Evening journal., 1912-01-04
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The viii Power That
Fought Off Death for
Years
By Holland.

One afternoon in the spring of 1881,
was walking on Connecticut avenue
in Washington when an open carriage
a the kind called bar0uche, at that
time very popular in Washington,
drew up to the sidewalk, stopped, aud
think the most CHASTITY living face
that ever saw peered out from round
the hood The face was exactly Of the
complexion and apparently of the tex
ture Of a waxen image, except that the
eyes were very bright The lips were
almost bloodless and the hand which
was extended to one Of my companions
was as white as marble. After a few
moments conversation the gentleman
instructed the coachman to drive on
and / was then told that he was Cen
cral Robert c. Schenck
had heard much about General
Schenck as a Union officer Of high
rank in the Civil War and as one Of
the radical leaders Of the Republican
party whose service in Congress was
in reconstruction days Then, too, Cen
cral Schcnck, n few years before the
time of my meeting with him, had
been very greatly in the public eye,
partly because he was said to have
written a treatise ON poker playing
while he was serving as United States
Minister to Great Britain between 1871
and 1876, and partly because he felt
IL incumbent TO resign his post as
Minister on account Of his association
with the promotion of the Emma silver
mine. The mine had been promoted in
Great Britain and the United States by
prominent men and Schenck had per-
mitted himself to be named as one OF
the directors The whole project was
bubble--a f aud-and it seemed to be
a scandal that our Minister TO Great
Britain should have permitted himself
to be associated with it But q subse-
quent investigation into General
Schenck's relations with the enter
prise cxonorated him from any other
impropriety than that he had thought
lessly permitted is name to be used in
connection with the matter. Il was the
anxiety aud humiliation occasioned by
the Emma mine scandal which. accord
ing TO General Schencks physicians,
caused him TO contract an organic
complaint slNllAdA " AitHA , NiRN'NN'
and IL was the insidious advances of
this disorder which had produced the
waxen, ghastly complexion which so
startled me when | first saw this dis
tinguished man.
After General Schencks return to
the United states, his most Intimate
friends were of the opinion that in
any event his life would not be pro-
longcd more than a year, and it would
have surprised none of them to have
heard at any time of his death. AS for
the general himsoif. he called into con-
sultation two or three of the ablest
specialists in his disease in the United
States They reported TO him that the
disease had already progressed con-
siderably, but that if he had will power
sufficient TO submit to a very rigorous
regimen. they were confident that his
life might be prolongedtthre or four
years.
what do you mean by will power?"
General Scheuck asked.
'Well,' was the reply, the only
rebimen we can prescribe for you
which we are confident will tend to
prolong your life is an exclusive diet
OF skim milk. Now, If you can make up
your mind that you will eat or drink
nothing but skim milk, then you have
chance.
"Oh, that's what you mean by will
power" exclaimed the general. you
think am not strong-mmded enough
TO resist temptation. How long a time
do YOU give me II ! will live eXclu-
sively on skim MILK
Prom three to five years
"Well, you will see whether | have
will power or not to meet the emerg-
oncy,' General Schenck replied 81 will
live on skim milk. and by sheer force
of will l will fight down this disease or
stop It whore it is and live ten years
"But you are now nearly seventy
years Of age the specialists said.
Yes. am; hut my will power is as
good today as IL ever was. II you say
that skim milk viii help me, | will
stick to it and J will battle for life
ten years longer
General Schcnck was as good as his
word. Notwithstanding the many temp
tations which social lifo brought 70
him he lived exclusively upon skim
milk, holding the disease in check bv
that regimen and by force OF Will, and
it was not until the year 1890 that he
died at the advanced age Of eighty
one years.
Copyright, 1912. by e. J Edwards
All rights reserved
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell OF
"A SpecchmaNng Feat That Amazed
the Senate.