Ka Nupepa Elele, Volume XII, Number 25, 31 January 1891 — At the Deathbed. [ARTICLE]

At the Deathbed.

|Tlie tcen«» la Ihe Cliaml>er of tbe I JĪOB«cb, **"

It was a pitiful aiid most iiuprefisive scene; The dying mounrcn lay, gasping upon his bed, his eraāclKtf(T body heaving convalsively %?ith euel pf hia labored respirations. At bedside stood two iuinisters of the1 Gosp0l, physician9:' of the sbul, td whom the physiciarts of the bodv had| giv»B way when they had eome $o th ej sad eoneluaion that beyond raoital aid. Seated at tli« head of the bed, clasping the lefr hf.ud of was Col. Baker,j Kalakaua's Aid-de -cmnp, whosestrond frame was bent with sorrOw, and who with great difficulty kept back the flood of tears whicja tiembled in his eyes. Bending over from £he right side was Col. Maefarlane, Chapaberlain of tli5 King. The suspense of the last few days liad almost prostrated hirn, and his face bore traces of we«ping. Crouched upon the floor against the wall near the bedside were the King's valet KahiLina, un Hawaiian youth, and Kahia, a young girl from the Gilbert islands, wlio had been a most devoted sorvant to Kalakaua, They forined part of his suite t>n his arrival bere. „ Only a light coverlet of rich brown desi»n covēred the body of the King, In his strnggles to tlirow off the firm reaper who was gradually pressing moxe he»vily upou him, Kalakaua had tlu'ust lua anus out upon th.e bed. During the forenoon his faithful servant Kalua, in an endeavor- to make the King as oomfortablo as possible, had placed beneath his ehin a wide so£t scarf ofblue silk, There it rernained untH the death, seemii>g as it r «se and fell upon the b r ight red uudershirt to be svmbollcal of the wavering between" this and the greav beyond of the spirit of the stricken King. Kalakaua was posse,s3ed of groaf rit;ility, and to the last he resistc j J the destro> er with a porsisienco whieh excited the,wonder of the med ieal men, who.knew that ihe King's iime luid ooiiie. Though for tiir'-*j days past he had been uuconscioiisj and Me had apparently l>een kepf| in him merelv by the stin>ulauis ap-S pl;ed mtornallv thrOi'gh natural chajuJ nels or hypodērmical)y, his constita-| tīon soemed determm*kl to keep the? spint Within the trēmbling oody. Eveu aftev had reli*nquished hope and, knowing that he must d;e, had ceased to appl? st : mulante, he continued to BtrT<ggfo 011. I the morning Drs. Woo<kJ Wat:s. haiiger «iiu Taylor wero in aWeiHlauoe. They oousulted and announced that in their opinion the King wouhl not Iiw iiuue thau u few hours. He Lad tlu»n bcoo uiīeonaeiou» fo\- neaih fo'tv ho;;rs, \vith th0 exceptiou of one bricf moniont in the early uiorn S ing, whenhe recognizod Xdm»ralt Browu Hud spok« to C\tlonel Bakot ~ s»yiug: " Well, I am vcry siek mau," Thoso were hm laat worls, f,-r thougii lie ;if)erwHi\l mur | nu;r. d, as his sti*>ngth fniied liiiu andl he advancod doeper into the val!tnf ot the shadow. his words were onl\ j tho bābhiigs cf delirium. As lio* unver and lower. it coald oe * jn*V' d the word* that fel» his oaivering lips th&t hU imnd set upon tho sceues of ye<n^

'ago. hefore he had ftttained thecrown| .111(1 >vas simply Davi«'| Kalakaua. Hel spoka in h.is natiyo topgut> .ami agaju wonderod ūpon the l>oach of Hawaii and gazod out upon the broad Facific. All royalty and immp were forgotten in the mind of the dyijag King, who seeined as 3ie died to be in a swoon. He seemed to have no puin, but the heavings of his chest, tne glazing of the eves and the death dainj[) upon the for6nead foretōld a near tfissolutiou. At 12:30 o'eloek the watchers saw Kalakaua suddenly open wide his half-elosed eyes. eloae his gaping mouih. and a gleam of intelligenco seemed for a momenl, as if like a ■passing ray of sunshine, to light up his face. at the bedside leaned forward in. intense sUapense, for they thoaght the monarcli was abont to speak. In a momont ; however. again the eyes took on their laek luster appearance, thejaw diooped and the shadow again sprend over tbe faee. It wus a last'effort of nature to assert itself intelligibly, but the strength of Azrael had been ( |too great. It was soon poiceptitilo |tliiit Ihe King was rapid(y Kinkirig Shortly a!ter 1 o'eloek Dr, Woodh 'aunouiiced that »11 would be vaiu. "We uow only avralt his doatli' he said. "He cannot live over lialī an hour., and I doubt if lie Bnrrives that tiirit " _ It now became verj r apparent tliat Kalakana was r«pidly sinking. His respiration becaxae niore rapid nnd more labored, and his breast heaved as if it would burst xii His efibrts to g«in air and live. Slpwly + hotb began to appear upon his lips."" It was w iped away lry Oolonel Maeiailane or Colonel .JB.aker, whp,">ōre eontimiously ?heir',nionarch's side, and who took only' tliose minutes from servi«e upon hīm to wipe away the tears tUat they could no longer restrain. , .. In the room were se\eru\ ladies, on the" faces of all,of whom wQre traces of Amot\g were Mrs. McKinley, Mrs. J. Sandera R<?ed and Mrs.-Price. There were aleo preseut| Adniiral Brown, Cousul,. McKiuley Chftrlis 15. B ish 6p of H o n iil n I n Ham- Tnrton, ex-State Senator WKithey of Ahimeda, aa old friend of *the King; Rev. J. Sanders K«ed ā»d Rev. F. H: Church, bpth of Trinity Church. S ;Kneeīing at thē beiāSide. R©y. J. «Sanders Bēed recited* m©' 1 gthird psalm: "The Lordfs my Shepgherd." It was heard āihid tears. A fifew xairintos later Colonel Maofaxlane lbent over the ICixig, and, lookmg in||to; ius eyes,said: "Po yon know nie?" Thefe was no sigij o| rdc'ognitiolī in responso, a!though it seenife\T foi a nroaient"as though King's'eyēlids quivered as if ne wishod to sliow his recognition of his chamberlai_h. At 1:34 o'clock Rev. Sandera Reed said: "Shall. we kneel and have the commedatory prayer?" ln assent evexy person in: the room knelt while the clergyman ofi'ered up a prayer. The miniBter then contmued to read prayem and recite hymns, among the latter being ' Rock o( Ages," "All Hail the Power oi Jesus' Name." and "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds to a belieyer'§ Earr?" ' In an mterval*between the pray§j-s Oolonel Baker, who for hours had been clasping the King's hnncts, spoke to the monarch in Hawaiiani but there wās iio reepunse. "The Kjing was past all hope»/ consciovisnes* had fled, and. in fact it might almos{ h-vve been said that already he was dead. It was only the efforts of liis lungs to get air that moved hjs frame and gave the semblance of Hfe. Dr. Wood stood at the bedside and watched his patient. A large numbe'r of people called, aiiiong whom were Qeneral W. H. Dimdnd and Oolopel Edwards. They stayed only a few minutes. At 2:00 o'eloek hlh.s?os o! froth f©H from th« King's lips. I( |was away by Colouek Ixi.Ltand Macfarlane. Tli«t doniU wm now only a few ir>ōments off w.ts \ er\ apparent. Rev. Dr Ree«l agK : n a Psalm, and his assistani, >. Dr Church. SAngXowuutiv's byum • Abide With Me." A few momeiits ]ator Dr. I.ieed at the beds:de and to pray, hi* petition b«;ng joine ' i;i by all present. *'Oh, Lord! Oli, Jesus CLristt" said the clerg\ man, "'wo pray souto look upon this. Hiy serv-HrJ, \vhost s is abont to appear bcfovo thu< *tid we Rsk for him thy blcs<iti K . ob, Jesus, as thou h;.st led b:iu ou tlirough life, Uko him, wo pray iheo. to thv boBoru now We eohit spirit to thy trust. Orant hi:n. oh - Th« prsyer suddenly ceased for & moment; the po< ple n>«e; thc had ceased to breatho. It h«oaicu that he was viead For half a niiuuK ihis bodv was motionleas and noi a ,Bound escaped it, and tbcii. *lth a Mgh that seemod !o j>artako both ot |a sob and agiVan. !as laborod rospi rution continued. ' ' Oiani him, ob L<o\l, etorml Ufe, ■Lord Je.sus. gr»nt hitu thy oiemal |spirit, Orant him a moiuōui of coiF |j*oious faith that lu> may lui\<> I», ,oouso!atiou aud th\ ;:iorcy. Oh Lom, |oome into bis boart ,u;d • " T l Agaiu tho luoalh luul lcft ibo dvimi ttionarch. As befow. l u was a?| d^ ; ul. bu< ; »g a in th,'om S(Vtik.s of .;tV wilhiu ihi l l»Ovly as,vortod ihc!as<.ivoB. aud agairu witli a sob. tha aiv i iihluhi inlo his l\uig^

' elōanee bis soul. Oh, Lord \Josus Ohrist, be with liiin yet in ihe buvly, »o tbat he, may. be present iultless bof >th a' ĪCoTy °f Hoiiea with every joy. Grant hīm, t>h liOrd, eternal r©6t. Oneo aga'u the respirat.ion of the pKing ceased. Now his eyes tui*ned [up-vard to the heaven to whieh the !petition in his behalf was so devoutlr i:uldresBed- Thq specators stooS breathless. It wds a irioment of mtense suspense. Half a minute passed; np one moved; a minute, and a sign went round the room, Kalakaua was dead. It was 2:33 o'eloek. "Oh, Christ hear us," continued the ministor. "Oh, Lord have mercy upon us, and thou who takest away the sms of the world, look dowP upOn us, and hear our prayers, that he vbo has passed away shall sit with the Father who is everlasting, Stichi is our prager."—- |