The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-09-19
LIKE A THUNDER CLAP
Came the News Of the Presidents
Collapse.

Collapse.
Buffalo, Sept. 13.-The news OF the
Presidents collapse was as lightning
from an absolutely clear sky. Among
the few brought here by last Fridays
terrible event, and still remained, 1t
produced a shock second in intensity
only to the news of the assassination
itself. But there were very few OF
Government officials left. The only
members of the Cabinet here were
Secretaries Hitchcock and Wilson.
Secretary Root left at o'clock yester-
day afternoon. Postmaster General
Smith got away early last evening.
Secretary Hay went Wednesday night.
Senators Hanna and Morgan and M.
T. Herrick got away several days
ago.
Vice-President Roosevelt was up in
the Adirondacks. All had gone away
absolutely sure in their confidence
that the chances OF fatal issue were
too remote TO be considered. DIR.
McBurney, when he left on tho En-
pire State Express at the same time
with Secretary Root, was fairly boyish
in his expressions OF satisfaction at
the Presidents condition.
The morning bulletin had had
clear, firm ring of confidence which
made the sanguine prediction that
the doctors would formally pronounce
the President practically out Of dan
ger within the next forty-eight hours.
Over newspaper row, as the group OF
tents across the way from the house
is called, there had fallen an atmos-
phere Of peace and security which had
not been known before since the news
gatherers pitched their camp on the
scene.
Yet even with this there were some
who away down in the bottom OF their
hearts were not quite so much at
ease. There was the bulletin at 1920
n. M. saying the President felt better
than at any time up to date. The
same bulletin said he had taken solid
food and had relished it. 1t seemed
to be q clear case of cOnyalescence.
That this was the view taken by Sec
rotary Root and DIR. McBurney seemed
to be sufficiently evidenced by their
going off to their business, Secretary
Root to the bedside of his sick son in
New York and DIR. McBurney to
Albany on his way to Massachusetts.
And yet with all there was just one
thing that secretly troubled some OF
those who were closely watching the
case, and that was the Presidents
pulse. 1t fuctuated so curiously.
1t took such sudden turns. The tenn
perature was all that could be wished.
As to the respiration, the doctors, for
some reason, had not been giving that
for the past two days. There was lit
tie wonderment as to this, but no ex-
planation was forthcoming. They
simply did not give it, and with the
absolutely positive reinsurance which
went with the supplemental state
ments that they made in addition to
their bulletins, the question was not
pressed. But the pulse was another
matter. There were rumors that the
Presidents heart was not all that
could be desired. Secretary Wilson
said that in all the years he had
known the President he had never
heard word to give rise to'the fear
that he had weak heart. Then there
was DIR. Rixey, who had attended the
President for years. He had said re-
peatedly since the President was
stricken that he normally had a high
pulse, that it was an uncertain, tiuc-
tuating pulse, yet all this did not
quite reassure everybody. 1t was
known that the President had been
for years heavy smoker, that his
heart was more or less affected by
tobacco was not doubted. How far
was it responsible for the high speed
and the varying speed of the pulse
now?
These were the questions more than
one person was asking himself for
hours yesterday before the first sig
mails of the alarming events Of the
night were hung out.
At $40 q. m. the pulse was 1922; at
9:20 it was 100.
At p. m. it had ieaped up to 126.
During all this time the temperature
remained at one point-102.2.
1t was not until the 3 p. m. bulletin
that the first premonitory hint of the
great crisis OF the night was made
On the street bulletins there was 8
new word-one that had not appeared
before. The word was fatigue
translated from doctor language
Today fatigue" meant weakness
Heretofore there had come from the
sick room nothing but gratifying as
surances of the Presidents returning
strength, OF how he turned himself in
bed and how he would be able to si
were it not for the mechanical facts
involved in the abdominal incision
The fact that there was fatigue" ant
that fatigue" meant weakness wa:
disquieting.
But after all the President had beer
SIX days in bed with the possibility o
changing his position only in yer,
narrow limits.
Less than one-third of the popuia
ton in North Carolina under the las
census is negro. There are more
females than males, the per csntage
being 49.6 males and SEA females
Children of school age, 75S,s26, o
whom $50 are foreign born, 263, o.
colored, S77,611 males and SIG, 21!
Observation-Disclosures Messenger.
In yacht race it isn't the cup tina
cheers.