Year: 1865




alive in the morning that for weeks tn,
, quickening of his pulse at any momen
must have been fatal. What secured
, that perfect repose of body and mind ne
, cessary to the recovery of both The
, report of her death says it was caused by
illness occasiohed by the distress into
f which the family was plunged by the at
tempted assassination. In other words
the devoted wife and mother died that
the husband and son might live. These
lives in which she had merged her in
dividual being could only be reached
through hers. The dagger of the con-
spiracy made passage for her spirit out
of its clay prison as effectually as if it had
passed aside from its purposed vic
tim. Nothing in the history of remark
able women interests me so much as the
little know of this strong, heroic, unset
fish, silent wife and mother of men whose
names known over the civilized world
Cor. Of the Ptttsbarg Commerical.


Mr.. Seward during hia illness as describ-


ed by his nurse.


Mr., George Woke, the soldier whom
the Medical Director detailed to attend
Mr. Seward as nurse, after the latter's
accident by fall, has favored US with
interesting verbal information, in addi-
tion to the written communications for
merly published by us concerning the at
tempted assassination of Mr.. Seward
Ii e speaks with the warmest enthusiasm
of the sublimity of character which the
venerable statesman evinced during that
terrible period, in which George Woke
spent many days and nights at his bed
side.


At the time Paine, alias Powell, burst
into the sick room, Mr.. Seward was as
leep. While the assassin was inficting
his murderous blows, he lost neither his
sensibility nor his presence of mind. Af-
ter his lacerated cheek had been sewed
up, his first inquiry was about the condi-
ton of his son Frederick. He was in
formed that under the circumstances, he
was doing well, and sleepiug. Not until
two months later did the surgeon deem it
advisable to take the father to the bedside
of his son, who, in consequence of the
terrible injuries received, had so long
fingered on the brink of death. Half
an hour after receiving his own Mr. Sc
ward heard of the attack on the Presi-
dent, which his sharp ear gathered from
the by-standers, and of the Presidents
death he was at once informed on Satur-
day morning. As during the catastrophe,
so Immediately thereafter, Seward dis
played the composure of the philosopher.
When he learned the death of the Presi-
dent, he remarked to the physicians a
round his bedside that he had warned the
President and also had taken precautions
as his own safety, but had neglected
these after his accident, because he never
dreamed that they would assail severely
wounded man in his bed.


On the morning of the assassination
he said to his nurses, his sensations i'm
mediately after the assault had by no
means been of an unpleasant nature
He had experienced no extraordinary
pains but while the blood was gushing
from his arteries he had supposed that
his end was nigh and thought at the
same time what pleasant thing it was
to die thus, without bit of pain.


Toward his nurses and toward all who
came near him during his sickness, Mr..
Seward was uniformly friendly, even af-
fectionate. And never, when awake, did
his philosophical, frmness desert him.
Only when asleep he would at times, dur
ing the first two weeks after his attack,
suddenly start up and beat around with
his hands when dreams brought the as
sassin to his Imagination, but in two or
three minutes he was always quieted.


During the first three weeks Mrs. Sc
ward was constantly, day and night, at
the bedside either of her husband
or that of Frederick, and these exertions
have since fastened the death of a lady
equally distinguished for the excellent
qualities of her head and heart. No less
noble was the conduct of Mr.. Seward s
daughter, Miss Fanny. Indeed it is per-
haps to her courage that her father and
the nation owe the salvation of his life.
Like her mother, Miss Fanny was an un-
firing attendant upon her suffering rela-
tives.


The greatest trouble to the physicians
was Stewards mental activity, which did
not abate even during his greatest physl-
cal weakness and severest pains. In or
der to prevent all excitement during this
critical period, and on account of the
shattered jaw bone, the physicians en-
ioined on him not to speak, but it was
difficult to get him to comply.


1t was not more loquacity that render
ed silence so irksome to the statesmen, but
chiefly his patriotic anxiety about the re-
public. He desired to express his mind
about the condition of the country, to full
all his official duties as Secretary OF State.
The attending physicians had prohibited
speaking even before the attempted as
sassination but to express his thoughts
by writing was also impracticable, as his
right arm was broken. But as soon as
the conditions of the fractured bone would
allow, the medical gentlemen had to band
age and fasten the upper third of the arm