after ten minutes with her husband in the belief that he was at least holding his own.

"When she left he lapsed into the state which characterized the very early morning. He was not in a stupor, however, and recognized everybody. The morning was marked by frequent consulations and conferences, and nearly all of them were followed by bulletins on the President's condition. Dr. Rixey was the prime figure in nearly all these conferences, yet he would take no step without the consent of the other physicians. Late in the afternoon it became apparent that the President was not to last for long, his life was slowly ebbing away.

Slowly, but surely, the sands in President McKinley's life glasss were dropping away. No person made that statement about the house at this time, but the very atmosphere seemed to contain something that said plainly that the President was passing away. About 4 o'clock his pulsation became so alarming that saline solution injections were resorted to. This had the effect of buoying up hopes for a time, just for a short time, however, and then he suffered a slight change for the worse again.

NO RESPONSE TO TREATMENT.

"At this time he was in a stupor. I went to his bedside and touched his lips with water, but there was no response either by sign or action. He appeared to be conscious and yet unconscious. He knew none of us. Every one considered the case hopeless, and knew that it was but a question of vitality; that he must soon die. As the hour of 9 o'clock approached his condition became rapidly worse, and I have since learned that even in the house the report was circulated that the President was dying.

"At this time it was deemed advisable to bring the family to the death chamber. They came one at a time. First came the members of the Cabinet singly, glanced at their dying chief and passed on. Tears were in the eyes of all of them. Then came Abner McKinley and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Baer, the latter a niece of the President. They remained only a minute and passed on out of the room. Then came Senator Hanna, the dearest

friend the President ever had. He, too, was to be denied by death the joy of recognition.

Then Mrs. McKinley came-poor, brave little woman.

"The easy chair was drawn close to the bedside, and she was seated there. The President's face lighted up. He recognized her, and it seemed as if the nurses and doctors would burst into tears. She took his hand, the hand which in one short week had become emaciated and thin, and held it.

"His face lighted up and he murmured: 'God's will, not ours, be done.'

"To my knowledge these were the last words the President ever uttered.

WAS LED AWAY WEEPING.

"Mrs. McKinley remained with him for a half hour and was then led, weeping, from the room. The President had lapsed into the sleep which knows no awakening. He was wholly unconscious. Once, near 11 o'clock, I thought I saw him move and try to say something, but it was not audible. At 11.15 o'clock Mrs. McKinley came again and this time remained with her dying husband for an hour. She said nothing and the President lay like one who had passed the river of death.

"The extremities were becoming cold and the pulse was so faint that it could not be recorded by the most sensitive instruments. After an hour's time Mrs. McKinley was led away to her room. It was the last time she would ever see her husband alive. For the next two hours his condition became worse, if such a thing were possible, and it seemed several times as if he must be dead.

"Application of the instruments which record the respiration, however, showed that he was still breathing. At 2.15 o'clock he died.

"Dr. Rixey thought best to wait a few minutes before giving out the bulletin, to make sure that the vital spark had left the body. He applied the apparatus and the dial remained unmoved. He was dead.

"The undertaker came and laid out the body on the bed on which it had lain for a week. The hands were folded across the breast, and a sheet was drawn over the face. Private Hodgins, of the Hospital Corps, was detailed to guard the body, and throughout the remainder of the night he stood at attention at the foot of the bed. At 5.30 o'clock he was relieved by Private Voltmeyer, of the same branch of the service."

CHAPTER XIV.

Additional Account of President McKinley's Death-Hope Ending in Despair--Medical Skill Exhausted-Cause of the Final Relapse.

The President's last day, which ended in despair, was begun in hope. The ills that came on Thursday afternoon, when the organs of digestion refused to handle the solid food that had been taken earlier in the day, had seemingly been overcome by midnight, and when the new day came it found the President relieved and resting. Hope that had suddenly dropped from the high place which it had held, began to revive. The healing of the wounds had progressed favorably, general conditions were in the main quite satisfactory, and the immediate future of the case seemed to hold no threat.

The physicians who had been in almost constant attendance during the night parted, and the watch in the sick room was reduced. Suddenly there was a failure of the heart, which, for several days had been manifesting signs of weakness, and the President sank toward unconsciousness. This was at two o'clock in the morning. There was an immediate application of restoratives, and a general call went out to the absent physicians and nurses. Digitalis, strychnia and saline solution were administered to the patient, but there was no immediate response to

treatment.

The physicians admitted that he was desperately ill, and Secretary Cortel you decided to send for the relatives and close friends of the President, the Vice-President and members of the Cabinet. Those within reach were called by telephone or messenger, and telegrams were rushed to those who had left the city. The first of the messages went out at 2.30 o'clock, and within half an hour the Milburn house began to fill again. The serious condition of the President and the general call sent out gave rise to a general feeling of alarm that was never again allayed.

Desperate measures were resorted to in order to stimulate the heart, and the sinking spell was over by four o'clock. It was decided to continue the treatment, and the physicians laid their greatest hope on weathering the day. It was agreed that if the wounded man could be carried for twenty-four hours that his chances would be very favorable, for the wounds were healing splendidly.

It was decided to summon Dr. W. W. Johnston, of Washington, and Dr. E. G. Janeway, of New York, heart specialists, and telegrams were hurried out asking that they come at once. Before dawn a dozen of the relatives and friends of the President arrived at the Milburn house. They assembled in the drawing room, where they waited for tidings from the sick room above them. The physicians assured them that the President had a fighting chance for life and to the hope that in the end victory would be his, they clung all day.

PROFOUND GRIEF AND HORROR.

Hundreds of visitors came during the morning, and if the police had not kept the streets clear and barred entrance to Delaware avenue there would have been thousands. Senator Hanna, a close personal and political friend of the President, hurried up from Cleveland by special train. Other friends arrived by regular trains, and all through the day they came in increasing numbers. Their regret and sympathy were profound. The day developed but little encouragement for them, however.

During the forenoon the President made a slight gain of strength, and held it well into the afternoon. His physicians announced that they had again given him nourishment, and it was thought that possibly there was a chance for a further gain of strength. It was known, however, that he was in a very serious state, and every interest was centred in the sick room in the Milburn house, where the struggle was in progress.

Suddenly, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, there was a repetition of the heart attack, and those in the presence of the stricken man knew that the end was at hand. This knowledge soon spread to