Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-09-19
Was . Grave Mistake.

MRS - 6EhVe uAutARo
They hold that he committed grave
mistake In assuring the members Of the
cabinet that the president would get
Well That the assurance was given in
an uneQuiNocal manner there can be no
question. and this bears upon the ex-
cuse that the bulletins were falsifled
under orders from government officials.
Vice President Roosevelt, upon the
day of his departure for the Adlron-
dacks, was informed of the beier held
by a few With apparently good reason
even in the face of encouraging hulle-
tins. that the life of the preaident was
In grave danger. MIR. Roosevelt looked
grave for q moment and replied that
no had been assured by the physicians
that all danger was passed. His words
gave the impression that there was
some lnissiyng in his own mind. but
that the statements which had been
| made to him. in answer to his inquiries.
We're of such Il nature that 1t was I'M
possible for him to question or doubt
them. Under the circumstances there
was nothing for the vice president to
do but leave the city. and he went.
Faith In the Promises.
Secretary Root. who was upprehensive
from the first. was also induced to 20
away by the promises made by the doc
tors of the presidents recovery Had he
not been fully convinced there Is no doubt
he would have remained here.
There is much in the result of the au-
topsy that the doctors are finding difficult
to reconcile with the statements I'm the
official and unofficial bulletins which were
made during the presidents illness. The
attitude of the doctors makes it evident
that they are seeking to shift the blame
for what happened from one to the other.
HcBurncy Is suspicious.
Mace l1r hoe
McBurncy, who has just returned from
buffalo, was asked to comment upon the
theory that the bullet which killed Pres
ident Mckinley was poisoned,
1T looks suspicious he said I'm my
| experience ! have never seen Il wound In
such II condition ns described In the re-
port of the autopsy made b. an ordnar.
bullet.
II am not prepared to state positively"
continued DR. McBurncy, that the bullet
was poisoned, and until u chemical an
nysis Is made we shall not know. A bull
let wound may be received in the thigh.
for instance, and provided 1t does not cut
an artery or shutter Il bone 1t will quickly
hea! under ordinary conditions.
In wound like the presidents, where
many tissues were perforated tine sus-
picious thing is that. according to the re-
ports, the gangrene followed the entire
path OF the bullet.
Cannot Understand It.
I'm cutting the tissue of the stomach,
for example. an ordinary wound might de-
ve!op Ehngrene to Some extent where the
bullet went In. but IL 1 understand the
| reports of the autopsy correctly, the gan
CREME was just as great in extent at the
| erd of the wound its beginning. This
is something that no can understand.
assuming that the bullet was ordi-
nary one
.Supposng the presence of gangrene
had been discovered before the condition
| Of the president assumed serious phase.
could his life have bee. savedi'
zone way to treat conditions like this. .
replied Or. McI3urney. would be to lay
open the whole wound and cut out the
diseased tissue. A wound like the presi-
dents. involving many different tissues
| could hardly be treated in this way, for
after cutting away part OF the stomach
| 4 part Of the abdomen and part Of the
other tissues involved. what would there
| nave been left? You cannot apply chem
| lcal agents to wounds like that
| The surgeons who performed the OPP
GRAFTON ard who We're the first at the
presidents bedside have been telling
| their friends that DR.. McBurney. who
did not reach Buffalo until three days
after the president was shot. was not
| thoroughly informed in regard to the
| cage.
] Until after the funeral they are ex-
trenely reluctant to discuss the disputed
features of the case. When the ceremou-
| les are over. however, there Is every ex-
pcctation that controversy which will
| be celebrated in the annals of medicine
| will follow.