The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-14
'The president is dying!"


Like a pail shrouding all hone. like
blight devastating all joy, these heart.
breaking words fell upon this city last
night. driving into every heart the poig.
Fart pain of their dread import NO
words framed by the human tongue can
describe the effect produced upon the
people, give voice to the wave of wild
and passionate grief that swept over the
city, or interpret the keen anguish of
the individual heart, smitten by a sense
of irreparable loss and personal bereave-
ment.
When the news came week ago that
the president had been shot the sudden
ness of the shock, the subsequent sor-
row, the mingled expressions of grief for
the stricken president and intense hatred
for the vilainous anarchist, the high
hope so eagerly grasped, the prayers and
the pleading for the life that was trem-
bling, in the balance-all this was a sight
wonderful toA.loek upon, impossible to
picture But the spectacle presented last
night of mourning people, bent beneath
the burden of a sorrow for which there
was no. Observation-Disclosures and de-
spairihg-was Infinitely beyond the 9TH
er in its soemnity of utter grief in it's
common expression of desolation.
st. Paul went to sleep on Thursday
night happy and content because Of the
last bulletins, and thanking God for
sparing the presidents life. Through
the anxious days of the week they had
followed closely the news from the bed
side, and, with anxiety and deep solicit
tude, had watched the patient confident,
serene struggle of the heroic dauntless,
resolute man battling with death. And
when at last the news came, apparently
SO sure and trustworthy that all danger
was past and the president was saved
to the people he loved, the city passed
from prayerful hope to common rejoic-
ing and exultation.
st. Paul awakened yesterday morning
to be rudely shocked from its content
and joy. The morning papers brought
again to every home the shadow of
gloom. All through the day hope battled
with fear and the thousands waited ca
gerly, anxiously for every bulletin from
the house where the president lay Like
a tide, ever rising and falling. the hearts
of the people beat, now with faith. now
with despair, as the news was intermit-
tently favorable and disheartening Men
sat at their tables last night and read
the forerunning dispatches of the COM
ing end. Reluctantly at late hour they
retired. And before they awoke again
the president of the United States was
dead
The second shock was more terrible
49,
went before it.
INTEREST WAS INTENSE
All through the early afternoon people
congregated in front of the newspaper
offices and read the bulletins which
timed the pulse-beat of the nation.
About six o'clock the report was clrcu-
lated that the president was dead. and
by the thousands the people Hooked To
the streets to await definite news rhe
bulletin shot forth it's fateful message:
'"The President is DYING Larger and
larger BECAME the crowd. There was no
excitement, little noise, little talking The
great throng of humanity stood silently
and hopelessly. reading and re-reading
the sad and gloomy tidings. Then the
bulletin said: "The PRESENT cannot Hive
twenty minutes" And then, as though
Nature were joining in the universal la-
ment, the rain began to fall, adding to
the gloom and dreariness of the quiet
city.
The crowd remained, and waited and
watched, unmindful of the rain that beat
upon them. The strain of silence was in
tense. None dare say to his neighbor
what was on his heart III every face
was the sign of pain and the keen tnroes
of mental anguish. Women cried softly
to themselves and men were not ashamed
of the tears In their own eyes. And then
came the bulletin saying that the presi-
dent was still alive. and being revived
by the use of oxygen, and the crowd
caught at 1t as a straw of hope, and as
the hours went by and NO other news
came, some dared to believe, against
their instincts. that the president might
live.
All the night long the telephones In
the newspaper offices rang, rang, rang,
while whole city of people TREMENDOUSLY
asked, us the president alive?" and
hardly dared to await the answer.
Finally the word came-brief as 1t was
bitter
The few who remained down town
heard it and turned away into the night,
less dismal, with all its rain and dark
ness, than their own hearts. There was
no cutlery no clamor. no excitement, no
wild display of outward grief; but on
every face was that terrible tense OK
preston that. betokened q grief for which