of the dying man. counting the feeble Z
| pulse heats In a few moments after the%
friends had been summoned to the room the end
/ he Sad 4
The great silence that fell the sOrrOwiug
| watchers by the bedside broken by the5
voice of Or. Haines. raised in prayer, suPpli-Y
! eating consolation for the bereaved wife and
! family
| None of General Harrison's children were,
| present at his death Neither Lieutenant-Colo-1 I
! mel Russell B. Harrison Mrs. Mckee had4
| reached the city, although both were hurryfng+
on their way to the bedside of their dying par-j
| ent as fast as steam could carry them Eliza-$
| beth General Harrison's little daughter. had
! been taken from the sickroom by her nurse be-
/ fore the end came
/ News of the death spread quickly through the
| city, AMI several of the more intimate friends
| at. once hurried 10 the house. The word was
flashed from the bulletins of all the newspapers.
| and thus communicated to the people on their
/ way home in the evening. The announcements
| produced the greatest sorrow. Within a few
.
and most of the downtown business blocks We're
hoisted at haIfmast. and other outward mani
festations of mourning were made.
Steps were at taken to inform the friends
and relatives outside the city. The first tele
gram sent to Washington was by Colonel Rams
dell 10 his wife other telegrams followed 70
prominent men at the national capital, tncIud-
ing Senators Fairbanks and Beveridge. of
Indiana.
| COURSE OF THE GENERALS ILLNESS.
| The generals serious illness dates from last
Thursday. He had been suffering from a slight
| cold for several days. but Thursday morn
/ ing he taken with chill while break
! fast and in few hours fever developed, and all
the symptoms of the grip appeared. Even then
his condition was not regarded as serious. but
later the apex of the left lung was found to he
congested. hut it was So slight that it lIiG not
| at first cause great uneasiness, though II was
| regarded as a bad sign. The hepatized portion
extended. His breathing became laborious the
disease passed into acute pneumonia. and with
this stage came the knowledge that recovery
was exceedingly doubtful, owing to the age OF
the patient and the debilitated condition of his
| system as a result Of his hard work in the fall
and winter He had three important cases pend
| ing in the United States Supreme Court AMI ex-
| peCted to go to Washington in few days
Since early Tuesday morning Or. Jameson has
been satisfied that death was question of hours
at best 1t was only the Generals wonderful
vitality that delayed the end through the long
hours of Tuesday night and Wednesday. Every.
one realized thai his death was near. For hours
Mr. Harrsons labored breathing could be
heard two or three rooms distant. The physi-
clans did everything in their power and used
heroic treatment 70 sustain life They sue.
ceeded in making the last hours easy for the
sufferer About six hundred gallons of pure
oxygen were forced into his lungs. and power
full stimulants were administered but last night
the use of these discontinued. as the body
could no longer stand the strain
General Harrison had been unconscious the
greater part of the time since Tuesday evening
The last words he spoke before death were TO
his WIFE in answer to question Tuesday
night. in his delirium. his mind wandered TO the
Boer war. showing great sympathy was with
the Boer cause He recognized and spoke TO Mrs,
Newcomer his aunt and also to Mr. Miller; the
words. however. being very indistinct. Doc
tor and my iungs' were the only words I'M
derstood.
One of the pathetic incidents of the
whole illness occurred Tuesday before he be-
came unconscious The Generals little daughter
Elizabeth. brought into the sick room for
few moments TO her father. and offered
him small apple pie which she herself had
made General Harrison smiled his resignation
of the child and her gift, but the effort to speak
was much and he could do nothing more to
express his appreciation.
| To-day al efforts arouse the slowly dying
man 10 consciousness failed. and he died with
cut word of recognition to any of those who