New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-13
Mrs. Mackay Hoped to
Save Children's Worry,
Family Declare.
DEATH DUE TO
HEART WEAKNESS
Operation Was Only an EAamiua-
ton to Discover if She Had
Cancer, Surgeon Says.

| Desire to keep her illness from her chill
dren so that their holiday plans would
not be upset by anxiety was the eXpana
ton made yesterday by representatives
of Mrs. Donald Sage Mackay's family a.
to why she had given the name Of Mrs
J. II. Stone when she went to the LcN-
inGton Sanatorium Thursday for an oper-
| alton. which was followed by her death
and the discovery Of her real identity.
Owing 10 the unusual circumstances
surrounding her death the case was re-
ported to the police and called to the
attention OF Coroner HoltzhaUser, who
refused to issue burial certificate until
an autopsy had been performed. Dr. Otto
II. Schultze. coroner's physician, made
the autopsy yesterday, and reported that
Mrs. Mackay died from fatty degenera-
ton OF the heart as a result Of the ad-
ministration of an an9sthetC. lie also
reported that he found evidence Of
slight operation, but that it was not OF a
nature 10 cause her death nor was there
indication Of anything improper in her
treatment
Dr. Henry We'll. of No. 1s2 West End
avenue. who performed the operation.
said yesterday that il was simply an
examination to determine whether she
had cancer necessitatng a more serious
operation. He said he removed a slight
piece of tissue for a microscopical e3ami-
nation.
DIR. Dempewulf, who save the anes-
thetic." he said, is an eminent special
list. and we made careful examination
Of her heart before going ahead. She OK
pected to be on the operating table only
few minutes. and then. as soon as the
anRsthetic rad worn off, to go home. II
is inexplicable that death should have
resulted. She gave me her name as Mrs.
Stone and 1t was only after her death
that I found out she was Mrs. Mackay.'
Wilder Goodwin, of Reynolds Good
win. No. Wall street, attorneys for Mrs.
Mackay, gave out the following state
ment Yesterday for the family, as coming
from intimate friends Of the Mackays:
For more than year Mrs Mackay
has been troubled at intervals with
severe pain i'm the side. She has beer
kept so actively engaged in charitable
and social work, however, that she de-
ferred attending to It, About two weeks
ago, following another attack, she re-
marked to an intimate friend that she
expected to be treated 10y a physician
who had been highly recommended TO
her She was insistent, however that her
children be kept i'm ignorance of her i'll
ness. so that their holiday might not he
married by worry.
"A house party at the Mackay summer
residence. Blue Hill. Me. was TO have
been held over the holidays. and few
days ago Mrs. Mackay, who planned 10
start for Maine with her children to-day,
remarked that she might find time TO con-
suit physician before making the trip.
But she insisted that her children and
friends should not be told Of her sick
ness.
"If. AZ reported. she gave the name OF
Mrs. Stone in consulting DR.. We'll. il was
solely with the idea Of not permitting
any of her friends 10 know that she was
not feeling we'll enough TO give the house
party and of not alarming her children or
permitting them to hear that she even
contemplated undergoing an operation.
Her death comes as a stunning blow.
II was said at the coroners Office yes
terday that a burial permit would be
issued to-day. An undertaken removed
the body from the morgue yesterday fol-
lowing DR.. Schultzes autopsy.