day, the 29th of May, 1878. He had not been
feeling well for several days, which, however, did
not prevent his spending the morning at his office
in the discharge of customary duties. After a
light luncheon he was driven to Central Park.
The day was warm. The sun shone so brightly
that a friend insisted, though with but partial suc-
cess, upon sheltering his head with an umbrella.
When he had finished his discourse he appeared
quite exhausted, and should have returned imme-
diately to his home. He was too amiable to de-
cline an invitation from Mr. James Grant Wilson
to accompany him across the Park to his house, and
on foot. They ascended the steps together. What
then occurred has been thus circumstantially re-
ported by Mr. Wilson.

"As we approached my house, about four o'clock,
Mr. Bryant was recalling the scenes of the previous year
on the occasion of the President's visit as such to New
York, and he was still, I think, cheerfully conversing on
that subject as we walked up arm in arm, and entered
the vestibule. Disengaging my arm, I took a step in
advance to open the inner door, and during the few sec-
onds, without the slightest warning of any kind, the ven-
erable poet, while my back was turned, dropped my
daughter's hand and fell suddenly backward through the
open outer door, striking his head on the stone platform
of the front steps, with one half of his body still lying
in the vestibule. I turned just in time to see the sick-
ening sight of the silvered head striking the stone, and
springing to his side hastily raised him up. He was
unconscious, and I supposed that he was dead. Ice

-298-