CHAPTER XIL

Strong Hopes at First of the President's Recovery-Days of Anxious Suspense-Some Account of the Assassin-Arrest of Notorious Anarchists.

FOR six days after the President was shot the bulletins an

nounced that his condition was favorable and there was a prospect of his recovery. This intelligence was everywhere received with great rejoicing, and relieved the agony of suspense. On September 8th the following statement was made by a prominent surgeon, who was among those in attendance upon the President:

"In regard to the present condition of President McKinley, I would call your attention to the fact that it is but little over forty-eight hours since the shot was fired. It is as yet too soon to speak confidently of the outcome. At the present hour, however, and giving due consideration to the severity of the injury and the importance and extent of the operation required, the patient's condition is entirely satisfactory.

"It is gratifying to find that up to the present time none of the numerous signs of inflammation or septic conditions have appeared. The temperature is not too high. It is lower to-night than it was this morning. The pulse is better; the facial expression is entirely satisfactory; the mind is clear; there is no pain or tenderness, no nausea, and no distension of the abdomen. At this stage I consider that this is a satisfactory condition, and yet it is much too soon to feel real confidence that unfavorable conditions have been entirely escaped-entirely too soon to make any such statements. For the present we are entirely satisfied, and if these conditions continue for the next two days we shall feel further confidence.

"I may add to that this truthful tribute: If the President

lives, he will owe his life to the promptness and surgical skill which his professional attendants showed."

A correspondent who learned all the particulars of the President's condition made the following comments:

"President McKinley maintains a good measure of his strength, and those who watch at his bedside hold higher hope for his ultimate recovery. The shock from the wounds inflicted upon him by Leon Czolgosz seems to have been less than was anticipated, and that is regarded as highly favorable to him. It is admitted that the crisis in his condition has not yet come, and that there is the gravest danger until it has been safely passed. All the bulletins sent from the chamber of the wounded President indicated a spirit of hopefulness.

FEAR OF BLOOD POISONING.

"The greatest fear of the President's physicians is that septic poisoning will set in, and it is for the first symptoms of this that they are now watching. One bullet lodged in the muscles of the back, and the physicians have decided that, for the present, it is of secondary importance, The bullet took a horizontal course, but neither the intestines nor the kidneys were injured. Of this the physicians are confident. If inflammation should appear in the neighborhood of the place where the bullet is believed to have lodged, the Roentgen ray will be used to locate the bullet, and the doctors do not think there will be difficulty in extracting it.

"Two physicians and two trained nurses are with the Presi dent constantly. All others were excluded from the sick chamber this morning, as it was found that the distinguished patient could not be restrained from speaking to those who entered the room. Quiet and absolute freedom from the least excitement are considered extremely essential.

"Mrs. McKinley bears up bravely in her sorrow and the physicians in attendance feel but little concern on her account. At the request of the President, whose first thoughts were of her, she was told that he was not seriously wounded, and when she

first saw him he had rallied from the operation, and was suffering little pain. She was content to leave his side during the night and rest herself.

"With common impulse to spare the sufferer the annoyance that noise would inflict, the public keeps off the street in the neighborhood of the Milburn residence. The police have no trouble to keep the people at proper distance. A detachment of the Fourteenth United States Infantry was ordered to the house from Fort Porter. A picket line was established in front of the house but the sentries found no work to do. Ropes were stretched across Delaware Avenue in order to keep teams off that tho oughfare.

THE MILBURN RESIDENCE.

"The Milburn residence is a large two and a half story brick building. Graceful ivy climbs over the front of it, and on the large lawn which surrounds it are a number of pretty shade trees. The President lies in the rear room on the second floor. The room was chosen because it insured the most complete quiet. Telegraph wires have been led to the stable in the rear of the Milburn residence and offices opened there. The bulletins telling of the condition of the President are sent there by Dr. Rixey and at once transmitted to the world.

"Czolgosz insists that he alone planned the crime which may rob the United States of its Chief Executive, but that statement is not accepted as true. There is a belief that he was aided by others in a deliberate plot, and that confederates accompanied him to Buffalo and assisted in its execution."

This buoyant hope that the President's life would be spared was encouraged from day to day. The Governors of some of the States appointed a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing and a hopeful feeling pervaded the entire country.

"We trust in God, and believe Mr. McKinley is going to recover speedily. I know that he has the best medical attendance that can he obtained, and I am perfectly satisfied that these doctors are handling the case splendidly. It is a great pleasure to know the deep interest and sympathy felt by the American

people. The case is progressing so favorably that we are very happy."

Mrs. McKinley, the wife of the President, said this at the Milburn house, just after the three o'clock bulletin of the physiciaus was issued. This bulletin was the strongest and most favorable that had been put forward by the physicians since the President was shot. The seventy-two hours, which was the limit they had fixed for the development of peritonitis, had almost expired, and their confidence had wonderfully encouraged the wife of the President.

Mrs. McKinley was bearing up wonderfully under the ordeal. Stories were published that it had been deemed unwise to inform her of the shooting of her husband; that she did not know that an attempt had been made on his life, and that she had been told he had been injured by a fall. This preposterous fiction, carrying with it the inference that it was not safe to acquaint Mrs. McKinley with the real danger that had menaced her husband, aroused intense indignation, and was demolished by the most sweeping denials.

BORE UP WITH GREAT COMPOSURE.

As a matter of fact, Mrs. McKinley was informed of the attempt on her husband's life by Czolgosz within a few hours of the firing of the shots. She received the news with calmness, and bore up with heroic composure, being much with her husband and having the utmost faith in his recuperative powers. These reports were regarded in Buffalo, not only by the members of the Cabinet, but by the public generally, as heartless and mischievous inventions.

President McKinley improved so rapidly that on Monday, September 9th, it was confidently believed that the danger line had been passed. The President asked for the daily papers and for food, which were, of course, denied him. He jokingly remarked that it was hard enough to be shot, without being starved to death. For the first time since the shooting he spoke of his assailant, and said: "He must have been crazy." When told

that the man was an Anarchist, he said that he hoped he would get fair treatment.

On the same day, Senator M. A. Hanna wore a look of supreme contentment when he left the house where the President was lying, bravely battling with death. He felt absolutely certain that the President's recovery was only a matter of a few weeks, and he dictated this statement to a correspondent:

"You may say, for the information of the American people, hat all the news we have is good news. We know that the greatest danger is already past. already past. We hope that in a few hours the President's physicians will announce that his case is beyond the possibility of a relapse.

"Just say that for me, and I think it will give more satisfaction than if I talked a column."

"You have no fears that there may be a change for the worse?" I asked.

SENATOR HANNA'S DREAM.

"That reminds me of a dream I had last night. You know dreams go by contraries. Well, sir, in this dream I was up at the Milburn house waiting to hear how the President was getting along, and everybody was feeling very good. We thought the danger was all past. I was sitting there talking with General Brooke and Mr. Cortelyou, and we were felicitating ourselves on how well the physicians had been carrying the case.

"Suddenly, in my dream, Dr. McBurney entered the room through the door leading from the sick room with a look of the utmost horror and distress on his face. I rushed up to him, and, putting a hand on either shoulder, said: 'What is it, doctor? What is it? Let us know the worst.'"

"Dr. McBurney replied: 'My dear Senator, it is absolutely the worst that could happen. The President has had a tremendous change for the worse. His temperature is now 440 degrees.' I fell back in my chair in utter collapse, and then I awoke. But, do you know, I couldn't rest easy until I saw the early bulletins this morning."