Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-03
PRESIDENT HARDING'S DEATH
GREAT SHOCK TO NATION
tContinued from Page y

discussing when they would get
back to Washington-and down n
| corridor a little handful OF news
papermen were gathered.
| Mrs. Harding, General Sawyer and
the two nurses, however, had not
| relinquished their watchfulness, and
it is truly typical of Mrs. Harding
that she should have been there,
for no first lady of the land was
ever more devoted and faithful to
her husband than was Mrs. Hard
ing.
Mrs. Harding was reading to the
I President -aH~article entitled "a Re-
view of A Calm Man." written by
| Samule G.. Blythe, a noted political
| writer, and published in a current
| magazine. 1t described the man to
whom she was reading, and he was
interested in it. She paused in her
reading and glanced up. He raised
his hand and said:
That's good, go on, read some
more"
Those were the last words Presi-
dent Harding spoke. In an instant
! a shudder shook his frame, his hand
dropped and he collapsed.
Mrs. Harding was at the door in
stantly and called:
"Find Boone and the others
quick"
One of the secret service men
rushed down the corridor searching
for-Dr. Boone, while General Saw
yer worked desperately within the
room, applying restoratives. DR..
Boone could not be found and came
in almost running at 1887 o'clock.
Several others had gone into the
room in the meantime, and those
that came out were plainly greatly
| distressed.
One of these was Secretary
Hoover, whose face was blanched
and his eyes dim. All he could say
to newspapermen was hat there
would be a statement soon. AT 7:45
o'clock it was announced that there
would be a formal statement with
in a few minutes and at 1851 o'clock
it was issued. 1t said:
1.-THE President died instantan-
eously and without warning. while
conversing with members of his
family at 1880. Death was appar-
emily due to some brain exolvement,
probably a~poplexy.
During the day he had been free
from discomfort and there was every
justification for anticipating a
prompt recovery.
(Signed)
sc. E. SAWYER, M. d.
RAY LYMAN WILBUR, M. D.
AZ. T. BOONE, M. D.
HUBERT WORK, M. D.
This was followed by a second
bulletin which made the fiat an
nouncement that death was due to
apoplexy and that Mrs. Harding,
General Sawyer and the two nurses
were in the room at the time.
One of the Associated Press re-
personalities, who have been on
watch ever since the President was
brought to San Francisco last Sun
day morning, heard Mrs. Harding's
appeal for the doctors, saw the
Secret Service man hurry Aown the
hall in search of DIR. Boone, and al
1929 o'clock sent a bulletin travel
ing ove the wires to all parts OF
the country telling of the call for
the physicians and then followed
with bulletins giving more details
of what was occurring in the vicinity
of the presidential suite. Thus news.
paper editors were aware of some.
thing impending fully twenty-five
minutes before the announcement
of death was made.
When the death announcement
was made it was flashed to all parts
of the nation by The Associated
Press by telegraph and telephone ant
to the most distant parts of thu
world by cable and radio. Thus i
was that newspapers were on thu
streets in New York with announce,
ment of the passing of the Republici
Chief before it became at all gener-
ally known about the hotel.
The announcement was followed
momentarily by confusion in the
vicinity of the Presidential suite, blu
soon the trained members of the ex
ecutive staff took charge, the ply
sicians conferred and later ISSUED
their detailed statement as to thu
cause of death, and the cabine
members meeting together decided
upon and submitted to Mrs. Hard
ing for approval the plans for thu
return trip to Washington.
Messages were dispatched, tellinl
of the sad news to George B. Chris
tian, Jr., the Presidents secretary
who had gone to Los Angeles t,
speak for the President at a Knight
Templar meeting, to the other. cab
met members, and to Calvin Cool
idge, the vice president, who earl,
today took the oath of Office at hi
home in Plymouth, Vermont, an
became the head of the nation.
The detailed statement by the
physicians described the chances II
the Presidents physical condition
dating from last spring when tn
. President, following a long perio'
of overwork and great strain, wa
confined to his bed with an attacl
of influenza. This attack was NOR
! serious than the general public eve
realized, and its effects had not bee
entirely dissipated when the pres
emit trip was started in June, de
spite the five weeks vacation spen
in Florida and George in Marcl
! and early April.
: The President, it was revealed
had been subject to some attacks o
! abdominal pains and indigestion, an
there had for some time been evi
) dences of arteio-Scerosis enlarge
> ment OF the heart and defectiv
action of the kidneys. The state
ment then recited that the executiv
: had suffered an acute gastro-intesti