Well Fought, But Vainly

New York, April IS.- Ex-Sentor Roscoe Conkling died at 1:50 o'clock Weduesday morniug. At the bedside of the dying man were Mrs. Conkling, Judge Coxe, Dr. Anderton, and Mrs. Oakman. Mr. Conkling passed away without moviug a limb. He looked as though peacefully sleepiug. ïhere were a number of persons outside on the street waiting to catch tbe last report. Within doors there were between forty or fifty persons also waiting to hear the worst. They were composed chiefly óf representativas of the press and friends of the dead senator. Judge Coxe came to the door shortly after 2 o'clock Wednesday moiiüng and announced the death. Mr. Conkling died in the rear chamber on the second floor of the residence. His bed faced the west. It was a dreadful struggle that the patiënt fought against grim death, but at the last his end was peacef ui and unaccompanied by pain. His sorrowing wife and daughter were weeping at his side, but the once keen eyes were glazed and set in the struggle. New York, April 17. - Mr. Conkling was evidently worse Tuesday morning, and his watchers and the physicians showed by their statements and theie faces that they f eared the worst all day. At 8:15 it was reported and telegraphed all over the country that the patiënt was dead, but this turned out to be a mistake. The report aróse f rom the fact that the nurse came hurrying down stairs through the room where the reporters were waiting, and in reply to a question whether Mr. Conkling was dead nodded his head as he passed along. It seems that he mistook the patient's stupor for death. A slight return of animatiou soon followed, but uo revival of consciousness, and Ufe continued to ebb swiftly away. Dr. Barker seemed quite overeóme as he stood on the steps of the dying man's residence and told the reporters of the impending dissolution. His eyes were suffused with tears, as he had just come from the ex-senator's bedside, and his voice was husky with emotion. He inade no effort to conceal the fact that the death of the ex-senator was expected at any moment. A feeling of sadness seemed to have spread among the guests of the Hoff man house, and there was an oppressive quietness and soleinnity among the crowds in the corridors. Voices were hushed and all were talking in low tones of the last sad news about the ex-senator. The friends, who came late to the bouse went away with sorrowful expressions, but said very little. The hopes that the doctore had had of Mr. Conkling's recovory were based upon the splendid physique of the patiënt; and that was, perhaps, the very cause of his last sickness, which dates from the day of the great blizzard, March 12, when Mr. Conkling walked to his home on West Twenty-f ourth street from his office at 2 Wall street. He delighted in telling the story of his struggle, and how he nearly got lost in a snowdrift in Union square. For two weeks or so thereafter he continued to work, but on March 30 had to give up. On April 3 he called in Dr Agnew, and on April 9 the operation invol ving the cutting of the mastoid bone, the projection behind the left ear, was resorted to for the purpose of letting out the pus that had accumulated in the honeycomb formation of the bone. Many believed that his sickness dated from his terrible blizzard experience. All the afternoon the sick statesman lay upon his bed. Very little motion of the body was noticeable, except a slight movement of his arms, which were under the covers. He lay upon his right side in a way that would not irrítate the cut in the side of his head. At 5 :S0 Dr. Anderson said that Mr. Conkling was tast passing away. He did not think the ex-senator would last longer than two hours. Mr. Conkling was then unconscious. Mi's. Conkling and Mrs. Oakman were with hiin. At 5:30 Dr. Barker issued this official bulletin: "Mr. Conkling is failing fast. His lungs are fast filling up with blood, owing to the failure of the heart, which has resulted from the gradual wasting away of his vital powers." Dr. Barker would not say definitely how long Mr. Conkling could live, but he said he eould not possibly survive the night. At(5:]0 p. m. Ed Stokes came out of the house, and was at once surrounded by an inquiring crowd. He said : "Mr. Conkling is sinking very rapidly. His death is a question of a very short time. Mrs. Conkling and the others are at the badside." Mr. Stokes was much affected, end hurried away. Dra. Barker and Sands left the sick chamber at 9 85 p. m. Dr. Barker said Mr. Conkliug was sinking rapidly, and would in all probability die before morning. His system was giving way rapidly. He was very weak and had lost all consciousness. Pulse, 140; temperatura, 102}; respiration, 60. Dr. Barker called again shortly before 11 o'clock, and left at 11:15. He said that Mr. Conkling was unconscious, and would not regain consciousness. His limbs were becoming cold, and he had no perceptible pulse. The doctor added that Mr. Conkling wouid probably die in two or three hours from a giving away of the vital forces. Judge Coxe, Mrs. Conkling, Mrs. Oakman, and Dr. Anderton were at that time in the sick room. Roscoe Conkling was born in Albany, N. Y. Oct. 30, 1889. His father, Albert Conkling. was a representative in the Seventeenth congres, and afterward filled the positions of United States judge for the northern district of New York, and minister to Mexico. Roscoe received a common school and academie education. Removing to Auburu and Geneva with his father, he studied law three years under his tuition. In 1846 he entered the law office of Spencer & Keraan in Utica, and in 1849 was appointed by Hamilton Fish district attorney of Oneida county, several months before he atfained his majority. On the day he was 21 he was admitted to the bar. During the next decade he disclosed rare qualitiesof management, and became a leader in local politics. Ia law he ranked with the flrst of the profession as an advocate. The triumphs he achieved at the bar, and which were his pa-ssports to public prefereuce, were gaiued before he reached the age of 29. After that he accepted but few cases, but iu these his success was marked. He married Julia Seymour, sister of ex-Governor Horatio Seymour. In 1858 he was elected mayor of Utica. and in November of the same year he was elected a representative in the Thirty-sixth congress, took his seat in that body at the beginning of its flrst session, in December, 1850, a session not cd for its long and biter contest over the speakership. Hewasre-elected in 1860, his brother, Frederlck A. Conkling, beiug elected at the suim' time for a New York city district. The two brothers entered the Thirty-seventh congress at the opening of the special session convened by President Lincoln July 4, 1801. In this congress Koscoe C'onkliug was chainnan of the committee ou the District of Columbia, aud also of a special [ttee appoüxted to frame a bankrupt law. A caudidate for re-election to the Thirty-eighth ongress, lie was defeated liy liis old law partner, Yancis ernan. In 1884 Confcling defeated him, ervingonttte oommlttees on ways aud means aud on reconstructief! In February, 1888, he opposed Spauldiug's legalender act by speech aud vote, sustaiuing, courary to the prevailing party pollcy, Hortou's amendment providing for the issue of an iiterestx'aring Dote, and voted against the fluaiassage of the bill lus anaended by Thaddeus Stevens. In he same session he voted tor the payment of iuterest on the debt in coin. Mr. Conkling waa a Irm upholder of all legislation tending to uphold .he hands of the administraron in prosecuting the war for the suppression of the rebellion. In the f all of 1808 hc was elected to the Fortieth congress, but before that congress met he was elected to succeed Judge Ira Harris as United States senator from the state of New York. He took hts seat in the senate March 4. 1867, and was re-elected twice. bis secoud term beginning March 4, 1873, aud his third term Mavch 4, 1879. He was a zealous supporter of Geu. Granfs adniiuistration. The general policy of that administration toward the south was largely directed by Senator Coukling, who advocated it with all the power of his eloquence and all the potencyof his personal andpolitical Influence. He was also largely instrumental in the iuception aud passage of the civil rights bill. In 1876 he took a prominent part in formiug the act for the electoral cominissiou. and in carryiug it through. In 1880 Senator Conkliug led the Grant forces at the Republican nominating convention in Chicago, aud made the speech putting him in nomiuation. Soon after the election of President Garfleld he differed from him on questions of public poliey, and in 1881 he resigned his seat in tha senate and applied to the legislature of New York for udorsement and re-electiou. He failed in this, and retired from politics, resuming the active practiee of the law to redeem bis fortunes, which were sadly shattered. He speedily assumed the foremost position at the New York bar, and was engaged in a uumber of prominent and reinuuerative cases. His last visit to Chicago was in July. 1887. when he avgued a patent case n the United States cotirt, and received much atteution, being tendeied a reception by the Grant club. Of late years he had been repeatedly solicited to re-enter politics, and his recent replies had indicated that he might reconsider the resolution he made in 1881. Although bis hair and board had whitened of late years, Mr. Coukling still retained his fiue physical proportions, which would have made him a marked man in any assemblage.