The sun., 1917-09-21
FAMOUS CLEVELAND
MYSTERY EXPLAINED
Surgeon Describes Secret Oper-
alton on President in
July, 1893.
FEARED SILVER VICTORY
Story Of Illness Denied to
Avoid Disheartening
Gold Men.

Twenty-four years ago, on August -.
1883. the country was startled by q
three column letter in the Philadelphia
Press which gave the FIRST news that .
serious operation had been performed on
the then President. Grover Cleveland.
The letter was written by the Presses
New York correspondent. t. J. Edwards.
whose psn name was Holland" De-
spite the many intrinsic evidences Of the
authenticity Of the news. the story was
denied or vastly minimized.
Its entire truth 10 now admitted by
DR.. ". w. Keen. emeritus professor Of
surgery Of the Jefferson Medical College
Of Philadelphia, who describes in the
current number Of the Saturday Evening o
Post, the exact character Of the opera
ton (cancer was feared). the extreme
measures taken to secure secrecy and the
reasons for the denial of Hollands
news beat
DR.. Keen. one of the surgeons who
operated on the President (the others
were Dr. e. @. Janeway, DR.. Robert N.
OReilly. nr. Joseph d. Bryant. DR.. John
F. Erdman and DR.. Ferdinand Has
brouck. a dental surgeon). received the
permission OF Mrs. Thomas J. Preston.
Jr.. formerly Mrs. Grover Cleveland, to
publish the story clearing up q mystery
which was a quarter Of a century old.
He Is at great pains to explain why %
many precautions for secrecy were taken
The free silver erase was just then ap-
preaching IL maximum. The bill to 70.
peal tho silver clause Of the Sherman
act was before Congress. President
Cleveland was the great force that stood
between the country and the free silver
heresy. Had It become known that he
was danserously III the victim Of q
malignant growth. the sold standard
mon would have lost heart. 80 DR.. Keen
believes. and the country would have
been given over to free silver
MALIGNANT Growth Found.
On June Is. 1924, DR.. r. N. o'Reilly
Of the United States Army examined
there a malignant growth and some
diseased bone. A pathological expert
found that tho specimen was strongly
indicative Of malignancy. DR.. Joseph d
Bryant, tho Presidents medical attend.
ant and intimate friend. advised ar
operation. Col. Lamont, the Secretary
Of War. and Commodore e. c. Benedict
tho latter perhaps Grover Cleveland'a
most intimate friend-were told the
facts. It was decided finally to take the
President aboard Commodore Benedict'i
yacht Oneida, where secrecy would b
assured. The operation was performed
ON July !. DR.. Keen tells the story thus
The entire left upper jaw was removed
from tho nrst bicuspid tooth to Just be-
yond the last molar and nearly up "a
the cavity containing the eyeball-wai
tackled. A small portion of the soft
palate was removed. This extensive
operation was decided upon because We
found that the antrum-the large hol'
low cavity In the upper jaw-was partly
filled by a gelatinous mass. evidently q
sarcoma. This diagnosis was later con-
nrmed by DR.. william II. Welch Of the
Johns Hopkins Hospital. who had alss
examined the former specimens.
No External Incision.
The entire operation was done within
the mouth without any external incis
ion. The large cavity was packed viii
gauze to arrest the subsequent moder
ate oosing Of blood.
The operation was entirely successful
the President returning to Gray Gables
on July S. He had been fitted with Al
artificial Jaw. which enabled him Il
talk with dimculty. On July II q sec
ond operation. performed to mak'
sure absolutely that no malignan
complished with similar precision.