The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-05-27
MR.. LANES VIEW OF DEATH
Sum. Up His Philosophy in the
Words II Accept"

Washington Special to the Phlla-
detphia Public Ledger.)
To some. of Franklin K. Lanes
most intinate friends here there had
come before bis death remarkable
message, dictated BY him in the hos
pital in Rochester MIMI, after the
operation which preceded his death
by only few days.
The message showed the former
secretary had undergone the opera
Eon With full consciousness and &C.
ceptanee OF the fact that he might
not survive it. It told IN detail Of his
sensations before, during and after
the operation, of which he was fully
conscious, as the condition OF his
heart would not permit the use Of a
general anaesthetic. The message
follows in part:
at is Wednesday afternoon and l
am now sitting UP in bed talking to
my good friend Cotter. Until yester-
day I did not clearly visualize any
one thing, in this room and did not
know that it had . window, except
that there was a place that noise
came through. But did know that It
had yellow oak door that stared at
me with its great big square eye all
day ana all night. Last Friday, you
see about 10 o'clock in the morning,
I took the Step that should have
taken months. yes, years ago. To-
day, most tentatively, I crawled into
a chair and ate my first mouthful of
solid food. But four days ago !
managed to shave myself and I am
regarded as pprsty spry.
Nearly Shot a. Reporter
'g have seen death come to men
in various ways, some rather novel
and Western. I once saw a man
hanged. And 1 have seen several
men shot, and came very near going
out that way myself two OF three
times, bat always the other fellow
aimed poorly. I was being shot at
because I was a newspaper man, and
Should have been shot at. There
must be public concern in what is
printed, as well as it's truth, to just
fy it. That is something that news
papers should get> to know in this
country. After the earthquake in
San Francisco I saw walls topple
oit upon a man. And I have had
more intimate glinpses still Of the
picturesque and of. the prosasc ways
by which men come to their taking
of.
"But never before have I been.
called upon to deliberately walk into
the valley Of the shadow, and, say
what you will it is a great act. I
have said during the last months of
endless examination that a man
with little curiosity and, little hu-
NOR, and a little money, who was not
in too great pain, could enjoy him
self studying the ways Of doctors
and nurses as he journeyed the inva-
lids path. g..
"It was however, made a flowery
path for me, as much as any path
could be in which man suffered
more humiliation and distress and
thwarting and illustration, on the
whole, than he did pain. a..
"But here was a path the end OF
which I could not see. I was not
compelled to take it. My very latest
doctor advised me against taking it. !
I could live sometime without taking |
it. It was a bet on the, high card
with chance TO win, and I took it."
Unable to Take Anaesthetic
At this point occur details re-
garding the preparations for the op-
Grafton, with a note of the fact that
a general anaesthetic could not be
applied on account of the patients
heart, which, chad been cutting up
some didoes," The statement con-
tinues: ...... ~ g..
"For two days had knowledge
that this operation was to take place
at his time, and my nerves had not
been just as good as they should
A