Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-15
Not So Serious as Two Years
Ago--WiII Soon Recover.
President, TO AIIay MisundeT-
standing, Visits Harrisburg
Where He Addresses the Brother.
hood Of Railroad Trainmen.

| New York. May 14.-Mrs. William H.
Taft suffered an attack of nervous
| trouble in this city today similar to
| that with which she was subjected just
| two years next Wednesday, when she
| was on an excursion on the Presiden-
tial yacht Sylph from Washington to
Mount Vernon. That attack caused her
| abandonment of social activities for
months thereafter.
The first lady Of the land came to
New York with the President late last
| night, after he had kept an evening
speaking engagement in Newark, y.
j.. and attended with him banquet
given by the Conference of Reform of
the Criminal Law and Procedure at
the Hotel Astor. 1t was during the
dinner that Mrs. Taft first felt i'll, but
she remained until after the President
had finished his address and went to
the home of his brother, Henry w
Taft. on West 4Sth street. 1t was after
midnight when they reached there.
Shortly before 10 o'clock this morn
ing, the hour which the President had
set for returning to Washington by
way Of stop-over in Harrisburg, Mrs
faft's condition was deemed such that
size could not accompany him. The an
| n6uncement caused over alarming re-
ports of her illness which the Presi-
dent thought would be still more ex-
asgerated if he did not keep his APP
pointment to speak in Harrisburg.
Accordingly he left as scheduled and
Mrs Taft remained at her brother-in-
laws house
Henry w. Taft said tonight that the
Presidents wife remained in bed all
day, but that she was less seriously i'll
than she was two years ago. He said
she had improved during the day and
that there was nothing at all perturb-
ing in her condition. 1t was hoped she
would be able to return to Washington
in the course of three or four DAYS.
The first direct announcement that Mrs
Taft was i'll came in a dispatch from the
Presidents train while it was passing
through Philadelphia this afternoon In
this the President made known his inten-
ton of returning To Mrs Taft. His
brother would not say tonight what the
Presidents further plans might be, but
believed he would return to Washing
ton by tomorrow afternoon. unless I'M
expected developments kept him at his
entirely unlocked for.
DR.. Evans, who was in attendance upon
Mrs. Taft today. would make no state
ment concerning her
1t was on May Il, 1909, that Mrs. Taft
suffered her first breakdown. She was
on the way to Mount Vernon with a par
ty of Washington friends. 1t was ex-
planned that she was overcome by the
ordeal of witnessing an operation on her
son Charles at the Eye and Ear hospital
in Washington that morning and by the
heat of the afternoon sail down the Po-
tomac. She was removed from the Pres
idential yacht and taken back to the
White House Her Illness caused her to
give up practically all OF her social en-
gagements the remainder of the summer.
Miss Helen Taft was called from Bryn
Mawr this afternoon to be with her
mother. The two Taft boys. Charles,
who is at Watertown. CT, and Robert,
who is at Harvard University, were noti-
fled tonight of their mothers illness,
but were not asked to come to New
York. 1t was said at the home of Henry
w Taft, where the Presidents wife lay
| i'll. that the attack was not at all alarm
| ing.
After the Presidents arrival here at
| 1929 O'Clock tonight ne was driven di-
rectly ~ his brothers home, where he
found Mrs Taft still awake. 1t was i'm
mediately announced that Mrs. Taft was
much improved and that the President
would return to Washington at 10 O'Clock
/ tomorrow morning.