The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-05-03
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Two Broken Appointments That
Gave Country a Sensation.
Strange Way In Which Public Came
to Learn of Operation on Presi-
dent CieVeIand's Jaw While
Aboard Benedcts Yacht.
BY {. j, EDW


tai OF a serious operation performed
upon the upper left Jaw of President
Grover Cleveland while he was at sea
on the yacht OF his friend e c. Bene-
net OF New York The report was in
the best sense of the word sensation
al; the operation was the sole topic
OF national discussion.
For some time thereafter the truth
OF the report was disputed by several
newspapers. and it was thought ad-
vlsable by those who were near Presi-
dent Cleveland at his summer home at
Buzzard's Bay to give out qualified
denial of its accuracy But later, the
iate Daniel 5. Lamont, then Cleve-
lands private secretary. who was with
cleveland at the time the operation
was performed, confessed to me that
my account of the operation on the
president was so amazingly accurate
mat 1t was impossible not to believe
that 1t had been described to me by
some one who was in the presidential
party at the time of the operation.
The president had been taken to sea
| upon Mr.. Benedict's yacht chiefly for
the purpose of surrounding the opera
ton with secrecy.
have been asked many times how
| obtained my information of the
operation. This is the story, which
| am now at liberty to tell:
Upon my return to my home from
brief vacation in August. 1893. found
my family physician, the late Or. LIE
ander p. Jones of Greenwich Conn,
waiting to see me. DIR. Jones was the
physician of Il. c. Benedict, of Henry
.. Havemeyer president of the Sugar
trust; of Andrew Carnegie. when. he
lived in Greenwich, and of the Rookie
iellers when their home was in that
town. He said to me as we met: "ln
the most extraordinary way | have
learned that very difficult operation
has just been performed upon Presi-
dent Cleveland. | can tell you the
story in detail without any violation
OF professional confidence.
1T so happened that | had pa
tient on whom an important, almost
heroic, surgical operation was to be
performed. l engaged the services of
one of the ablest surgeons In New
York and the day and hour were fixed
for the operation | was greatly
alarmed when this surgeon did not
appear at the time set nor did he APP
pear until two days later, when the
condition of my patient was desperate
indeed. | asked him for an explana-
tion of his delay and he gave it to me
in these words:
I went by appointment to New
London, Conn, five days ago to per
form last resort operation. | had
engaged DR. IIasbrouck of New York
city to meet me at New London and
administer nitrous oxide gas to the
patient, Dir. Hasbrouck assured me
that he would be in New London on
certain train, but he did not come.
telegraphed to his office In New York
and in reply was informed that his
assistants did not know where he was.
All they knew was that he had gone
away few days earlier to administer
/ gas in a surgical operation, that he
had gone with the expectation of re-
| turning in the evening, but he had not
come.
The next day DR.. Hasbrouck APP
peared in New London. lie found me
in a very angry frame of mind but
he asked me not to criticise him until
he had told his story. He then said
he had been engaged to go upon Mr..
Benedicts yatch to administer laugh
ing gas to a patient who was to be
operated upon there for some trouble.
When the yacht was out at sea, he
found that the patient was President
Cleveland himself. He administered
the gas and kept the president under
the influence of 1t for several hours.
Then he wished to go ashore but no
pleading of his that they land him was
listened to, since it was thought pos
sible that another operation on the
president might be necessary
"Dr. Hasbrouck then described the
operation in detail, and why il was
made. to the surgeon who lad EN-
ployed him and whom had employ
ed" continued DR. Jones. "and tliis
surgeon, in turn described the opera
ton to me. Now. will tell you exact
ly what | have been told. and you are
at liberty to use it publicly or not as
you see fit. | would advise you, how
ever, to see Dr. Hasbrouck, at his
Office in New York. before you write
your story"
The next day ! called upon DR.. Has
brouck and told him the story of the
operation as | had heard it from Dr.
Jones. He listened to me in amaze
ment and the he said: Some of the
physicians who were aboard the yacht
must have told you that story You
could not have obtained it in any 9th
err way"
Copyright. 1911. by e. }. Edwards All
Rights ReservedD