Evening journal., 1913-09-09
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Arthur Received the
News Of GarfieId'S Death
BY Holland.


William S. Ferris. who has been
for many years one Of the leading
executive officers OF "A large savings
institution at Greenwich. Conn, was
in the summer of 1881 manager of
summer hotel al Avon Beach. n. J..
IL was a favorite resort for business
men Of New York The hotel fronted
the lower harbor OF New York and
business men were able to get back
and forth each day conveniently
"I think the most dramatic expert
ence that / had at the time of my
management of the Avon Beach
hotel, which is no longer in exist
once, for il was burned some years
ago, took place a few days before we
closed the hotel for the season. said
Mr.. Ferris TO me al a time when ho
was speaking of the growth of sum
mer resorts in the vicinity Of New
York.
Vice President Chester A. Arthur
with his son and daughter. and with
the family of his brother-in-law
spent several weeks of the summer
at this hotel The Vice President
used to 90 back and forth to New
York. and i'm the evening he custom
arily sat upon the veranda of the
hotel Many kilograms were brought
to him and he always expected a
telegram before he retired for the
night from some members of Presi-
dent Garfeld's cabinet whereby he
was kept informed about the Presi-
dents condition.
After President Garfield had been
moved from Washington TO Long
Branch early in September the Vice
Presidents friends observed that he
spoke very enconragingly of The
Pcsidents condition The informa-
tion which he received from Long
Branch justified his hope and cxpcc-
tation that the tonic of the sea air
would be sufficient to bring the Presi-
dent into a period Of convalcsccnce.
"On the night of September 10 the
vice-president sat for an hour or two
upon the veranda, and in conversa-
tion with friends who asked him
what the news from Long Branch
was, he said that there seemed to
be continued reason for the hope
/ that President Garfield would re-
/ cover
Later that evening. I should say
about an hour before midnight. a
telegram was brought TO me by the
operator at the hotel He asked me
TO read IL. saying II was a matter Of
great Importance. u was addressed
to Vicc-Presdent Arthur and Il stated
that President Garfield had just died.
~ took the telegram TO the vice
president | found him sitting alone
upon the front veranda. He was
smoking cigar. lie was always
the last one of the guests to go TO
bed
II handed him the telegram. He
went inside where there was a good
/ light put on his eyeglasses and, hav-
ing read the telegram, stood abso-
lutely silent for a few minutes.
Then. turning TO me. ne asked IL /
could get for him carriage which would
take him To the nearest ferry TO Man
haitian. saving that the last train from
Avon Beach TO Manhattan had gone half
am hour earlier As ! started upon tho
euand General Arthur called again Ia
me TO ask for telegraph blank gave
him one and he went TO the telegraph
desk. where he wrote telegram TO his
brother-in.law. who with his family was
spending q few days in Boston. He asked
them To come on Immediately so they
might look after his daughter lie did
not even say in his Telegram that Gar
field was dead In few minutes the
carriage came. and Mr.. Arthur. who had
within an hour become President of th,
United States. departed at about mid
night for his home in New York city
He vas alone.
IL was. am sure. the only persor
who was in Vice President Arthur
presence when ne received the first an
nouncemeut of the death of President
Garfield. Next morning his son, AlaI
Arthur. sent word TO his sister that ;
little past midnight their father ha'
taken the oath as President and tha
the oath was administered by Judg
DAILY In the front room of the family
home at l23 Lexington avenue, New
York.
tConyright. 1913. by J =. Edwards. Al
rights rcserVed)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell How
Commodore Vanderbilt Banishcd tn
Gorgeous locomotive