The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-12-20
WHITtLAW REID
DIED IN LONDON
SUNDAY AT NOON
AMERICAN AMBASSADOR PASSES
AWAY PEACEFULLY AT LON.
DON HOME.
HE HAD been ILL FOR YEAR
Began In February When He Visited
New York City, But Had Only Been
Regarded as Serious for Three or
Four Days Prior to His Death.


LONDON, Dec. 16.-Whitelaw Reid,
the American ambassador to Great
Britain since 1905, died at his Lon
don residence, Dorchester House,
shortly afternoon yesterday from pull
monary oedema. The end was quite
peaceful. Mrs Reid and their daugh-
ter, Mrs. John Hubert Ward, were at
the bedside.
The ambassador had been lucon-
scious since 8 o'clock in the moaning
and at intervals during the previous
twenty-four hours he had been slight
ly delirious as result of the drugs
administered to induce sleep.
Sir Thomas Barlow, physician to
the king, VINO was called in last week
when Mr.. Reds illness became acute,
and his regular physician, DR.. Will
liam Hale White, issued the following
bulletin as the cause of his death:
"A fortnight ago the American am
bassador had slight bronchial at
tack similar to others from which he
had suffered at considerable intervals.
On Wednesday last asthma superven-
ed and the asthmatic paroxysms be-
came very severe, leading to extreme
exhaustion.
1T was hoped that he might rally,
as no pneumonia symptoms had APP
peared. With difficulty the parox-
ysms of asthma were gotten under
control, but Sunday morning the ex-
haustion became extreme and he died
from pulmonary oedema at 1910 p.
m.
The Hon. John Hubert Ward, who
with his wife had been at Dorchester
House continually since the ambas-
sador's condition became serious, no
titled the staff of the embassy when
the patient began to sink, and when
death came he sent word to the king
and queen at buckingham Palce the
lqueen-mother Alexandra at Sandring-
ham and the officials at the court.
Almost Immediately the king sent
his equerry, Sir Harry Legge, to ex-
press the coincidence of himself and
the queen. During the afternoon
messages conveying the warmest
sympathy were received from the
queen-mother Alexandra and other
members of the royal family, court Of
ficials, members of the government
and the various embassies and lega-
tons, while many who had heard the
news of the ambassadors death or
who had seen the flags at half mast
on Dorchester House, called at the
embassy
A wireless message was also sent
to Ogden Reid, son of the ambassa-
dor, who left New York yesterday in
the hope OF reaching his fathers bed
side before his death
The body will be sent home and
| probably will be inferred in Sleepy
Hollow, but the details will not DC de-
cided upon until some commuDica-
/ ton is received from Ogden Reid and
| it is learned what action the British
government may desire to take. Mrs.
Reid hopes to asil on Saturday iext,
should he reach London in time to
accompany her, but in all probability
the government will place warship
at the disposal of the family for the
transport Of the body of the ambassa-
dor to the United States
There will also doubtless be me-
mortal service in one of the great ca
thedrals in London, in addition to SER
vices in some small chapel for mem
bers of the family and the staff of
the embassy. This being Sunday
nothing could be done. but If Mrs.
Reid has her way she will start for
home at the earliest possible moment