Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination: An Authentic and Official Memorial Edition, Containing Every Incident in the Career of the Immortal Statesman, Soldier, Orator and PatriotEverett, Marshall
History
Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination: An Authentic and Official Memorial Edition, Containing Every Incident in the Career of the Immortal Statesman, Soldier, Orator and Patriot
There were tears in her eyes as Mrs. McKinley bowed her head in assent.
Soon afterward Dr. Rixey lead her gently from the room.
Mrs. McKinley paid another brief visit to the President that evening.
They were alone for a moment only, barely sufficient for her to kiss him
good night and murmur a few words of cheer.
The way Mrs. McKinley is regarded in the Presidential circle is well
expressed by Secretary Wilson.
“It is a little less than wonderful,” he said, “how remarkably well the
noble woman bore her trial. She was shocked and frightened, but never
for a moment did she show the slightest sign of collapse. Tears came to
her relief, and perhaps it is fortunate for her that they did, as such
an expression of grief undoubtedly lessened the strain.”
News from the bedside on Tuesday was more favorable than on the
preceding day. The danger point was regarded as past, and fast recovery
was the general prediction. The doctors had only two services—aside, of
course, from careful watching—to perform. One was to open in part the
President’s outside wound to remove some foreign substances, and the
other was to give him food for the first time. It developed that a
portion of the President’s clothing had been carried into the wound by
the bullet, and this had not all been removed at the first operation. As
slight irritation was caused by the cloth, the surgeons removed it. The
operation caused no harm, and little annoyance to the patient.
The President felt so well that he asked for some newspapers to read.
The request was denied. The President enjoyed the food given him—beef
extract. At 10:30 o’clock on Tuesday night the physicians issued this
bulletin: “The condition of the President unchanged in all important
particulars. His temperature is 100.6°; pulse, 114; respiration, 28.”
Whenever the physicians would permit the wounded man to talk, he would
show his hopefulness. Jokingly he assured the constant watchers that his
wants were all filled except one—his desire to smoke. McKinley loved a
good cigar and smoked from ten to twenty each day. The craving for a
cigar was constant and only by great self-denial did he keep from
demanding one. The weakness of his heart, which later was one of the
contributing causes of his death, was in part due to the sudden change
from free use of cigars to the absolute prohibition which the doctors
imposed.
The consultation held by the physicians in attendance upon President
McKinley lasted from 9:20 until 11:20 o’clock Tuesday night. Half an
hour after they left the Milburn residence the following bulletin was
issued:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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