Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-01-09
act of His Death Discovered
by Mrs. Roosevelt About
O'Clock Monday A.. M.
END WAS UNEXPECTED
Death Occurred at Home in Oyster
Bay-Meager Early Details Men.
ton No Illness But Rheuma-
tism of the Right Hand.

Oyster Bay, N. T., Jan. 6.-Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep !
early today at his home on Sycamore
Hill.
The colonel suffered a severe attack |
of rheumatism and s~ciatica on New
Years day, but one believed his ill
former president sat up most of Sun
day and retired at II o'clock last
night. About 4 a.. m. Mrs. Roosevelt,
who was the only other member Of the
family at Oyster Bay. went to her !
husbands Oom and found that he had
died during the night.
New York, Jan. 6.-Colonel Theo-
dore Roosevelt died at his home in
Oyster Bay early today. News Of the
death of the former president was
received here by Miss Josephine
Striker, the cOlOnel's secretary, in a
telephone message from Mrs. Roose-
welt.
Miss Striker said that the colonel
had suffered an attack of infammatory
rheumatism on New Years day and
had since been more or less confined
to his room.
The attack of rheumatism settled
mainly in Colonel RoOsevelt'S right
hand and Mrs. Roosevelt sent at once
for a nurse in the village Of Oyster
seem to be alarming and the turn for
the worse is believed not to have como
until last night.
In announcing Colonel R]oosevelt's
death Miss Striker said:
"Mrs. Roosevelt called Inc on the
telephone shortly before Z o'clock,
saying that the colonel had died early
today. She did not give me any par
ticulars and l am leaving at once for
Oyster Bay.
"The attack must have been very
sudden. On New Years day infiam-
matory rheumatism developed in Col
Onel Roosevelt's right hand. which be-
came much swollen. Mrs. Roosevelt
sent for Il nurse in the village and the
colonel was made as comfortable as
possible. 1t did not occur to me at
that time that he was seriously ILL.,"
Was Unexpected.
Miss Striker Went to Oyster Bay
last Saturday to pay the colonel a
visit. She said:
"At that time the colonel was sleep
ing in his room and / did not see him,
and there was nothing in the circum-
stances of his illness at that time to
indicate to me that death was near
When Mrs. Roosevelt called me- this
morning and told me Of the colonel's
death. | could hardly believe it..
"Mrs. Roosevelt gave me no par
ticulars Of his death"
1t is understood that only Mrs.
Roosevelt and the Nurse We're with
him at the time Of his death. The
other members of the family are in
other parts of the country or abroad.
Colonel RooSevelt'> last illness may
be said to date from last February.
On February ; it was announced that
he had been removed from his home
in Oyster Bay to the Roosevelt hos
pital in this city. following an opera
ton on one of his ears. Soon after
his arrival at the hospital he under
went two more operations for the re-
mOval of the diseased tissue in his
infected ear. and it was admitted at
the time that he was seriously i'll.
He remained at the hospital until
March 3.
During May and June the colonel
made a number of addresses. speak
ing at Springfield, Mass. and in New
York. In June he made d tour of the
west during which he suffered /; slight
attack of erysipelas in one Of his legs,
but refused to give up his engage
ments. EARLY in November the colonel
was taken to Roosevelt hospital in
this city for treatment of rheumatism
and sciatica. While in the hospital
reports became current that the col
onel vas more seriously i'll than his
physicians would admit. Colone
Roosevelt returned to his home a
Oyster Bay on Christmas day, remark
ing as he stepped to the porch tina
he was feeling bully"