Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-09-14

ginia. These were answered promptly.
When the news of the sinking OF the
Executive came. shortly after six
o'clock. the popular interest became
more manifest. and from half-past six
to half-past seven o'clock there was a
throng in front of this Office that all
but blocked progress. Men, women
and children were alike interested. and
expressions of sympathy were univer-
sal Everything else was lost sight Of
in the public grief.
So the hours wore away. hope for
reaction gradually giving place to con-
viction that the end was a. hand, and
when, shortly after seven O'Clock, II
was announced that the President was
unconscious and dying. there was
every manifestation of popular sor-
row.
At eight o'clock last night the crowd
in front OF the Register office num-
hered more than one thousand, people
constantly coming and going after a
glance at the changing bulletins and
an interchange of expressions OF sor-
row.
As the evening advanced and popular
interest increased the crowd at the Reg
lister Office increased until, at nine
O'clock almost the entire street was
blocked, and 1t remained in that con-
dltion until nearly midnight, while in
side the office the scene resembled in
the congestion of humanity the scenes
of Presidential election night. The
popular interest was intense, and there
was no lack of public concern until
long after midnight. Many OF the
scenes upon the streets were pathetic.
Apart from the Borrowing crowd
there was another gathering none the
less interesting or interested. Ii was
in the little room assigned to the AS
ISOLATED Press, at the office OF the West
ern Union, in the Grand Opera House
building, on twelfth street. This Of
flee is only about seven by ten feet in
size, and was designed for one opera
tor, one typewritinS machine and a
messenger boy. In 1t, however, were
gathered last night from eight o'clock
until after midnight from fifteen to
twenty people. including Senator n.
b. Scott, Congressman Is. lB. Dovener,
Secretary Adams, OF the Board of Trade,
and many prominent and well known
citizens, all intent upon learning the
very latest news from the bedside OF
the President, and all sorrowing. The
little audience changed its personnel
often, men coming and going, only to
return again, and the extra copies OF
the regular Associated Press report
were eagerly scanned, commented upon.
and the substance telephoned or wired
TO anxious ones not able to be present
in person. In that little room was a
scene not often duplicated and once
witnessed never to be forgotten Out
side the streets were crowded, many
| hundreds came from the theatre. in an
adjacent hotel band was playing, and
people were coming and going. but in
that little room, as In front of the
newspaper offices, there were Borrowing
hundreds, while many times each ten
minutes the telephone carried the latest
information to all parts of the city and
its suburbs.
Late In the night, when ii was man
| ifest that the Presidents limit of life
was only to be measured by hours, or
possibly by minutes, Secretary Adams,
of the Board of Trade, wired Generals
| G. j.. Smith and Baker, suggesting a
/ public military funeral in this city upon
/ the date of the obseques, but up TO a
late hour no reply had been received.
Indeed. none is expected until to-day
At half-past one o'clock this morning
there were still lingerers about the
newspaper bulletin boards, awaiting the
last and saddest news that could pos
slby come to the American people.
The news flashed over the wires that
President Mckinley had breathed his
| last at 2:15 o'clock. Ten minutes after
/ the Associated Press bulletin was re-
ceived in this city, the clock in the
City Hall was tolled.