The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-12
President and Wife Believe Their Son
VIII Pass the Coming Crisis
and Recover.
REPORTS FROM SICKROoM
MIR. CORTELYOU's ANNOUNCEMENT
NOT ALL ENCOURAGING.
Secretary Long at GrotOn-President
RooseveIt More Cheerful and
Took Little Outing.

GROTON. Mass. Feb. 1.-THE reports
from the sick room of Theodore Roosevelt,
jr, the eldest son of the President who
since Thursday last has been i'll with pneu-
monia at the Groton school infirmary,
tended to show an Improvement at o'clock
tonight His condition was authoritatively
stated TO be better than II was at the same
time last night. The crisis of the disease
is still to come and is looked for within
the next twenty-four or thirty-six hours.
The President and his wife believe their
son will meet this crisis in good shape, and,
passing it successfully, will recover. In
fact, the slight favorable turn in the disease
to-day has greatly relieved the strain on
both of them and the day closed much more
cheerfully than yesterday. Still. the re-
ports issued through Mr.. Cortelyou, secre-
tary to the President, ran between hope
and fear.
Beginning with the morning, when the
boy, after an admittedly hard fight. was
reported as improved, although pleurisy
in the right lung was mentioned, this ia
vorable tendency was continued through
the noon statement. Then at 2:45 o'clock
in the afternoon it was stated that the
boys temperature had risen. that it would
probably remain high, and if anything in
crease a little toward morning. This SOM
Der tone seemed almost to neutralize the
mornings encouraging notes
The next report, at $50 in the evening,
showed that, Notwithstanding the high tenn
perature the boy had more than held his
own all day, and that his condition was
favorable. Hopefulness was increased by
an additional and voluntary report on Mr.
Cortelyous part at o'clock that the lad
was in better condition than at the same
time last night, although he said there
lad not been much change during the day
meaning that the favorable condition of
the morning had been practically main
tanned
MORE CHEERFUL.
All these reports were authoritative, and
in addition, there was a CHEEKY interview
with Secretary of the Navy Long, after a
hurried visit of courtesy to his chief. in
which he frankly said the boy was better.
To confirm this came the Presidents sud
den appearance, a little later in the after
noon, at the new sporting dome, recrea-
ton house built by Mr.. Gardner, adjoining
his own mansion The President was
dressed in a suit of flannel and seemed
ready for some exercise on the new squash
he remained in the sunny building nearly
two hours. watching a game between Mrs.
James Lawrence and the Rev. Billings.
Another interesting event OF the day was
the receipt of a telegram from Ambassa-
dor Pauncefote at Washington. conveying
KING Edwards expression of sympathy
for the President and hope for the speedy
recovery Of his son. The remarka BILE
weather contributed not little 10 the
cheerfulness OF the day. this being the
sixth consecutive day during which the
sun has shone brightly from morning TO
night while the air has always been cool
but dry and invigorating.
At 8 O'Clock this afternoon Mr. Cor
telyou gave out the following information:
THE symptoms not quite as favorable
as this morning. This was anticipated
as from the nature OF the disease the pa
tient is not expected TO be as we'll tonight
or tomorrow morning as he was this morn
ing.
Mr. Cortelyou said earlier in the day:
ss'The President is In constant communica-
ton with Washington and is well up-to-
date with public business. Miss Alice
Roosevelt has not been summoned TO Gro
ton and will not be unless the situation
becomes more grave. Nothing whatever