The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-08-10

rIdHClSCO. III lHe llIuNl VI "lP"iNA'
recovery he was stricken with apoplezy
while Mrs. Harding was reading 10
him. The end came quickly.
The special train left San Francisco
at Z p. III. Friday, routed directly TO
the capital by way Of Reno, Ogden,
Cheyenne. Omaha and Chicago.
The train made no stops en-
route except those necessary for its
operation. The body of the President
was borne IL the rear ear. The car was
lighted at night, and at all times two
soldiers and two sailors, Il part of Il
naval and military guard Of sixteen
enlisted men, stood at attention guard
ing the casket.
The train carried the presidential
party as composed during the trip
across the country to Alaska, and also
General Pershing, Attorney General
Daugherty, and Mr.. and Mrs. f. f.
Remsberg and family, Mrs. Remsberg
being q sister Of the President.
Untold thousands Of American citi-
zens stood with uncovered heads, day
and night, as the train passed.
Through Nevada in the hours Of
daylight and darkness there were
mourners at the stations. Utah con
tributed its thousands the next day.
Wyoming's citizens mourned en- masse.
And so on across the continent. At
the cities, especially, large crowds as
sembled at the stations.
President Harding died Of a stroke
Of apoplexy at 1880 O'clock Thursday
night Q0:3O p. M, New York time).
His exact age was ffty-Seven years
and nine months.
The end came suddenly while Mrs.
Harding was reading to him from a
magazine and after what had been
the beginning Of his illness exactly
one week before.
Suddenly it was noticed that the
President was %shuddering and gasp
ing. Mrs. Harding ran TO him, but
he was unable to respond to her in
quiries. She then ran to the door of
the sick room and called to the secret
service man there to summon the
Presidents physicians.
When General Sawyer reached the
room the President was still alive, but
he died almost at once.
Collapse Is Sudden.
In greater detail the facts of the
death are related. With Mrs. Harding
in the sickroOm were two nurses. Due
to the seeming Improvement in the
Presidents condition, members Of his
party, including the physicians who
had remained in constant call, were
confident they could leave the hotel
for q few hours relaxation. Many of
them were at dinner.
Mrs. Harding, however, refusing to
desert the post, was seated by the
bedside, reading to her husband, when
at 7:10 o'clock the President suddenly
collapsed. His breathing, which had
been quick ever since the illness over
took him, suddenly became spasmodic.
Mrs. Harding. leaving the nurse to
take whatever steps they could in the
emergency, ran to the door of the
presidential suite.
Get the DOCTORS" she called, as she
ran part way into the almost deserted
corridor. A secret service operative
was seated about twenty feet down
the hall. She hurriedly told the secret
service man that the President had
had q sudden and seemingly severe re-
lapse, and begged the detective to try
to locate Doctor Boone or any of the
other physicians.
The secret service man took up the
search for the physicians, while Mrs.
Harding returned to the bedside. They
located Doctor Sawyer at once.
Hoover Arrives Quickly.
Word Of the Presidents sudden turn
for the worse spread through the hotel
and efforts were launched at once to
try to locate the members Of his Off
cial party.
Herbert Hoover, secretary of COM
merce and m of the closest cabinet
members to the President, was the
first of the cabinet members to reach
the bedside. He hurried into the cor
ridor, already aware that the Presi-
dents life was ebbing fast, and the
door to the suite closed behind him. A
short time after he came out. He was
completely broken up and could not
speak to the newspaper men as they
gathered around him on his way down
TO his own quarters. Tears were II n
ming down his cheeks and he seemed
to be stunned by grief as he made his
way to the elevator.
Mayor James Rolph Of San Fran
cisco was the next to arrive, and he,
too, after a visit to the death room,
| was inarticulate.
Official Statement.
1t was about twenty minutes from
the time Mr.. Harding vas stricken
GAO p. n.y. until he died G:30). The
circumstance Is told briefly in the fol-
lowing formal announcement:
Old Stun.