“8 A. M.—The President rested well durin_The Life and Work of James A. Garfield, Twentieth President of the United States Embracing an Account of the Scenes and Incidents of His Boyhood; the Struggles of His Youth; the Might of His Early Manhood; His Valor As a Soldier; His Career As a Statesman; His Election to the Presidency; and the Tragic Story of His Death.

febrile disturbance has occurred since the bulletin of yesterday

evening. This morning the improvement of his general condition is

distinctly perceptible. He appears refreshed by his night’s rest,

and expresses himself cheerfully as to his condition. Pulse, 92;

temperature, 98.4: respiration, 18. 12:20 P. M.—The President bore

the dressing of his wound this morning with less fatigue than

hitherto. It appears well and is discharging sufficiently. His pulse

is now 94; temperature, 98.5; respiration, 18. 7 P. M.—The President

has passed a pleasant day, and has taken his nourishment with

apparent relish. His temperature continued normal until about 5

o’clock, when a moderate afternoon rise occurred, which, however,

gives the patient but slight discomfort, and causes no anxiety. At

present his pulse is 104; temperature, 100.5; respiration, 20.”

During the day a sensational report was started to the effect that Dr.

Agnew—in whose skill as a surgeon the people had come to have the

greatest confidence—had said that the President’s life could not be

saved unless the ball was excised at an early day. This rumor, however,

was promptly denied, as were also some alleged unfavorable remarks of

Dr. Hamilton. About this time, however, some eminent surgeons—notably

Dr. Hammond, of New York City—began to express, and even to publish,

very serious strictures upon the views and treatment adopted by the

attending and consulting physicians of the President; and, in some

instances, the reasoning of the critics seemed to be so well borne out

by the facts as to put the medical and surgical skill of those who

managed the President’s case to a very hard strain.

_The twenty-eighth day._—On the 29th of July a Cabinet meeting, at which

all the members except Attorney-General MacVeagh were present, was held

at the White House. Public matters were discussed, and certain routine

official business disposed of in the usual way. All this indicated a

belief, on the part of the members, that the President was on the road

to recovery. There was, however, no marked change in his condition or

prospects. He had passed a comfortable night—so said the attendants—and

the afternoon fever was less pronounced than on the previous day. The

three bulletins of the surgeons contained about the only information

which could be obtained of the progress of the distinguished patient.

They were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—Immediately after the evening dressing yesterday the

President’s afternoon fever began gradually to subside. He slept

well during the night, and this morning is free from fever, looks

well, and expresses himself cheerfully. A moderate rise of

temperature in the afternoon is to be anticipated for some days to

come. At present his pulse is 92; temperature, 98.4; respiration,

18. 2:30 P. M.—The President bore the dressing of his wound well

this morning, and exhibited very little fatigue after its

completion. He rests well, and takes an adequate quantity of

nourishment. At present his pulse is 98; temperature, 98.4;

respiration, 19. 7 P. M.—The President has been comfortable and

cheerful during the day, and has had quite a nap since the noon

bulletin was issued. At present his pulse is 98; temperature, 100;

respiration, 20.”

To these reports very little can be added for the day, except the

confirmation of their substance in the evening dispatch of Secretary

Blaine, which was as follows:

“LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The President’s afternoon fever was less to-day than yesterday, and

at this hour—half-past 11 P. M.—has almost disappeared. Temperature

very nearly normal. His wound is in a healthy condition, and he is

doing well in all respects. His physicians are greatly encouraged.

“BLAINE, _Secretary_.”

_The twenty-ninth day._—With the morning of the 30th of July came the

report of a farther—though slight—improvement in the President’s

condition. He was said to have waked early in the morning after a

refreshing sleep. He showed no fatigue from the dressing of the wound in

the course of the forenoon, and ate with relish a moderate quantity of

solid food. He was able, with the aid of a contrivance placed under the

mattress, partly to sit up in bed. The afternoon rise in temperature was

moderate. Several times during the President’s illness the question of

malarious influences about the White House, as affecting his prospects

of recovery, was discussed by the physicians and the general public. It

was noticed that several of the employes had been taken sick in a way to

indicate malaria in the surroundings. The condition of the Executive

Mansion itself was reported as being unfavorable to health. So the

question of removing the President to a more healthful place was again

raised and seriously debated by the surgeons. Dr. Bliss, who was a

member of the Washington Board of Health, which several years before,

after a long struggle, had succeeded in having a large number of

disease-breeding tenement-houses removed, was very emphatic in his

condemnation of the “conveniences” of the White House, and said the

family of the President should be removed while engineers should

overhaul and renovate the entire plumbing arrangements of the premises.

Of course all possible means are taken to keep the unhealthy influence

arising from this condition of affairs from the sick-room of the

President; and the closed doors, together with the elaborate new

ventilating apparatus, were believed to furnish ample protection.

Mr. Blaine, in his night dispatch to Minister Lowell, spoke

encouragingly of the situation, and the official bulletins were pitched

in the usual hopeful key:

“8:30 A. M.—The President enjoyed a refreshing sleep during the

greater part of the night. A gradual improvement of his general

condition in all particulars is observable, and is recognized by

himself. His pulse is now 92; temperature, 98.5; respiration, 18.

12:30 P. M.—The President showed no fatigue from the dressing of his

wound this morning. His general condition continues gradually to

improve. A moderate quantity of solid food has been added to his

nourishment, and was eaten with relish. At present his pulse is 98;

temperature, 98.5; respiration, 20. 7 P. M.—The President has passed

the day comfortably and without drawback or unpleasant symptoms. The

afternoon rise of temperature is moderate, and did not commence

until about 5 o’clock. At present his pulse is 104; temperature,

100.2; respiration, 20.”

_The thirtieth day._—The physicians again found time to discuss the

location of the ball in the President’s body. The majority had still

held the opinion that the missile had passed through the peritoneal

cavity, and was lodged in the front wall of the abdomen. In a dispatch

of the day, it was even alleged that the surgeons were now agreed in

this opinion.

It was believed that the black-and-blue spot, which had been visible on

the right side of the abdomen for several days after the President

received his injury, marked the bullet’s location, and this theory was

apparently confirmed by such results as had thus far been obtained with

the induction balance. However this might be, it was said by the

physicians, with much confidence, that the ball was, by this stage of

progress, encysted, and that not much further trouble would or could

arise from its presence in the body. The bulletins of the thirtieth day

were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept well during the night, and awoke

refreshed this morning. His appearance and expression this morning

indicate continued improvement. At present his pulse is 94;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The President bore

the morning dressing of the wound without fatigue. It continues to

look well and discharge adequately. The quantity of nourishment now

taken daily is regarded as quite sufficient to support his system

and favor the gradual increase in strength, which is plainly

observable. At present his pulse is 100; temperature, 98.5;

respiration, 19. 7 P. M.—The President has passed an excellent day.

The afternoon rise of temperature has been quite insignificant. At

present his pulse is 104; temperature, 99; respiration, 20.”

On this day it was announced that Professor Bell had completed his

instrument for determining the location of the ball. A description of

the apparatus was given to the public, which, though couched in

scientific language, may prove of interest to the general reader. The

induced electrical current, and the interference therewith by the

presence of a metallic body, were the fundamental facts of the

invention. The instrument consisted of two circular primary coils of

insulated copper three inches in diameter and half an inch in thickness,

the one being constructed of No. 19 wire, and containing between seven

and eight ohms of resistance, forming the primary coil, and the other of

No. 28 or 30 wire, giving more than eighty ohms of resistance, forming

the secondary coil, the two being connected in separate metallic

circuits. In the circuit with the former there was placed an electrical

battery and a spring vibrator, the latter so adjusted as to make a very

rapid series of “breaks” of the circuit, sending a hundred or more

electrical pulsations over the circuit and around the primary coil of

wire per second. A hand telephone only was placed in the circuit with

the secondary coil. The batteries being connected, and the vibrator set

in motion, the secondary coil was placed so as to cover the primary, and

the operator having the telephone at his ear, hears the pulsations of

the primary current sent through the vibrator with each motion of its

spring, an induced current being produced in the secondary coil by its

contiguity with the primary.

Up to this point the ground traversed had been familiar to all

electricians for many years. Professor Bell’s discovery, which made the

subject of special interest, consisted in the fact that if the secondary

coil be gradually turned to one side, so as to uncover a portion of its

primary, the inductive effects and the resultant tone from the vibrator

diminish until a point is reached, where only about one-third of the

surface of the secondary coil remaining upon the primary coil, the

sound-producing effect of the induction ceased altogether. If the

secondary coil be moved beyond the point of silence the sonorous results

become immediately apparent.

At the point of silence it was discovered that that portion of the

secondary, which still covered an equal portion of its primary, was very

sensitive to the presence of metallic substances not connected in any

way with the circuits of which the two coils formed a portion,

disclosing their proximity by making again audible the sounds from the

vibrator. The results obtained from this instrument were equal to those

given by the Hughes balance, but the latter furnishing a more convenient

form for general use, it was first adopted as the basis of experiments.

Such was the instrument which the electricians completed, but would it

work in practically discovering the place of the ball? It was determined

that on the morrow the apparatus should be tested.

_The thirty-first day._—Two things on this day occupied the public

attention: First, the regular reports; and second, the experiments of

Professor Bell. The bulletins were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept well during the night, and this

morning is cheerful, and expresses himself as feeling better than at

any time since he was hurt. He appears stronger, and has evidently

made progress toward recovery during the last few days. His pulse is

now 94; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The

President’s wound continues to do well. At the morning dressing it

was found to be in all respects in a satisfactory condition. At

present his pulse is 100; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 19. 7 P.

M.—The President has taken nourishment well and in sufficient

quantity, and in all respects continues to do well. The rise of

temperature this afternoon is slight. At present his pulse is 104;

temperature, 99.5; respiration, 20.”

After the morning dressing of the President’s wound, it was decided to

make a formal trial of the induction apparatus for determining, if

possible, the location of the fatal bullet. Professor Bell was

accordingly brought, with his instrument, to the President’s bedside,

and there conducted his experiments. Later in the day he wrote out and

presented to the surgeons an official report of the results, as follows:

“VOLTA LABORATORY, 1,221, CONNECTICUT AVENUE,}

“WASHINGTON, August 1, 1881.}

“_To the Surgeons in attendance upon President Garfield_:

“GENTLEMEN—I beg to submit for your information a brief statement of

the results obtained with the new form of induction balance in the

experiments made this morning for the purpose of locating the bullet

in the person of the President. The instrument was tested for

sensitiveness several times during the course of the experiments,

and it was found to respond well to the presentation of a flattened

bullet at a distance of about four inches from the coils. When the

exploring coils were passed over that part of the abdomen where a

sonorous spot was observed in the experiments made on July 26, a

feeble tone was perceived, but the effect was audible a considerable

distance around this spot. The sounds were too feeble to be entirely

satisfactory, as I had reason to expect, from the extreme

sensitiveness of the instrument, a much more marked effect. In order

to ascertain whether similar sounds might not be obtained in other

localities, I explored the whole right side and back below the point

of entrance of the bullet, but no part gave indications of the

presence of metal, except an area of about two inches in diameter,

containing within it the spot previously found to be sonorous. The

experiments were repeated by Mr. Taintor, who obtained exactly

corresponding results. We are therefore justified in concluding that

the ball is located within the above-named area. In our preliminary

experiments we found that a bullet like the one in question, when in

its normal shape, produced no audible effect beyond a distance of

two and a-half inches; while the same bullet, flattened and

presented with its face parallel to the plane of the coils, gave

indications up to a distance of five inches. The same flattened

bullet, held with its face perpendicular to the plane of the coils,

produced no sound beyond a distance of one inch. The facts show that

in ignorance of the actual shape and mode of presentation of the

bullet to the exploring instrument, the depth at which the bullet

lies beneath the surface can not be determined from our experiments.

I am, gentlemen, yours truly,

“ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL.”[5]

Footnote 5:

In the light of the discoveries made at the examination of the

President’s body, after death, it would not appear that the Induction

Balance, viewed as an agent to determine the position of concealed

balls of metal—especially lead—is an instrument calculated to improve

the reputation of science or scientific men.

_The thirty-second day._—Less space was given to-day in the public press

to reports of the President’s progress than on any previous day since

the assassination. An incident of the hour was the reception by Mrs.

Garfield of a draft for a hundred pounds sterling, sent by the

Disciples, of England, to aid in the reconstruction of the church in

Washington where the President was in the habit of attending worship.

The reports for the day were of the same general tenor which they had

borne since the surgical operation of the 25th July. The bulletins were

as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President passed a very pleasant night, and slept

sweetly the greater part of the time. This morning he awoke

refreshed, and appears comfortable and cheerful. Pulse, 94;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The President is

passing the day comfortably. At the morning dressing his wound was

found to be doing admirably. His pulse is now 99; temperature, 98.4;

respiration, 19. 7 P. M.—The President has continued to progress

favorably during the day, and appears perceptibly better in his

general condition than yesterday, a more natural tone of voice being

especially perceptible. At present his pulse is 104; temperature,

100; respiration, 20.”

_The thirty-third day._—“President Garfield continues,” says the New

York _Tribune_, “to gain steadily. In a fortnight more, if all goes well

with him, he will probably be able to sit up and give some attention to

the business which awaits his action. He is still very weak, but when

the healing process in his wound is well begun, he will, no doubt, gain

strength rapidly.” Such was the opinion of the country. The physicians

in charge, and the attendants upon the President, all seemed to believe

confidently in his early convalescence. The most noticeable change in

his condition was the return of his voice to its wonted fullness and

resonance. His attendants said that the change in this respect had been

very marked as compared with three or four days previous. The quantity

of morphine given by the physicians, in order to produce sound sleep,

had now been reduced to one-eighth of a grain daily, and the President

was able to take more than the usual amount of nourishment, including

beefsteak, milk, meat extract, toast saturated with beef juice, and a

little coffee. His strength had increased, and he was able already to do

more in the way of turning himself in bed, and helping others to raise

his body, than the surgeons thought it prudent to allow.

The bulletins of the day were in every way satisfactory and encouraging:

8:30 A. M.—The President slept tranquilly the greater part of the

night. This morning his temperature is normal, and his general

condition is satisfactory. Another day of favorable progress is

anticipated. At present his pulse is 90; temperature, 96.4;

respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The President continues to progress

steadily toward convalescence. He has taken to-day an increased

proportion of solid food. His wound is doing well, and his general

condition is better than yesterday. At present his pulse is 100;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 19. 7 P. M.—The President has passed

a very satisfactory day. The rise of temperature this afternoon is

slight. At present his pulse is 102; temperature, 99.4; respiration,

19.

The proposed removal of the President from the White House was again

under discussion. It was decided, however, to do nothing definite in

regard to such removal until he could himself be taken into the counsel

of the physicians, and indicate his preference. Two plans had thus far

been discussed: one to take him upon a naval vessel, and depart for any

point upon the coast where the surroundings seemed to promise most for

his physical improvement; the other, to take him to the Soldiers’ Home,

three miles from the White House, and keep him there until he should be

able to make the journey by rail to Mentor, his Ohio home.

_The thirty-fourth day._—No news of interest to-day. The space allotted

in the newspapers to accounts of the progress and condition of the

President was still further reduced. In conversation about the

President’s condition, Dr. Hamilton was reported to have discussed the

situation quite freely, and expressed the opinion that President

Garfield was advancing toward recovery in a very satisfactory manner. In

reply to the direct question: “Do you think the President will recover?”

the Doctor said: “I have no doubt whatever of his ultimate recovery.”

Dr. Hamilton also expressed the opinion that there was no malaria in the

patient’s system. In response to interrogatories relative to moving the

patient from the Executive Mansion, the doctor said that nothing could

yet be determined, as the President was in no condition to be moved. He

thought, however, when the proper time arrived, that a trip down the

Potomac would be decidedly beneficial, and would hasten his recovery.

In accordance with the custom which the physicians had now adopted, only

two bulletins were issued during the day, and they were of a sort to

create no excitement.

“8:30 A. M.—The President continues to improve. He slept well during

the night, and this morning looks and expresses himself cheerfully.

Another satisfactory day is anticipated. At present his pulse is 90;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 7 P. M.—As the morning bulletin

indicated would probably be the case, the President has passed

another good day without drawback or unpleasant symptoms of any

kind. At 10:30 P. M. his pulse was 96; temperature, 98.4;

respiration, 18. The afternoon rise of temperature came on late and

was moderate in degree. Now his pulse is 102; temperature, 100.2;

respiration, 19.”

Thus from day to day, and from week to week, the time wore on, the

people regarding it merely as a matter of time when their beloved

President would be restored to life and health. At this date they did

not anticipate an alternative issue.

_The thirty-fifth day._—In the leading papers of August 5th, no more

than a quarter of a column was devoted to President Garfield. The

citizens of Newport, Rhode Island, sent, through the mayor of the city,

an invitation to the President to come to their famous resort as soon as

his wound would permit, and to remain as their guest until complete

recovery. The bulletins of the day contained the only information. They

said:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept naturally the greater part of the

night, although he has taken no morphia during the last twenty-four

hours. His improved condition warranted, several days ago, a

diminution in the quantity of morphia administered hypodermically at

bedtime, and it was reduced at first to one-twelfth and afterward to

one-sixteenth of a grain in the twenty-four hours, without any

consequent unpleasant result, and finally has been altogether

dispensed with. His condition this morning exhibits continued

improvement, and another good day is anticipated. At present his

pulse is 88; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 7 P. M.—The

President has passed another good day. He has taken an adequate

quantity of nourishment, and has had several pleasant naps during

the day. At 12:30 P. M. his pulse was 98; temperature, 98.4;

respiration, 18. After 4 P. M. his temperature began to rise as

usual, but to a moderate degree and without perceptible dryness of

skin. His pulse is 102; temperature, 100.4; respiration, 19.”

_The thirty-sixth day._—The public had now accepted, with abiding trust,

the oft-repeated assurances of the surgeons that the President was on

the road to health. The White House, from being the center of interest

for the people of the whole country, as it had been two weeks before,

had become the dullest place in Washington. Doctors came in and went

out, and casual inquirers continued their visits. The military guards

patrolled the space in front of the one gate through which access was

had to the grounds, but beyond this nothing in the appearance or

surroundings of the place indicated that public attention was, in any

marked degree, turned in that direction. Great interest in the progress

of the case continued, but it was not so intense and all-absorbing as

hitherto. The bulletins were again the only news:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed an excellent night, sleeping

sweetly the greater part of the time. This morning he is cheerful,

and all the indications promise another favorable day. Pulse, 92;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 7 P. M.—The President passed a

comfortable morning, his symptoms and general condition being quite

satisfactory. At 12:30 P. M. his pulse was 100; temperature, 98.5;

respiration, 19. The afternoon rise of temperature began as late as

yesterday, but has been higher, though unaccompanied by dryness of

skin. At 7 P. M. his pulse was 102; temperature, 101.8; respiration,

19. The appearance of the wound at the evening dressing was,

however, good, and there has been no interruption to the flow of

pus.”

_The thirty-seventh day._—The 7th of August was probably the most quiet

day since the President was wounded. There was some comment about the

city regarding the information contained in the morning bulletin, the

language of which was, that the President “this morning is in good

condition, although the effects of the febrile disturbance of yesterday

are still slightly perceptible in pulse and temperature.” Many persons

construed this sentence as indicative of unfavorable symptoms; but the

general public accepted it as reassuring, and consequently there were

but few inquiries at the Mansion in the course of the day.

Within a narrower and better informed circle it was suspected that

another pus sac was forming in the President’s body, but the opinion did

not, for the time, obtain publicity. The two official bulletins of the

day were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—Shortly after the bulletin of last evening was issued

the President fell into a pleasant sleep, during which the febrile

rise subsided and was no longer perceptible when he awoke at 10 P.

M. Subsequently he slept well, though with occasional breaks during

the rest of the night. No morphia or other anodyne was administered.

This morning he is in good condition, although the effects of the

febrile disturbance of yesterday are still slightly perceptible in

pulse and temperature. At present his pulse is 96; temperature,

98.7; respiration, 18. 7 P. M.—The President has been comfortable

during the day, although his temperature began to rise earlier than

yesterday, and rose almost as high. At 12:30 P. M. his pulse was

104; temperature, 100; respiration, 20. At this hour his pulse is

104; temperature, 101.2; respiration, 20. He has taken nourishment

as usual, and has had several refreshing naps during the day.”

One of the unofficial reports of the day was to the effect that an

effort was making to trace out exactly the course of the wound, and that

to this end an instrument, called the electric probe, was to be inserted

in the track of the ball. Professor Taintor was called to the Executive

Mansion late in the afternoon to consult with the attending surgeons

regarding the use of the electric probe. After the consultation, he was

requested to return in the morning and to bring with him a battery of

two cells. The purpose was, should it be determined to experiment with

the instrument, to endeavor to ascertain the exact course of the wound

from the surface of the body to the spot where the ball was lodged, and

if possible to discover whether there was a pus cavity, and, if so, its

exact location.

_The thirty-eighth day._—On this morning the physicians held a

consultation. The question of the President’s afternoon fever was

discussed, and Dr. Agnew was reported as having urged upon the surgeons

the fact that the febrile rise was greater and more persistent than it

should be if occasioned by the natural and inevitable processes of

healing. The opinion was freely expressed that the channel of the wound

was in some measure obstructed, and the propriety of a second operation

to relieve the difficulty was suggested as the proper remedy.

Accordingly, after the morning dressing of the wound, a second operation

was performed, of which Dr. Bliss has given the following official

account in the _Medical Record_ for October 8, 1881:

“The necessity of the operation was plainly developed by passing a

flexible catheter through the opening previously made, which readily

coursed toward the crest of the ilium, a distance of about seven

inches. This cavity was evacuated twice daily, by passing through

the catheter, previously inserted in the track, an aqueous solution

of permanganate of potash from a small hand-fountain, slightly

elevated, the water and pus returning and escaping at the opening

externally.

“The indications for making a point of exit in the dependent portion

of this pus sac were urgent, and on August 8th the operation was

performed by extending the incision previously made, downward and

forward through the skin, subcutaneous fascia, external and internal

oblique muscles, to a sinus or pus channel. The exposed muscle

contained a considerable number of minute spiculæ of bone. Upon

carrying a long, curved director through the opening between the

fractured rib downward to the point of incision, there was a deeper

channel which had not been exposed by the operation thus far, and

the incision was carried through the transversalis muscle and

transversalis fascia, opening into the deeper track and exposing the

end of the director. A catheter was then passed into the portion of

the track below the incision, a distance of three and one-half

inches, and in a direction near the anterior superior spinous

process of the ilium. The President was etherized during this

operation.”

This description of the operation, as narrated by Dr. Bliss, may

doubtless be accepted, though involving many technical expressions

which, under the circumstances, are unavoidable, as in every way correct

and adequate. The regular bulletins were issued as usual and presented

the following summary of symptoms:

“8:30 A. M.—The President passed a comfortable night and slept well

without an anodyne. The rise of temperature of yesterday afternoon

subsided during the evening, and did not recur at any time through

the night. At present he appears better than yesterday morning.

Pulse, 94; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18.

“10:30.—It having become necessary to make another opening to

facilitate the escape of pus, we took advantage of the improved

condition of the President this morning. Shortly after the morning

bulletin was issued he was etherized. The incision tended downward

and forward, and a counter-opening was made into the track of the

ball below the margin of the twelfth rib, which it is believed will

effect the desired object. He bore the operation well, and has now

recovered from the effects of the etherization and is in excellent

condition.

“7 P. M.—After the last bulletin was issued the President suffered

somewhat for a time from nausea due to the ether, but this has now

subsided. He has had several refreshing naps, and his general

condition is even better than might have been expected after the

etherization and operation. At noon his pulse was 104; temperature,

100.2; respiration, 20. At present his pulse is 108; temperature,

101.9; respiration, 19.”

_The thirty-ninth day._—The effect of the surgical operation was

salutary in so far as to make it practicable to dispense with the

drainage-tube, to the great relief of the patient. The effects of the

etherization, however, were somewhat distressing, and the shock of the

operation no doubt told unfavorably on the President’s small reserve of

vitality. None the less, his condition was so far from unfavorable that

Dr. Agnew returned to Philadelphia and Secretary Blaine made

preparations to take a brief respite from care by a visit to his own

State. The ripple of anxiety, excited by the recent operation, passed

away, and matters went on as before. The official reports of the day

were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—Notwithstanding the effects of yesterday’s operation,

the President slept the greater part of the night without the use of

morphia. This morning his pulse is 98; temperature, 99.8;

respiration, 19. Since yesterday afternoon small quantities of

liquid nourishment, given at short intervals, have been retained,

and this morning larger quantities are being administered without

gastric disturbance.

“12:30 P. M.—At the dressing of the President’s wound this morning,

it was found that pus had been discharged spontaneously and freely

through the counter-opening made yesterday. He has been quite

comfortable this morning, and taken a liberal supply of liquid

nourishment. His pulse is now 104; temperature, 99.7; respiration,

19. 7 P. M.—The President has been very easy during the day, and has

continued to take the nourishment allowed without gastric

disturbance. The degree of fever this P. M. differs little from that

of yesterday. Pulse, 106; temperature, 101.9; respiration, 19.”

It was one of the incidents of the day, that the President wrote his

name, with the date, August 9, 1881, in a comparatively steady hand and

without a serious effort.

_The fortieth day._—The morning news recited that the President’s

appetite had somewhat improved, but this cheering information was

coupled with the announcement that the sufferer had not recovered

sufficiently to be raised, as hitherto, into the semi-recumbent

position. It transpired that the writing of the President’s name on the

previous day had been an official act, namely, the attestation of a

paper of extradition in the case of an escaped Canadian forger, who had

several years yet to serve in prison. The general indications were

thought so favorable that Secretary Blaine did not longer delay his

departure, but left on his contemplated visit for home. In the afternoon

Mrs. Garfield sat for a long time beside her husband, talking with him,

in a quiet way, of things most dear to each. The physicians’ official

report closed the history of the day, as follows:

“8 A. M.—The President slept soundly during the night, and this

morning his temperature is again normal, although his pulse is still

frequent. At present it is 104; temperature, 98.5; respiration, 19.

12:30 P. M.—The President is getting through the day in a very

satisfactory manner. He has asked for, and taken a small quantity of

solid food in addition to the liquid nourishment allowed. His

temperature and respiration continue within the normal range, though

the debility following the operation is still shown by the frequency

of pulse. At present his pulse is 110; temperature, 98.6;

respiration, 19. 7 P. M.—The President has passed an excellent day.

The drainage of the wound is now efficient, and the pus secreted by

the deeper portions has been coming away spontaneously. The

afternoon rise of temperature is almost a degree less than yesterday

and the day before. Pulse at present 108; temperature, 101;

respiration, 19.”

_The forty-first day._—The passing epoch was again marked by a division

of opinion among the newspapers. A series of leading articles in the New

York _Herald_, understood to be from the pen of Dr. Hammond, were not

only despondent in tone and severe upon the attending surgeons, but

positively prophetic of a fatal termination of the President’s case.

This view of the matter was, however, ably controverted in other leading

papers, and the people were thus both led and misled. Looking to the

sick room itself, there seemed to be not much cause for alarm. The

President had improved somewhat in strength and appetite. He conversed

freely. Especially did he surprise and gratify his attendants by calling

for a writing tablet and penning a short but affectionate letter to his

mother,—the last he ever wrote.

Turning to the official reports of the day, the following summary of the

President’s progress was presented:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed an exceedingly good night;

sleeping sweetly with but few short breaks, and awaking refreshed

this morning at a later hour than usual. At the morning dressing,

just completed, it was found that the deeper parts of the wound had

been emptied spontaneously. His temperature shows an entire absence

of fever this morning, and his pulse, which is less frequent than

yesterday, is improving in quality. At present it is 100;

temperature, 98.6; respiration, 19.

“12:30 P. M.—The President is doing well to-day. Besides a liberal

supply of liquid nourishment at regular intervals, he has taken for

breakfast, with evident relish, an increased quantity of solid food.

He continues free from fever, his skin is moist, but without undue

perspiration. Pulse, 102; temperature, 98.6; respiration, 19.

“7 P. M.—After the noon bulletin was issued, the President’s

condition continued as then reported until about 4 P. M., when the

commencement of the afternoon febrile rise was noted. In its degree

it did not differ materially from that of yesterday. His pulse is

now 108; temperature, 101.2; respiration, 19.”

[Illustration: FAC-SIMILE OF THE LAST LETTER WRITTEN BY GARFIELD.]

_The forty-second day._—Not much change. The President was weary and

longed for a change of scene. The day when he could be safely removed

from the White House was anxiously anticipated both by himself and the

physicians. The United States steamer Tallapoosa, which had been

undergoing repairs and fitting out for sea during the past month, was

finally in complete readiness, and would be manned on the morrow.

Assistant Paymaster Henry D. Smith, formerly of the Dispatch, had been

transferred to the Tallapoosa. In a conversation of the morning, Mr.

Smith gave a description of the manner in which the vessel had been

fitted out. A suite of rooms had been prepared expressly for the use of

President Garfield in the event of its being found practicable to take

him out on the water, and at this time the suggestion of such a cruise

seemed to please him greatly. The suite consisted of four comparatively

large rooms, including a bed-chamber, reception and ante-room, and a

bath-room. Paymaster Smith said further, that if it should be determined

to take the President on the vessel, a swinging bed would be hung in his

chamber so that the patient should not be annoyed by the motion of the

vessel. Such were the plans and hopes which were never, alas, to be

realized.

The surgeons’ reports for August 12th contained about all that could be

said concerning the President’s condition for the day:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept well during the greater part of the

night. The fever of yesterday afternoon subsided during the evening,

and has not been perceptible since 10 P. M. His general condition

this morning is good. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.6; respiration,

19.

“12:30 P. M.—The President has passed a comfortable morning. He

continues to take, with repugnance, the liquid nourishment allowed,

and ate with relish for breakfast, a larger quantity of solid food

than he took yesterday. At present his pulse is 100; temperature,

99.3; respiration, 19.

“7 P. M.—The President has passed a comfortable day. At the evening

dressing the wound was found to be doing well. The quantity of pus

secreted is gradually diminishing. Its character is healthy. The

rise of temperature this afternoon reached the same point as

yesterday. At present the pulse is 108; temperature, 101.2;

respiration, 19.”

Thus from hour to hour, from day to day, from week to week, did the

President tread the long and weary way onward and—downward.

_The forty-third day._—It was about this time that the attending

surgeons finally abandoned their original diagnosis of the wound; that

is, in so far as it concerned the direction of the ball. For some time

Dr. Hamilton had given it as his view that the bullet, instead of

entering the peritoneal cavity, and perforating the liver, had been

turned downward at nearly a right angle to its course, and was lodged in

the region behind the ilium. This view of the case was now accepted by

the physicians in charge. In a conversation of the day, Dr. Bliss said

that the latest examinations of the wound had clearly shown that the

ball did not go through the liver. The liver was certainly injured by

the shot, either by concussion or inflammation. At the present time,

however, every indication corroborated the idea that the ball was in the

region of the iliac fossa, and also that it was doing no harm.

Things had not gone well during the night. The President had been

restless; and, contrary to the usual history of the case, fever was

reported in the morning bulletin. The foreign dispatch of Hon. R. R.

Hitt, Acting Secretary of State, referred to the President’s excited

condition, and could only reiterate the somewhat uncertain echo of the

bulletins, that the surgeons thought him “doing well.” The official

reports themselves were couched in the following language;

“8:30 A. M.—The President did not sleep as well as usual during the

early part of the night. After midnight, however, his sleep was

refreshing, and broken only at long intervals. This morning he has a

little fever, nevertheless he expresses himself as feeling better

than for several days past. Pulse, 104; temperature, 100.8;

respiration, 19. 12:30 P. M.—The President has been cheerful and

easy during the morning, and his temperature has fallen a little

more than a degree and a half since the morning bulletin was issued.

His pulse is now 102; temperature, 99.2; respiration, 18. 6:30 P.

M.—Since the last bulletin the President has continued to do well.

The afternoon fever has been half a degree less than yesterday. At

present his pulse is 104; temperature, 100.7; respiration, 19.”

_The forty-fourth day._—One of the difficulties with which President

Garfield had to contend was a certain weakness of digestion.

Notwithstanding his great bodily strength and general robustness, it

appears that never after the war were his assimilative powers equal to

superficial indications. He had been, both by preference and necessity,

a plain liver. The “eating” of the White House had not suited him. The

French cookery of the establishment had proved at once distasteful and

injurious to his health and spirits. After he was wounded, this weakness

in his bodily functions became at once more pronounced. Great difficulty

was experienced in securing an alimentation sufficient to sustain life

and repair the fearful waste to which he was subjected. The

sensitiveness of the digestive organs at times became critical. It was

so on the 14th of August, when the physicians were almost baffled in the

attempt to maintain nutrition. For the first time there was talk of the

stronger stimulants. Whisky and brandy were both used, though not in

large quantities. It could be plainly seen that under the outwardly

confident tone of the official reports there lurked the shadow of fear.

The regular bulletins of the day came out as usual, with the following

account of the sufferer’s condition:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept well during the night, and this

morning expresses himself as feeling comfortable. His temperature is

one degree less than at the same hour yesterday. His general

condition is good. Pulse, 100; temperature, 99.8; respiration, 18.

12:30 P. M.—The President has done well this morning. His

temperature has fallen one-half a degree since the last bulletin was

issued. At the morning dressing the condition of the wound was found

to be excellent, and the discharge of pus adequate and healthy.

Pulse, 96; temperature, 99.3; respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—The

condition of the President has not materially changed since noon.

The afternoon febrile rise is about the same as yesterday. Pulse,

108; temperature, 100.8; respiration, 19.”

_The forty-fifth day._—A day of great alarm; and the alarm was fully

justified. There was evidence of weakening all around. The respiration

had gone up. The temperature had gone up. So had the pulse to a fearful

rate. The enfeebled stomach had broken down. That was the secret of the

difficulty. Without food a well man can not live. How much less a man

wounded to death and wasted by forty-five days of suffering! With every

attempt to feed the President, his stomach rejected the food. If this

state of things should continue, life would go out like a taper. It was

to the credit of the surgeons in charge that they took the situation

coolly and set about devising the best possible means of triumphing over

the fearful obstacle which lay squarely across the possibility of

recovery. The plan suggested and resorted to was artificial alimentation

by the administration of enemata. In the after part of the day,

Washington, and indeed the whole country, was filled with wild rumors

which conveyed very little information and could be traced to no

authentic source. The only trustworthy information was to be obtained

from the official bulletins of the surgeons, which were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President did not rest as well as usual last night.

Until toward three o’clock his sleep was not sound, and he awoke at

short intervals. His stomach was irritable and he vomited several

times. About three o’clock he became composed, and slept well until

after seven this morning. His stomach is still irritable, and his

temperature rather higher than yesterday. At present his pulse is

108; temperature, 100.2; respiration, 20. 12:30 P. M.—Since the last

bulletin, the President has not again vomited, and has been able to

retain the nourishment administered. At the morning dressing, the

discharge of pus was free and of good character. Since then his

pulse has been more frequent; but the temperature has fallen to a

little below what it was at this time yesterday. At present his

pulse is 118; temperature, 99; respiration, 19. 6:30 P. M.—The

irritability of the President’s stomach returned during the

afternoon and he has vomited three times since one o’clock. Although

the afternoon rise of temperature is less than it has been for

several days, the pulse and respiration are more frequent, so that

his condition is, on the whole, less satisfactory. His pulse is now

130; temperature, 99.6; respiration, 22.”

These reports clearly indicated the most serious crisis which had yet

occurred since the President was shot. Unless the functions of the

stomach could be restored by rest, there could be but one issue, and

that was near at hand.

_The forty-sixth day._—All that could be said was that there had been

slight improvement in some particulars. In the main matter—that of

nourishment—the case was as bad as ever. Neither the city nor the

country would have been surprised to hear that the President was dying

or dead. The whole question, as matters now stood, was this: How long

can he live? He himself was conscious, in good measure, of the appalling

odds against him, but his calm heroism never wavered for a moment. From

the first he only once—and that but for an instant—gave way to

despondency, when he said to his wife that, considering the fact that he

was already fifty years old, and that the brief remainder of his life

would, perhaps, be weakened—possibly helpless—from his injury, it hardly

appeared to be worth the struggle which his friends and himself were

making to save it. This thought, however, found but a moment’s lodgment;

and even now, when his vital forces seemed to be flowing out to the last

ebb of despair, he stood up manfully and faced the enemy. His will

remained vigorous, and he was cheerful in spirit—this, too, when the

very water which was tendered him to refresh his exhausted powers was

instantly rejected by the stomach. It was clear that no human vigor

could long withstand so dreadful an ordeal; and the physicians

recognized and acknowledged the fact that their unnatural system of

alimentation was but a makeshift which would presently end in failure.

Then death. The bulletins said:

“8:30 A. M.—The President was somewhat restless during the early

part of the night. Since three o’clock he has slept tranquilly most

of the time. Nutritious enemata are successfully employed to sustain

him. Altogether the symptoms are less urgent than yesterday

afternoon. At present his pulse is 110; temperature, 98.6;

respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The President has been tranquil since

the morning bulletin, but has not yet rallied from the prostration

of yesterday as much as was hoped. The enemata administered are

still retained. At present his pulse is 114; temperature, 98.3;

respiration, 18. 7 P. M.—The President’s symptoms are still grave,

yet he seems to have lost no ground during the day, and his

condition on the whole is rather better than yesterday. The enemata

are retained. At present his pulse is 120; temperature, 98.9;

respiration, 19.”

_The forty-seventh day._—Notwithstanding the desperate extreme to which

the poor President was reduced, the dispatches came, on the morning of

August 17th, with the news that he was better. The dreadful nausea had

passed, and two or three times some nutritive food had been swallowed

and retained. Moreover, he had slept as much as an hour at a time. The

examination of the wound, too, showed some little ground for

encouragement, for the process of healing had gone on, notwithstanding

the terrible exhaustion of the last three days. In the inner circle

about the President’s bed there was a more hopeful feeling. “Little

Crete,” the darling wife of the suffering Chief Magistrate, ventured

out, with her three boys, to take a drive in the open air. Mr. Smalley,

of the _Tribune_, thus spoke of her, as her carriage passed through the

gateway:

“Her face, as she gave a nod and a smile of recognition, looked

bright and hopeful. I knew that the agony of apprehension must be

over and the President must be on the upward road again. The brave

little woman! What a terrible strain she has endured and with what

wonderful courage and patience she has met every fresh draft upon

her strength and resolution, keeping always out of her face the pain

and dread tugging at her heart, lest the slightest glimpse of it

should discourage her husband in his long battle with death! I

remember that at Elberon, just before the fatal journey to

Washington, General Garfield spoke of her with tenderness and pride,

as a steel-spring sort of a woman—supple, bright, enduring, and

rebounding after the severest strains. If he wins his way back to

health again he will owe his recovery, I firmly believe, as much to

the loving and cheerful ministrations of his wife, as to the six

doctors who wait upon him, skillful and devoted as they are.”

Later in the day, Mrs. Garfield received a dispatch from the Queen—there

has been only one Queen since the President was shot—which was answered

by the wife in her own way. The dispatches were as follows:

“_To Mrs. Garfield, Washington, D. C._:

“I am most anxious to know how the President is to-day, and to

express my deep sympathy with you both.

“THE QUEEN, Osborne.”

“_Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Osborne, England_:

“Your Majesty’s kind inquiry finds the President’s condition changed

for the better. In the judgment of his medical advisers there is

strong hope of his recovery. His mind is entirely clear, and your

Majesty’s kind expressions of sympathy are most grateful to him, as

they are gratefully acknowledged by me.

LUCRETIA R. GARFIELD.”

The regular bulletins gave the usual epitome of symptoms, as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed a tranquil night, sleeping most

of the time. He continues to retain the nutritive enemata, and has

not vomited since the last bulletin. His general condition appears

more hopeful than at this time yesterday. Pulse, 110; temperature,

98.3; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The President’s condition has not

materially changed since the last bulletin. He has been tranquil and

has slept some, has not vomited, and the nutritive enemata are still

retained. Pulse, 112; temperature, 98.7; respiration, 18. 6:30 P.

M.—The President’s condition is even better than it was this

morning. The wound continues to do well. At present his pulse is

112; temperature, 98.8; respiration, 18.”

Meanwhile the trusted Secretary Blaine had reached Washington and was

again at the bedside of his chief. In the evening he sent abroad two

dispatches containing a brief summary of the President’s condition as

determined by the official reports and by his own observation. And so

the day closed in hope rather than despair.

_The forty-eighth day._—The President was still further improved—so

thought and said his physicians. The mutinous stomach, which had

threatened to end his life by refusing to perform its work at a time

when it was not possible for his weakened system to bear for any

lengthened period the strain of the wound and the fever without

sustenance, had renewed its functions, and the experiments made during

the day gave reasons to hope that nourishing food might now be

administered with safety. It was good news indeed, and it would have

been better if it had not been coupled with the statement that the

President was reduced almost to a skeleton. From 210 pounds—his weight

when shot—he had wasted away till his weight was hardly 135 pounds. Yet

with only this pitiful bony structure of himself left he was reported as

_cheerful and brave_! He was able to take more nourishment than on the

previous day, and it appeared that his alimentation was now likely to be

sufficient; but just as this beneficial reaction became noticeable,

another complication arose which threatened to overbalance all the

expected good. On the 17th of August a slight inflammation was noticed

in the right parotid gland. By the following morning the swelling was

more pronounced, and immediately became a source of annoyance and alarm.

The tumefaction assumed the appearance of a carbuncle and there were

indications of approaching suppuration of the gland. The face,

especially on the right side, became distorted, and the President

suffered great pain from the inflamed part. It was clear that in some

measure the blood of the sufferer had been poisoned by the discharges of

the wound, and that nature was attempting to relieve her distress by the

destruction of a gland. The official bulletins of the day, though

pervaded with the same spirit of optimism which characterized them all,

were not of a sort to inspire confidence. They said:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed a very comfortable night,

sleeping well the greater part of the time. This morning his pulse

is slower and his general condition better than yesterday at the

same hour. Pulse, 104, temperature, 98.8; respiration, 17. 12:30 P.

M.—The President is suffering some discomfort this morning from

commencing inflammation of the right parotid gland. He has asked for

and retained several portions of liquid nourishment, much more than

he could swallow yesterday. The nutritive enemata continue to be

used with success. At present his pulse is 108; temperature, 98.4;

respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—The President has done well during the

day. He has taken additional nourishment by the mouth this afternoon

with evident relish and without subsequent nausea. His general

condition is rather better than at this time yesterday. Pulse, 108;

temperature, 100; respiration, 18.”

_The forty-ninth day._—With the 19th of August a more hopeful feeling

again predominated. It was alleged by the surgeons that the President

had made some improvement. Some was better than none. His nutriment for

the day amounted to nine ounces of liquid food. The physicians gave

assurance to the public that the inflamed gland did not necessarily

imply blood poisoning. The President slept at intervals. In his waking

moments he was still cheerful, but expressed a great yearning to get

away from Washington and return to his home at Lawnfield.

In these days of alternate hope and anxious alarm the question naturally

arose as to what had become of the Executive Department of the

Government. The President was still himself in a certain sense, but he

was without doubt utterly incapacitated to perform any executive duty.

There was no acting President, and to tell the truth the people did not

desire one. Some leading papers advocated the assumption of certain of

the duties of the President by members of the Cabinet; but this untried

and—it may be added—unconstitutional measure was not attempted; and so

all executive functions remained in abeyance. The acts usually performed

by the President were simply omitted until he should recover.

Fortunately in a time of peace and during a recess of Congress, these

acts could be postponed without any great detriment to public interests.

The appointing power, except in so far as it is delegated by law to the

heads of Departments, was in a state of complete suspension, but this

fact occasioned no trouble, except to applicants for office. Under our

system, where vacancies in Presidential appointments occur, by death or

resignation, there is usually a deputy or some other officer who is

authorized by law to perform temporarily the duties of the office. In

the cases of post-offices where there are no deputy postmasters, the

Post-Office Department is authorized to send special agents to take

charge until the vacant postmastership can be filled. If the President’s

prostration should continue—so reasoned the people—until the meeting of

Congress—a contingency wholly improbable—there would be no stoppage of

any part of the machinery of Government. In short, the American people

were taught by a practical, though painful, example the great lesson,

how little need there is for a nation of freemen to be governed—how

amply able such a people are to adapt themselves to any emergency. The

official reports of the day gave as usual the facts on which various

opinions of the President’s prospects were based:

“8 A. M.—The President slept much of the night, and this morning is

more comfortable than yesterday. The swelling of the right parotid

gland has not increased since yesterday. Nutritive enemata are still

given with success, and liquid food has been swallowed and relished.

Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 17.

“12:30 P. M.—The President’s condition has perceptibly improved

during the last twenty-four hours. He is taking to-day an increased

quantity of liquid food by the mouth. His pulse is now 106;

temperature, 98.8; respiration, 17.

“6:30 P. M.—The President has been very easy during the afternoon

and the favorable conditions reported in the last bulletin continue.

Pulse, 106; temperature, 100; respiration, 18.”

_The fiftieth day._—There could be no denial of another rally—though

slight—on the part of the President. During the day a surgical

experience occurred. Dr. Bliss, in treating the wound, succeeded in

passing with a flexible tube what he _supposed_ to be an obstruction in

the path of the ball. When this was done, the tube suddenly dropped,

almost of its own weight, down the channel[6] to the depth of _twelve

and a half inches_! The end of the probe was thus brought, as was

confidently believed, into immediate proximity with the ball. The

parotitis, from which the President was now suffering so severely, was

reported as “about the same.” As a consequence of this inflammation,

though no acknowledgment of the fact was made at the time, the patient’s

face suffered a partial paralysis, which continued seriously to afflict

him to the last. The summary of symptoms was published at the usual

hours by the surgeons and presented the following statement of the

President’s condition.

Footnote 6:

This channel was, of course, not the track of the ball, but the

insidious burrow of the pus, unfortunately assisted in its downward

progress by the mistaken manipulations of the surgeons.

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed a quiet night, and this morning

his condition does not differ materially from what it was yesterday.

The swelling of the parotid gland is unchanged and is free from

pain. This morning his pulse is 98; temperature, 98.4; respiration,

18.

“12:30 P. M.—The President continues to do well. He is taking liquid

food by the mouth in increased quantity and with relish. The

nutritive enemata are still successfully given, but at longer

intervals. His pulse is now 107; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18.

“6:30 P. M.—The President has passed the day quietly. He has been

able to take more liquid food by the mouth than yesterday, and the

quantity given by enema has been proportionately diminished. The

parotid swelling remains about the same. Pulse, 110; temperature,

100.4; respiration, 19.”

_The fifty-first day._—It was a long and sorrowful journey. There were

pitfalls in the way. That inflamed gland now became a source of profound

anxiety. The salivary secretions were so augmented and at the same time

vitiated as constantly to fill the patient’s throat, threatening

strangulation. The tendency to nausea was thus excited, and the

President’s stomach again rejected food. This fact told immediately on

the modicum of strength still remaining, and as the day progressed it

appeared that medical skill was about exhausted in a hopeless struggle

against the inevitable. The surgeons, however, as is the wont with the

profession, still renewed the battle, now with this expedient and now

with that, but always with the purpose of keeping the President alive

until some kind of favorable reaction could supervene. The feature of

the day’s history was that the most serious alarm was spread abroad

after the issuance of the evening bulletin. The three official reports

were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President awoke more frequently than usual, yet

slept sufficiently during the night, and appears comfortable this

morning. The parotid swelling is about the same, but is not painful.

He took liquid nourishment by the mouth several times during the

night as well as this morning. Pulse, 106; temperature, 98.8;

respiration, 18.

“12:30 P. M.—The President’s condition continues about as at the

morning bulletin, except that there is a slight rise of temperature.

Pulse, 108; temperature, 99.4; respiration, 18.

“6:30 P. M.—The President has vomited three times during the

afternoon; the administration of food by the mouth has, therefore,

again been temporarily suspended and the nutritive enemata will be

given more frequently. Pulse, 108; temperature, 99.2; respiration,

18.”

To these regular bulletins may well be added the foreign dispatch of

Secretary Blaine, who, at a late hour, sent to Minister Lowell the

following message:

“LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The President’s sleep last night was broken and restless. His

symptoms throughout the day have been less favorable, and his

general condition is not encouraging. He is unable to retain food on

his stomach, having vomited twice during the afternoon, the last

time at 5 o’clock. This evening he has been able to drink water and

retain it. The swelling of the parotid gland has not increased.

Pulse and temperature about the same as yesterday. His sleep up to

this hour (11 P. M.) has been somewhat disturbed. We are all deeply

anxious.

“BLAINE, Secretary.”

_The fifty-second day._—The question was, how much longer the wheels of

vexed and exhausted Nature could continue to revolve. Every power of

life within the uncomplaining man was prostrated or dead. The

inflammation in the gland had now progressed to a terrible extent, and

an operation for its relief was already contemplated. That blood

poisoning to some extent now existed, could hardly be controverted. Even

the oversanguine Dr. Bliss was forced to admit it. In a conversation of

the day, and in reply to questions with regard to the inflamed gland, he

said: “The glandular swelling is still hard, and shows no signs of

subsiding. The swelling of the surrounding parts has pretty much

disappeared. Whether suppuration will take place or not we can not yet

tell. I am inclined to think it will. I do not, however, apprehend any

serious consequences even in that case, provided we can maintain the

patient’s strength. The pus which forms is likely to be of a healthy

character, and we shall liberate it promptly by an incision. There has

been no pain in the gland this afternoon, and it has caused the patient

little annoyance.”

With regard to the septic tint in the blood, which was the predisposing

cause of the glandular inflammation, Dr. Bliss said: “In cases of this

kind, where the patient becomes enfeebled by long-continued fever and

suppuration, there is always a low and impoverished state of the blood.

It is, indeed, a sort of mild blood poisoning, but it is very different

from pyæmia. Pyæmia is caused by absorption into the blood of the

disunited elements of broken down pus. Small fragments of fibrine are

carried into the circulation, and wherever such a fragment lodges in one

of the minute blood-vessels it becomes a center of suppuration. The

symptoms of pyæmia, such as the disorganization and peculiar odor of the

pus, the yellowish tint of the skin, the odor of the breath and the

increased temperature of the body, are all marked and unmistakable, and

none of them has at any time appeared in the President’s case.”

Thus with vain conjectures and provisos did the distinguished surgeon

attempt to keep up his own courage and that of the public. But it was

now well known that, bulletins or no bulletins, the President, unless

promptly relieved either by medical skill or some unexpected revival of

nature, was down to the very door of death. The official reports of the

day were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has not vomited since yesterday afternoon,

and this morning he has twice asked for and received a small

quantity of fluid nourishment by the mouth. He slept more quietly

during the night, and this morning his general condition is more

encouraging than when the last bulletin was issued. Pulse, 104;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18.

“12:30 P. M.—The President has continued this morning to retain

liquid nourishment taken by the mouth as well as by enema. There has

been no recurrence of the vomiting and no nausea. Pulse, 104;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18.

“6:30 P. M.—The President has continued to take nourishment in small

quantities at stated intervals during the entire day, and has had no

return of nausea or vomiting. The nutrient enemata are also

retained. Pulse, 110; temperature, 100.1; respiration, 19.”

_The fifty-third day._—How is the President this morning? The President

had made a gain. Of a certainty, he was not any further in the shadow of

the valley than on yesterday. He had taken in all, since the morning

before, about thirty ounces of liquid food without disturbing his

stomach. Several times he called for food himself. One of the physicians

said during the day that the President had taken more than sufficient

food to repair the day’s waste. At one time his pulse was down to

ninety-six—the lowest point it had reached for more than a fortnight.

Secretary Blaine—in whose dispatches the people had learned to place the

highest reliance—expressed himself somewhat more hopefully to Minister

Lowell, in the night message, which read as follows:

“LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The President’s condition is more encouraging than it was at this

time last night. During the last twenty-four hours he has swallowed

ten ounces of extract of beef and eighteen ounces of milk, retaining

and digesting both. He has twice asked for food, which he has not

done before for several days. Pulse and temperature are both

somewhat lower. The swelling of the parotid gland has not specially

changed. Its long continuance at the present stage increases the

fear of suppuration. At this hour—11 o’clock—the physicians report

that the President has rested quietly the entire evening.

BLAINE, _Secretary_.”

Anxious concern about the President’s condition on the part of the

public was tempered with so much hopefulness that the evidences of

excitement somewhat abated. The street gatherings about the

bulletin-boards in the principal cities were not so large as they had

been, although the three official bulletins from the physicians and

Secretary Blaine’s message to Minister Lowell were eagerly waited for

and much talked of in public places. These bulletins were, in the usual

form, as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept the greater part of the night, but

awoke at frequent intervals. He has taken since last evening a

larger quantity of liquid food by the mouth than in the

corresponding hours of any day during the past week. The use of

nutrient enemata is continued at longer intervals. Pulse, 100;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18.

“12:30 P. M.—The President continues to take by the mouth and retain

an increased quantity of liquid food. At the morning dressing the

wound looked well and the pus was of a healthy character. The mucus

accumulations in the back of the mouth are less viscid. At present

his pulse is 104; temperature, 98.9; respiration, 18.

“6:30 P. M.—The President has continued to take liquid food by the

mouth at regular intervals during the day, and has had no recurrence

of gastric disorder. Pulse, 104; temperature, 99.2; respiration,

19.”

_The fifty-fourth day._—The events of the day were two: First, the

lancing of the inflamed gland—an operation but partially successful in

its results; secondly, a consultation of the surgeons in regard to

removing the President from the White House. Dr. Agnew was summoned to

the city by telegram. He was driven at once to the Executive Mansion,

where the cabinet and medical council were in consultation, and remained

closeted with them until nearly midnight. The consultation lasted rather

more than an hour; and, so far as could be ascertained, it resulted in a

disagreement. All of the participating surgeons who could be seen

refused to talk upon the subject, as did also the members of the

Cabinet, most of whom were at the White House until after eleven

o’clock.

A third circumstance of the day’s history was the reported delirium of

the President. This was for awhile concealed, and then palliated by

those nearest the bedside. Colonel Rockwell, one of the attendants, in

conversation with a reporter, described the mental disturbance thus:

“The President is sometimes a little incoherent for a moment after he

awakes and before he fully gets control of his senses, just as any body

would be in his weak and debilitated condition and after seven weeks of

fever; but at all other times his mind is as clear as ever.”

The dispatch of Secretary Blaine was very much less hopeful than the one

of the night before. It read as follows:

“LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The President has not gained to-day. He has had a higher fever,

which began earlier than is usual with his febrile rise. In the

afternoon an incision was made in the swollen parotid gland by Dr.

Hamilton. The flow of pus therefrom was small. The one favorable

symptom of his swallowing liquid food with apparent relish and

digestion has continued, but the general feeling up to midnight is

one of increased anxiety.

“BLAINE, _Secretary_.”

To this might well be added the additional hopeful circumstance that

during the day the President’s assimilative powers appeared to be again

in such condition as to warrant the physicians in dispensing with the

system of artificial alimentation. The regular bulletins for the day

were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed a very good night, awaking at

longer intervals than during several nights past. He continues to

take liquid food by the mouth with more relish, and in such quantity

that the enemata will be suspended for the present. No change has

yet been observed in the parotid swelling. The other symptoms are

quite as favorable as yesterday. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.5;

respiration, 17.

“12:30 P. M.—The President continues to take liquid food by the

mouth as reported in the last bulletin. His temperature has risen

slightly since that time. In other respects his condition is about

the same. Pulse, 104; temperature, 99.2; respiration, 17.

“6:30 P. M.—Shortly after the noon bulletin was issued an incision

was made into the swelling on the right side of the President’s face

for the purpose of relieving the tension of the swollen parotid

gland, and of giving vent to pus, a small quantity of which was

evacuated. He has taken a larger quantity of liquid food by the

mouth to-day than yesterday, and has been entirely free from nausea.

Pulse, 108; temperature, 100.7; respiration, 19.”

_The fifty-fifth day._—The first report of the morning indicated that

there was no more than a bare possibility of President Garfield’s

recovery. His condition was such as to cause the gravest apprehensions

as to the immediate result. He continued to take food, but there was no

perceptible increase in strength. His condition—with his wasted form,

distorted and half-paralyzed face, dreadful wound, and suppurating

gland—was pitiable in the last degree. Hallucinations came on, and he

talked incoherently—now of his immediate surroundings, and now of his

old home at Mentor. There was little remaining for the surgeons to do.

Their effort for the time was directed chiefly to the alleviation of the

inflamed gland, which was now playing havoc with the few springs of

vitality yet remaining as a source of hope. The whole gland was found to

be infiltrated with pus, and the outlook, even for the night, was grave

in the extreme. The physicians’ bulletins, four in number to-day, were

published, as usual, and presented to the anxious country several points

of interest:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept most of the night. He has taken

liquid food by the mouth at stated intervals and in sufficient

quantity, so that the enemata have not been renewed. No modification

of the parotid swelling has yet been observed. Pulse, 106;

temperature, 98.5; respiration, 18.

“9:15 A. M.—The subject of the removal of the President from

Washington at the present time was earnestly considered by us last

night and again this morning. After mature deliberation the

conclusion was arrived at by the majority that it would not be

prudent, although all agree that it will be very desirable at the

earliest time at which his condition may warrant it.

“12:30 P. M.—Since the issue of this morning’s bulletin a rise in

the President’s temperature similar to that which occurred yesterday

morning has been observed. Pulse, 112; temperature, 99.2;

respiration, 19.

“6:30 P. M.—There has been little change in the President’s

condition since the noon bulletin was issued. The frequency of his

pulse is now the same as then. His temperature has risen somewhat,

but it is not so high as yesterday evening. No unfavorable change

has been observed in the condition of the wound. He has taken by the

mouth a sufficient supply of liquid food. Pulse, 112; temperature,

99.8; respiration, 19.”

_The fifty-sixth day._—The morning papers were almost exclusively

devoted to the President and the prospect of death. The great New York

dailies presented page after page of dispatches, interviews, and

discussions. The sum of it all was this: The President was alive, but,

in all probability, on the verge of death. His pulse rose to a mere

flutter. The abscess in the gland burst into the cavity of the ear. His

mind still wandered, but there was slightly less aberration than

yesterday. Washington was a strange scene. There was suppressed

excitement, but no noise. Little knots of people gathered in groups here

and there before the bulletin-boards, where the latest intelligence was

posted, while negro newsboys in their picturesque costumes cried their

extras in the mellow Southern accent peculiar to their race. The intense

August sun poured down his rays on the broad streets and asphaltum

boulevards. The trees were browned with the dust and heat, and the

patches of grass here and there in the yards and parks were withered

into hay. Above it all, gleaming white and silent, rose the great dome

of the Capitol. Alas, what was it all to _him_?

There was in the midst of infinite rumors and conjectures only a modicum

of news. It was this: the President could still take food. His mind had

cleared a little since yesterday. As for the rest, he lay helpless,

ready to die. The bulletins said:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept most of the night, awaking at

intervals of half an hour to an hour. On first awaking there was, as

there has been for several nights past, some mental confusion, which

disappeared when he was fully roused, and occasionally he muttered

in his sleep. These symptoms have abated this morning, as on

previous days. His temperature is slightly above the normal and his

pulse a little more frequent than yesterday morning. Pulse, 108;

temperature, 99.1; respiration, 17.

“12:30 P. M.—His pulse and temperature are at present higher than at

the corresponding hour for some days. He continues to take by the

mouth the liquid food prescribed; nevertheless, we regard his

condition as critical. Pulse, 118; temperature, 100; respiration,

18.”

“6:30 P. M.—The President’s condition has not changed materially

since the last bulletin was issued. He continues to take, by the

mouth, the liquid food prescribed, and occasionally asks for it.

Since yesterday forenoon, commencing at 11:30 A. M., the enemata

have again been given at regular intervals, as a means of

administering stimulants, as well as nutrition. They are retained

without trouble. Pulse, 116; temperature, 99.9; respiration, 18.”

_The fifty-seventh day._—Another long day of suspense. It was the

peculiarity of President Garfield’s illness that just as some great

crisis came and his constitutional forces seemed to break hopelessly, at

some other point there would be a rally. In this last case, when the

distressing abscess in the parotid gland had added its aggravating

horrors to horrors already accumulated, and just as tired nature seemed

sinking to everlasting rest, there was a rally in the assimilative

powers. Unexpectedly, the stomach began to perform its work; and thus

the tree of life, shaken back and forth by conflicting forces, still

rose feebly and stood. It was a melancholy sight to see this enfeebled

and wasted life, so dear to the Nation, still standing, with its

glorious foliage torn away—withered, blighted, dying.

The Queen on this day again expressed her great anxiety about the

President. Her dispatch, and Mr. Blaine’s answer, were as follows:

“LONDON, Aug. 27.

“BLAINE, _Secretary, Washington_:

“I have just received from Her Majesty the Queen, at Balmoral, a

telegram in these words: ‘I am most deeply grieved at the sad news

of the last few days, and would wish my deep sympathy to be conveyed

to Mrs. Garfield.’

LOWELL, Minister.”

“WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.

“LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“I have submitted to Mrs. Garfield your telegram conveying the

kindly message from Her Majesty the Queen. Mrs. Garfield is

constantly by her husband’s bedside and does not give up all hope of

his recovery. Her request is that you will return to the Queen her

most sincere thanks, and express her heartfelt appreciation of the

constant interest and tender sympathy shown by Her Majesty toward

the President and his family in their deep grief and most painful

suspense.

BLAINE, Secretary.”

[Illustration: BLAINE READING LETTERS OF SYMPATHY TO MRS. GARFIELD.]

The Americans, in a political point of view, do not like kings and

queens; but it will be many a long year before the womanly greatness and

tenderness of Victoria, manifested in our hour of sorrow, will be

obliterated from the American heart. _Vivat semper Regina!_

The daily bulletins of the surgeons told all that could be known of the

beloved President:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept from half an hour to an hour or more

at a time throughout the night. He continues to retain the liquid

food administered by the mouth and the stimulating enemata.

Nevertheless, his pulse has been more frequent since midnight and he

is evidently feebler this morning than yesterday. Pulse, 120;

temperature, 98.4; respiration, 22.

“12:30 P. M.—There has been no improvement in the President’s

condition since the last bulletin was issued. He continues to retain

the liquid food administered by the mouth as well as the enemata. At

present the pulse is 120; temperature, 99.6; respiration, 22.

“6:30 P. M.—The President’s symptoms show slight amelioration this

afternoon. His pulse is somewhat less frequent and his temperature

lower. The liquid food given by the mouth and the enemata continues

to be retained. Pulse, 114; temperature, 98.9; respiration, 22.”

_The fifty-eighth day._—The reports of the morning were briefer. They

were also more encouraging. It was clear that the President,

notwithstanding his desperate condition, had held his own for

thirty-eight hours, and that there were some unmistakable signs of

improvement. It could not be said with truth that the change was great

or marked, but there had been some amelioration. The shadow of death was

lifted, at least for a day. The people, quick to run to extremes, gave a

sigh of relief at the more cheering reports of the morning, and went

whither they listed. It was said that the President had had another

relapse and was now better again. Even the cautious Secretary of State

was impressed with the belief that the President’s improvement was more

than a temporary rally. In his foreign dispatch he summed up the case

thus:

“_To_ LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The condition of the President at 10 o’clock continues as favorable

as could be expected. Within the past thirty hours his improvement

has given great encouragement to the attending surgeons. He swallows

an adequate supply of liquid food; the parotid swelling discharges

freely, and gives promise of marked improvement. His mind is

perfectly clear. He has, perhaps, a little more fever than was

anticipated, and his respiration is somewhat above normal. The

general feeling is one of hopefulness. Two or three days more of

improvement will be needed to inspire confidence.

BLAINE, Secretary.”

The monotonous official reports were telegraphed as usual, in the

following messages:

“8:30 A. M.—The amelioration of the President’s symptoms announced

in last evening’s bulletin continued during the night. Since

midnight some further improvement has been observed, the pulse

diminishing in frequency. The stomach has continued to retain liquid

nourishment administered, and last evening he asked for and ate a

small quantity of milk toast. Stimulating and nutrient enemata

continue to be retained. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.4; respiration,

17.

“12:30 P. M.—At the morning dressing of the President several

yellowish points were observed just below the ear over the swollen

parotid, and an incision being made, about a teaspoonful of

healthy-looking pus escaped. Pulse, 104; temperature, 99.5;

respiration, 18.

“7:30 P. M.—The improvement in the President’s condition, declared

yesterday afternoon, is still maintained. He continues to take

willingly the liquid food given by the mouth, and is apparently

digesting it. The stimulants and nutrients given by enema are also

retained. At the evening dressing an increased quantity of

healthy-looking pus was discharged from the suppurating parotid. But

little rise in temperature or pulse has taken place since noon.

Pulse, 110; temperature, 99.7; respiration, 20.”

_The fifty-ninth day._—More than eight weeks had now elapsed since the

President was shot. The country had become used to alarms. It had also

learned to make allowance for the shortcomings of newspaper reports,

born of the heat of an oversanguine imagination. It had learned, too,

the more valuable lesson that the Government of the United States is not

to be shaken from its pedestal by the bullet of an assassin. Guiteau was

a fool. Perhaps the despicable wretch thought the course of events,

sweeping on like the planets, could be changed by the crack of a pistol.

He might as well have fired into the air. The glorious institutions of

the Republic will perish when Americans are no longer fit to be free;

but until then the assassin’s rage and frenzy is the most futile folly

of the world. All the officers of the United States may be murdered in a

day, but the Nation will stand immovable as adamant. Let the assassin

foam and gnash upon the iron bars of the cage of fate! It is only a

mad-dog gnawing his chain.

The President, they said, was better. Thoughtful men doubted it. As a

matter of fact, the judgment of the country had given him up to die.

Sentiment still kept him alive; reason said that the time of the fatal

foreclosure was near at hand. It could be said, truthfully, that the

local symptoms traceable to the abscess in the President’s face had

measurably abated. It could also be said that he was still able to

receive food enough to sustain life—nothing more. Mr. Blaine’s dispatch

for the evening was, however, rather hopeful than desponding. It said:

“DEPARTMENT OF STATE, August 29, 10:30 P. M.

“LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“At half-past ten to-night the general condition of the President is

favorable. Late in the afternoon his pulse rose to 112 and his

temperature to 100, both a little higher than the surgeons expected.

Pulse has now fallen to 108, and fever is subsiding. The parotid

swelling is steadily improving, and is at last diminishing in size.

Apprehensions of serious blood poisoning grow less every hour.

BLAINE, Secretary.”

These dispatches of the Secretary were generally but the pith of what

the surgeons said in their official reports. These, for August 29th,

were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President’s symptoms this morning are as favorable

as yesterday at the same hour. He slept, awakening at intervals, the

greater part of the night. At these intervals he took and retained

the liquid nourishment administered. His mind continues perfectly

clear. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.5; respiration, 17. 12:30 P.

M.—Nothing new has been observed in the condition of the wound. The

usual daily rise of temperature has not yet occurred, and the

general condition has not materially changed since morning. Pulse,

106; temperature, 98.6; respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—The daily rise

of the President’s temperature began later this afternoon than

yesterday, but rose eight-tenths of a degree higher. The frequency

of his pulse is now the same as at this hour yesterday. He has taken

willingly the liquid food prescribed during the day, and had,

besides, during the morning, a small piece of milk toast. At the

evening dressing a pretty free discharge of healthy pus took place

from the parotid swelling, which is perceptibly diminishing in size.

The wound manifests no material change. Pulse, 110; temperature,

100.5; respiration, 18.”

[Illustration: MORNING GREETING BY MRS. GARFIELD AND MOLLIE.]

_The sixtieth day._—The President still held out. All the world knows

the story, how, day after day, owing to the native robustness and

essential soundness of his constitution, he stood out against the death

that awaited. As usual there were some who said he was better. Others

said he was not. Once for all it may be said that such contradictions

regarding the President’s condition can easily be accounted for when the

surroundings of the White House are considered. Only a few persons knew

of their own observation how he appeared from day to day. Visitors were

strictly, and necessarily, excluded from the sick-room. From the Tuesday

after General Garfield was shot, not more than ten persons in all,

excluding the physicians, had seen him, and, of these ten, some only

once or twice. Mrs. Garfield and her children, Mr. Blaine, General D. G.

Swaim, Colonel A. F. Rockwell, Dr. Boynton, Dr. Susan Edson,—one of the

nurses,—the President’s private secretary, Mr. J. S. Brown, and Mr.

Pruden, completed the list. Mr. Blaine had seen him once, Mr. Pruden

once, and Mr. Brown had been in five times, being usually called because

the force of persons necessary to lift the President was a little short.

Indeed, of all the strange impressions to be got from this novel event,

there was none more peculiar than to stand in the private secretary’s

room in the second story of the White House, and feel that only a few

yards away was the sick-room on which the eyes of the world were

centered, and yet that not more than three persons besides the

physicians, nurses, and family, have passed the door in two months! It

can thus be easily seen how correspondents and reporters were generally

at sea, particularly when the physicians were reticent or out of sight.

Mr. Blaine continued to express all that could be reasonably said of

better prospects. His dispatch was as follows:

“_To_ LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The President, if not rapidly advancing, is at least holding his

own. His fever is less than last night, and his swollen gland

steadily improves. His pulse continues rather high, running this

evening from 110 to 114. Perhaps the best indication in the case is,

that the President himself feels better, and his mind, being now

perfectly clear, he readily compares one day’s progress with

another.

BLAINE, Secretary.”

The regular bulletins of the day were fuller if not more explicit:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept the greater part of the night,

awakening at intervals, and retaining the liquid nourishment

administered. His general condition this morning is about the same

as at the same hour yesterday. Pulse, 102; temperature, 98.5;

respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—At the morning dressing another small

incision was made in the lower part of the swelling on the right

side of the President’s face, which was followed by a free discharge

of healthy-looking pus. A similar discharge took place through the

openings. The swelling is perceptibly smaller, and looks better. The

wound remains in an unchanged condition. Pulse, 116; temperature,

98.9; respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—The President has passed

comfortably through the day. He has taken the usual amount of

nourishment by the mouth, with stimulating enemata at stated

periods. Pulse, 109; temperature, 99.5; respiration, 18.”

_The sixty-first day._—In these stages of the President’s illness

neither the optimist nor the pessimist newspapers were to be trusted in

their accounts of the sick man and his surroundings. Even the dry

records of the surgeons’ reports were so many bones of contention among

the wranglers, some of whom would have the President well while others

would have him dead. The optimists on this last day of August head-lined

their reports: “On the high road to recovery;” “Still better;” “Almost

out of the woods,” etc.; while the pessimist said: “The valley and the

shadow;” “The end at hand,” etc. Unfortunately the pessimist—not from

any virtue in himself—was the truer prophet. It could not be denied,

however, that in some material points the President had improved with

some steadiness for several days. These favorable points, rather than

the dark ones, were dwelt on in the official reports, which presented

the summary of symptoms for the day:

“8:30 A. M.—The President has passed a tranquil night, and this

morning his condition is quite as favorable as yesterday at the same

hour. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—At

the dressing of the President this morning the parotid swelling was

found to be discharging freely. It looked well and has materially

diminished in size. The wound remains in about the same state. His

general condition is evidently more favorable than at this hour

yesterday. Pulse, 95; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 17. 6:30 P.

M.—The President has passed a better day than for some time past. He

has taken his food with increased relish, and the usual afternoon

rise of temperature did not occur. Pulse, 109; temperature, 98.6;

respiration, 18.”

_The sixty-second day._—The fall month dawned with little additional

news. The little that was presented was not good. The luxuriance of the

scribes who had written up and written down almost every circumstance

and symptom were about this time clipt of some of their superfluity. The

public had grown stern and angered at being trifled with on so grave a

matter as the condition of a dying President. A few manufactured

conversations were still published, but the amount of space so devoted

in the journals of the day showed a pronounced shrinkage. Mr. Blaine’s

dispatches, always honest and sincere, were more than hitherto sought

after as giving the hungry and heart-sore people the most authentic

information concerning their stricken Chief Magistrate. The Secretary’s

telegram for the evening was as follows:

“_To_ LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“The President continues to do well in his eating and digestion, and

the swollen gland steadily improves, but in the past twenty-four

hours he has made no substantial progress in his general condition.

In the judgment of his physicians, however, he still holds the

ground gained on Sunday and Monday last. His pulse and temperature

to-day have shown marked increase over the record of yesterday. The

weather has been exceedingly warm and sultry, and this may account

in part for the adverse changes noted. Even in the September climate

of Washington such an oppressive day as this has been is rare.

“BLAINE, Secretary.”

The views of the surgeons were presented as usual in their official

bulletins:

“8:30 A. M.—Toward nine o’clock last evening the President had some

feverishness, and his pulse ranged from 108 to 116. He had on the

whole a good night, and his condition is fully as favorable as

yesterday at the same hour. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.4;

respiration, 17. 12:30 P. M.—At the morning dressing of the

President the abscess of the parotid was found to be discharging

freely. It looks well and continues to diminish in size. The state

of the wound remains the same. His general condition is not

materially different from what it was at this hour yesterday. Pulse,

108; temperature, 98; respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—The condition of

the President has not materially changed since the last bulletin,

except that there has been a moderate rise of temperature this

afternoon. The President has had no rigors for several weeks. Pulse,

108; temperature, 99.4; respiration, 18.”

_The sixty-third day._—It was said, in the dispatches of the morning,

that the President had still further improved, and that he was now

better than at any time since the setting in of the parotid

inflammation. Perhaps he was. There was no doubt that for some days he

had held his own. The question of the day, however, was the revival of

the project to remove the sufferer from Washington. This proposition had

been previously voted down in a consultation of the physicians and the

members of the cabinet. But since then things were changed. Doubtless

the surgeons were now convinced that, remaining where he was, the

President must inevitably die in a very short time. To this should also

be added the persistent entreaties of General Garfield himself, who

never forbore, on proper occasions, to urge upon those who were in

responsible charge of his case, his earnest wish to be taken away from

the scenes of his glory and grief. By the 2d of September it was

understood that the minds of the physicians were about made up to

attempt the hazardous enterprise. It was known also that the

Pennsylvania Railway had already prepared a special train with a view to

readiness in case the removal should be finally decided on. The train

even now stood in readiness.

A publication in the London _Lancet_, for the current week, was perused

with great interest by thousands of professional and unprofessional

readers. Some encouragement was gleaned from the excerpt, which was as

follows:

“We do not think the healing of President Garfield’s wound will be

promoted by probing to learn how far granulation has proceeded. The

most favorable signs are the fall of temperature to the normal, and

the frequency of the pulse. This is a thoroughly safe criterion of

increased strength and the subsidence of blood poisoning; and,

together with the improved power of digestion, ability to sleep

soundly, mental clearness and cheerfulness, affords solid grounds

for the hope of recovery.

“The case is a striking illustration of the power of a good

constitution to hold up against illness that would certainly have

killed a feebler person; but another failure in the President’s

digestive powers, or symptoms of blood poisoning, might at any time

turn the balance against him; and what we have hitherto insisted

upon so often we are bound to repeat, that President Garfield will

not be out of danger until the wound is healed.”

The usual bulletins, from the surgeons in charge, were published thus:

“8:30 A. M.—The President slept well during the night, and this

morning his condition is in all respects as favorable as yesterday

at the same hour. Pulse, 100; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 17.

12:30 P. M.—The President’s condition has not materially changed

since the morning bulletin was issued. Pulse, 108; temperature,

98.4; respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—The President has passed a

comfortable day, and this evening appears better than for some days

past. This evening his pulse is 104; temperature, 99.2; respiration,

18.”

_The sixty-fourth day._—The removal of the President was fully

determined on. The surgeons were unanimous that it should be undertaken.

Long Branch was settled upon as the resort to which the wounded man

should be removed. The physicians were unanimous in their selection of

this place, and all necessary precautions were taken to insure the

President’s comfort during his removal. It was a perilous business, and

for the remaining days of the sojourn at the White House the energies of

those who were responsible for the President’s well-being were

constantly engaged in making suitable arrangements for the removal. The

account of the President’s progress for the day, notwithstanding his

critical condition, was almost overlooked in the keen interest

immediately excited by the project now imminent. The surgeons themselves

were unusually brief in their official reports, which ran thus:

“8:30 A. M.—The President was somewhat more restless than usual

during the early part of the night, but slept better after one A. M.

There is a slight increase in the frequency of the pulse. Pulse,

104; temperature, 98.6; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—The Presidents

condition has not materially changed since the morning bulletin was

issued. Pulse, 104; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18. 6:30 P.

M.—The President has done well during the day, and has taken with

some relish a sufficient quantity of nutriment. Altogether, his

general condition exhibits some improvement over yesterday. Pulse,

102; temperature, 99.6; respiration, 18.”

_The sixty-fifth day._—The President himself was somewhat excited about

his removal. In some respects this excitement was beneficial and in

others hurtful to him. His spirits and hopes were in some measure

aroused, and a stimulus thus afforded to his exhausted powers. But the

energy thus awakened was withdrawn from the long enfeebled stomach, and

twice during the day his food was rejected. Otherwise, there were no

alarming symptoms for the passing hour, and so public attention was

wholly turned to the preparation. President Roberts, of the Pennsylvania

Railroad, commissioned George C. Wilkins, general superintendent of the

Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, to take direction of the train which was

to carry the President away. Mr. Wilkins was also directed to issue

orders to his men, which would enable him to stop every freight and

passenger train that might be on the road between Baltimore and

Washington on half an hour’s notice, and to give the special train the

right of way at any hour of the day or night. On the 4th of September,

Mr. Wilkins accordingly issued orders to carry out the following

arrangement: When the day and hour of departure of the train is known,

he should be informed, and a message would be sent along the entire

road, stopping all freight trains that might be on the road. Passenger

conductors would at each station receive an order either to stop or

proceed to the next station, where the subsequent movements of their

trains must be governed by the orders there awaiting them. In this way,

which is, in fact, the “blocking” system in force on many roads, the

movements of all trains would be controlled from the Union Depot, and

they would be so handled as to give the special train the right of way

and at the same time prevent the “regulars” while in motion from passing

the special. This was done to prevent the President being disturbed by

any jarring or disagreeable noise.

No stops were to be made at any of the stations between Baltimore and

Washington; but should it be necessary to rest the nerves of the

patient, the special train was to be halted in the open country, where

fresh air and the absence of noise and crowds would be insured.

Immediately on hearing of the appointed hour, Mr. Wilkins was to leave

Baltimore for Washington in a special car, and come over to Baltimore

with the President’s train. This train was to be run around the city to

Bayview, where William Crawford was to take charge of it and convey it

to Philadelphia. His arrangements were like those of Mr. Wilkins. An

engine of the New York division of the Pennsylvania road, and two

Pullman palace cars, which were in part to compose the train, arrived at

Baltimore on the 4th, and became subject to the orders of Colonel

Wilkins whenever needed.

The reports of the surgeons contained about the only authentic account

of the President’s condition during the day. These were as follows:

“8:30 A. M.—The President vomited once last evening and once about

an hour after midnight. Notwithstanding this disturbance, he slept

well most of the night, and this morning has taken food by the mouth

without nausea, and has retained it. His pulse is somewhat more

frequent, but in other respects his condition is about the same as

at this hour yesterday. Pulse, 108; temperature, 98.4; respiration,

18. 12:30 P. M.—The President’s condition has not changed materially

since the last bulletin was issued, and there has been no further

gastric disturbance. Pulse, 106; temperature, 98.4; respiration, 18.

6:30 P. M.—The President has passed a comfortable day. He has taken

his food with some relish, and had no return of the irritability of

stomach reported in the morning’s bulletin. The parotid swelling

continues to improve. The wound shows no material change. The rise

of temperature this afternoon has been very slight, but his pulse

was more frequent, and he showed more fatigue after the dressings.

Pulse, 110; temperature, 99; respiration, 18.”

_The sixty-sixth day._—It is the last day in Washington! Again the

President is almost forgotten in the hustle of preparation. Mr.

Francklyn, owner of one of the finest cottages at Elberon, Long Branch,

has tendered it as a home for the wounded Chief Magistrate, and Colonel

Rockwell has accepted the offer with thanks. So it is thither we are

going on the last of our earthly pilgrimages. Every thing is ready for

the departure, and it is set for to-morrow morning at six. A retinue of

strong men has been appointed to carry the President down stairs to a

wagon specially arranged to convey him to the depot. The day is hot; the

air like a furnace. Down at Elberon there is a weird scene to-night.

Three hundred skilled engineers and workmen—a loyal company of sturdy

patriots—are laying a temporary track to connect the main line with the

cottages on the beach. To perform this work laborers have been gathered

together; a supply of ties and rails lie waiting the strong hands that

are to fling them into place. The length of the new track is 3,200 feet.

It is to be laid directly to the hotel grounds, describing a curve to

the very door of Francklyn cottage, from whose windows we shall once

more look upon the sea. Crowds of men and women, gathered from the

various hotels, stand witnessing the scene. Anon the clouds gather.

Headlights are put in place to furnish illumination. At intervals the

workmen are served with refreshments from the Elberon. All night long

the work goes bravely on, and ere the dawn of morning the track is

completed over which the suffering President is to take his last journey

in the land of the living. And now, while the shadows steal across the

landscape in this sultry September evening, let us once more stand

before these now familiar bulletin boards and read:

[Illustration: LAYING A SPECIAL RAILROAD TRACK TO FRANCKLYN COTTAGE.]

“8:30 A. M.—The President was somewhat restless during the early

part of the night, but slept well after midnight. He has taken by

the mouth and retained the nutriment prescribed. This morning his

pulse is less frequent than yesterday. Pulse, 102; temperature,

99.5; respiration, 18. 12:30 P. M.—Pulse, 114; temperature, 99.5;

respiration, 18. 6:30 P. M.—No material change has taken place in

the condition of the President since morning. The parotid abscess

continues to improve, and the wound remains about the same. Pulse,

108; temperature, 99.8; respiration, 18. Should no untoward symptoms

prevent, it is hoped to move the President to Long Branch

to-morrow.”

And here is the faithful Mr. Blaine’s dispatch to Minister Lowell, in

London:

“_To_ LOWELL, _Minister_, _London_:

“This has been the hottest day of the season, and the heat has told

upon the President. His pulse and temperature have been higher than

for several days past. In other respects there has been no special

change, either favorable or adverse. It is expected that he will be

removed to Long Branch to-morrow. It is hoped that the sea air will

strengthen him.

BLAINE, Secretary.”

Can the journey be made with safety? The morrow will tell the tale. Here

in the twilight of that last day in Washington, as the hum of

preparation settles to a calm, and as our eyes turn toward him whom we

have followed so long in his heroic struggle, doubting yet hoping, we

may well say with the London _Punch_:

So fit to die! With courage calm

Armed to confront the threatening dart.

Better than skill is such high heart

And helpfuller than healing balm.

So fit to live! With power cool

Equipped to fill his function great,

To crush the knaves who shame the State,

Place-seeking pests of honest rule.

Equal to either fate he’ll prove.

May Heaven’s high will incline the scale.

The way our prayers would fain avail

To weight it—to long life and love!

The Life and Work of James A. Garfield, Twentieth President of the United States Embracing an Account of the Scenes and Incidents of His Boyhood; the Struggles of His Youth; the Might of His Early Manhood; His Valor As a Soldier; His Career As a Statesman; His Election to the Presidency; and the Tragic Story of His Death. · 第 16 / 18 章

“8 A. M.—The President rested well during the night, and no rigor or