The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-08-19
FROM MARRIAGE TO GRAVE.

Passing Of Leona Smith-Ainslie-Shs
Expired Yesterday-Funeral
Today.
There are withefed flowers and
b1ighted hopes at the home of Mr..
and Mrs. John Smith, in this city.
Such sorrow as rarely comes to
home has fallen there. Leona
Smith -Ainslie, bride of but few
heeting weeks. and scarcely passed
the threshold of young woman
hood lies dead in the house. For
the wedding gown of yesterday.
there is the inevitable shroud. For
the bells that chimed of a long and
happy future, there is substituted
the mournful notes Of the bell that
tolls, tolls and tolls. Bleeding
hearts surround the bier, and with
them, all Corvallis mourns.
Mrs. Ainslie passed away at two
o'clock yesterday morning. 1t was
a death so far from the usual, so
out of harmony with the idea of
death, that none expected it, and
for it, none were prepared. For
twenty hours before, those at the
bedside feared that something of
the kind might happen. For four
or FIVE hours before the poor spirit
fed, those in the sick room had
little or no hope.
There had been surgical oper-
alton. A noted surgeon. from
Portland had come on special
train to perform it. His knife had
sought for the source of the peril,
and his skill and that of four other
physicians at the bedside had done
all that man could do to apply re-
lief. The patient had borne the
ordeal bravely, and the spent vi
tality had made effort to rally; but
seven hours after the surgeon had
made his last effort, the life thread
parted, and Leona Smith-Ainslie
had passed from earth.
The last illness of Mrs. Ainslie
came to the attention of a physician
a week ago yesterday. At that
time she came to Corvallis from the
Soap Creek farm, and complained
of soreness in the abdomen. It
was explained that several long
rides had been taken, and that the
pain had become such that much
inconvenience was suffered. The
following day, DR.. Ainslie was
summoned from Portland. Mrs.
Ains1ie remained much the same
for several days. being confined to
-her room. and nearly all the time
in bed, No serious symptoms
were manifest, however, and the
matter was largely consideredan an un-
important ailment. to disappear
with the passing days. She met
and chatted freely and gaily with
friends who called.
1t was Monday morning that the
gathering storm of her malady
burst. 1t was eight o'clock, and
Mrs. Ains1ie sat up in bed to comb
her hair. A sudden spasm of pain
seized her. She fell back on the
pillow in apparent agony. A phone
brought physician at once. The
ends of the fingers were blue and all
the symptoms that Of danger. The
case was at once diagnosed as per-
itonitis, with alarming manifesto
tons Two other physicians were
at once called in consultation The
verdict of the three rendered after
a brief conference was that the only
hope was in an operation. DIR. Nc
Kenzie of Portland was at once
summoned. With his assistant,
DIR. Taylor, he took a special train
out of Portland at three o'clock,
and arrived at Corvallis at six. Like
the local physician, he recommend-
ed resort to the knife. and at sew
en- o'clock the operation began.
Meantime. throughout the day,
the patient, though suffering much
pain had remained conscious. Dur
ing the afternoon there had been
the administering of opiates to re-
lieve suffering which tended to
slightly change this condition.
The ordeal of the operation was
borne most favorablv. There was
a rallying of vitality after it, and at
II o'clock DR. Mckenzie said to a
friend that the operation was sue
cess. Asked, however, if the patient
could recover, he declined to ven
ture an opinion.
After the operation there were but
few lucid intervals. Gradually the
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