Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-09-19

certain. painless death, he could not
have more accurately ended ir Lin
coin S career than he die. The pre- s.
ident never knew that he was shot.
never knew what hand had iealt him
the blow; never suffered ihring the
last nine hours prior To his leath
He was shot in Fords thcatar
Washington. April IA. ,s65. about 10
o'clock at night Laura I<aene. was
the particular star upon the stage
and she was presenting Our American
Cousin" When the shot was fred by
Booth President Linccin's haac fell
forward on the cushioned rail [: the
theater box. Mrs Llncoln and others
bent over him. His lips We're moving
and there was a TRUCKING of the
hands, but no speech. He was pick
ed up In the play house. now filled
with terror-stricken people. and
stretched out ON the floor Blood was
| coming from the back of his head lnd
he was deathy pale. His eyes ~nia
not open. He made no sign of life ax-
cept as the heart feebly beat.
Surgeons were Helpless.
Surgeons came, surgeons whoR'ed
| little OF the technical knowledge OF to-
day. They said he was dyirg that
he could not be removed to the White
house, but must be taken to some
place near by, where instant atteuk
tion could be given HIM. The moon
rose al 10 that night, throwing it's
| light to the earth through a half
clouded sky. The effect was weird In
" Ma Raj
and Captain Crawford directed the
| carrying OF the president out of the
| theater to a house across the street
| He was laid upon bed in small
room at the rear OF the hall. not even
| to die in the place where four glorious
years of his life had been passed.
Mrs. Lincoln followed, half distract
| ed tenderly cared for by compan-
| ion. Miss Harris. The surgeons bent
| over the president, but could do moth
| ing for him, 1t was derrlnger bul- 9
let that had entered his brain, just as
a derringer bullet ended Mr.. Mckin-
| ley's life. John Hay, now secretary
of state, then Major Hay, was sitting
| in An upper room of the White shouse
with Robert Lincoln. They were hast
| lily called to No. 453 Tenth street.
where the president laid.
Lived Nine Hours.
The president remained unconsci
Gus during the night. His wound
would have brought instant death to
most men. but his vital tenacity was
extraordinary His breathing came
slow and regular all through the long
hours of waiting for the end. At day
light his pulse began to fail and the
automatic moaning which had gone
on through the night ceased. A look
of unspeakable peace came upon his
worn features At twenty-five min
utes after the morning of April l5
1865. little more than nine hours al
ter he was shot Mr.. Lincoln was no
more.
| Secretary Stanton was the first to
break the silence by saying:
Now he belongs to the ages"
Rev. DR.. Gurley knelt in prayer.
Mrs. Lincoln came in from an adjoin
| ing room with her son and threw her
self upon the lifeless body with
a loud sorrowful cry. In the room
when the president died were Sur.
geon Crane Surgeon General Barnes
|
tary Welles, Secretary Stanton and
other prominent men of the timess
They turned away as the sobs of Mrs
Lincoln rose above her dead.
| Death Of Garfield.
| President Garfield was shot at $50
in tAe morning, July g. 1881, by Char
les ]. Guiteau. The shooting took
place in the Baltimore and Ohio sta
| ton at Washington, where the Pres
dent, with Mrs. Blaine, was awaiting
train. The bullet entered the body
from the rear, struck the spine, and
produced an injury ordinarily fatal.
Much hope was held out. though, for
| the Presidents recovery by the sur
geons in attendance.
He was promptly removed to the
White House, where he lay in great
| agony until Sept. 6. when. special
car having been constructed for him,
he was conveyed to Elberon, Long
Branch, that the sea breeZes might
benefit him. There he died Sept. 10.
| 1881. Garfield was conscious during
| the greater part of his illness. He
was confident for many weeks that
he would recover. He had indomna-
| Bile Will and extraordinary courage.
Ready for the End.
His mother and wife were with him
| and he cldng to them through all hiS
| terrible ordeal. After his arrival at
Elberon there was a slight rally, but
very slight. Terrible sinking spells
| came. and on the 18th of September,
calm, prepared, conscious. he lifted
| his eyes inward saw the radiance of
II new day, and so parted with life,
Mrs. Garfield, his son. and several
members of the cabinet were by his
| bedside when he died The end had
been expected for some time--itwas
only question of when
Garfelds partings with those he
loved form most touching parts of bfs
history He had given the best of
himself to his wife and had wor-
| SHIPPED his mother 1t was over her