The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-07

persons, and those IN charge OF assign
! ing the space have n most delicate task
| An account Of Col. Roosevet's physi-
! cal troubles leading to his death will De
found elsewhere M this paper, but Few
words are necessary here. II IS not be-
lieved that the bullet fired Into his left
side in Milwaukee in the campaign Of
\ 1919 had anything to do with them
| Nor. according TO Dr. Richards. was the
final illness result of the fever con-
| tracted by the Colonel while exploring
the River of Doubt early in 1914
In February an abscess developed in
the lower part Of the body and was
lanced by a surgeon at Sycamore Hilf
| Soon thereafter Col Roosevelt visited
! bis office In New York and also talked
| at meeting In the Harvard Club.
| Going to HIS room at the Hotel Langdon
he had slight attack Of faintness. hay
/ down on a couch. but immediately got up
eSclainling, What a jack am y
However. he had to cancel a dinner en-
Engagement with the Vigilantes that eve
, ming and also trip to Boston that he
| was to make the next day.
| II was found that to the original trou-
Bile had been added = well developed alb
scess Of the left ear and some affection
| of the right ear as well. The doctors
made their patient so to Roosevelt Hos
pitaL Declining to 70 IN an ambulance.
he went in his own automobile. He
thought his system had been poisoned
! by the Jungle fever and asked the
physicians to clean everything up and
make a good Job Of II" while they were
about II.
Col. Roosevelt spent nearly a month
4 ba VI "A
Corrected after reaching a dangerous
stage. When he left he was deaf in the
right ear and had trouble. he said, with
his equilibrium" mea ming that he had
difficulty in walking. However, after a
| few days rest, he went 10 Maine. and
before the State Republican convention
| in Portlando=made speech was
| accepted as the keynote OF the Re
publican Congressional campaign.
| Later he made o speaking trip through
the middle West for tho National Sc
| curity League. an incident OF which was
his reunion with William II. Taft in the
dining room OF the blackstone Hotel In
Chicago. In June this irreprc ssible man
went West again.
| Has Attack in Chicago.
In Chicago he suffered an attack Of
erystpelas, but instead of going to a hos
rital, as the doctors urged, he kept on.
Accompanied by a physician. he went TO
Omaha, St Louis. Indianapolis (where
tho physician, tired out. dropped BY the
wayslde), made n 100 mile motor trip
| 10 Bloomington, Ind, and returning to
| Oyster Bay went out and INDUCED HIM
self in his old Glsdstonian form of ex-
ercise-chopping down a tree.
! In July came the news of Quentin 8
death. The Colonel took II like the man
! he was His one thought was to keep
the tidings from Mrs. Roosevelt until the
| thing was absolutely certain He had
promised TO speak ~ the unefhcis' Re-
publican State convention in Saratoga
and explaining that It was his duty as a
citizen to Saratoga he went. Then he
and Mrs. Roosevelt hai two or three
Weeks rest In Milne.
On Labor Day he celebrated n ship
launching at Newburgh. keeping . Ions
standing promise, and had to shake so
many persons hands that he got no
luncheon. Late In October. just before
election, he spoke at the Carnegie Hall
meeting. called In the interest of the
Whitman ticket, but on account Of Pres
tdent Wilson'S appeal to the people to
elect purely Democratic Congress i,
was converted into an answer to the
President and a challenge.
Never did sthe Colonel blaze brighter
than on that memorable night his last
, act before going to the meeting was "a
dictate an 'insert" for his speech. an
swering assertions that had been made
about his own and William McKinley's
appeals for partisan support when they
were Presidents.
Last Public Utterance.
In the following week he again spoke
in IJo1 "A
of support for the negro war unit That
was his last public utterance-an appeal
for the negro. The next morning the
Colonels right hand was swollen. and
he did not leave his home until Novem-
ber l, the day the armistIce was signed
when he went 10 the hospital again
When he emerged. on December 25
the public supposed that he merely had
a furlough for Christmas and would
return 10 the hospital. He motored to
SagamoTe Hill.
on the lawn was Mrs Derby's little
son, calling Come, grandpa, We mus,
go in and see what Sanity has brought
for Christmas" They had rausing
family party. Thereafter the Colone
did not leave Sagamore Hill. except for
/ a trip OF two to the village in his auto
mobile
He and Mrs. Roosevelt walked about
I 'her sIbuhus u ROoI uedi, Dllt Tor mn
the Colonel led very quiet life Rheu-
matism had caused his left hand anG
leg to swell, and lie suffered a gooj
deal OF pain, but worked at his desl
prodlgiously.
Always at Christmas time, excep,
when tho Roosevelts were in the White
House or the head OF the family wa.
away exploring the far corners OF the
earth, he was accustomed TO 20 or
Christmas eve down to the Cove School
where his flock had learned Their
| A u Cs. with presents which he wou,t
distribute to the children and then make
a little talk which Oyster Bay folk.
would regard AS better than any of his
Presidential addresses He couldn't "a
this year. Cant. Archie Roosevelt rep.
resented him at the schools Christmas
party. and handed tho gifts around.
on New Years Day, as the doctor,
revealed yesterday, there was an acute
attack of the infammatery rheuma tism
which was alarming. but did not last
long. Or. Faller OF Oyster Bay visited
the patient twice a day and DIR. Richards
and Dr. Hartwell also went TO Saga
more Hill at regular intervals
In High spirits sunday.
| On Sunday morning Dr. Faler found
the Colonel in high spirits, and again at
doctor had considerable trouble in get.
ting the Colonel to talk about himself
and how he felt. In his characteristics
bling with talk about everything else