History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT. 669
muscles. During all this time his only nourishment
was a tablespoon ful of milk and brandy, administered
at brief intervals, in the proportion of one ounce of
the latter to eight of the former. At 10 o'clock on
Monday night he sank into a comatose condition,
from which he was aroused with difficulty by stimulating
injections, and early on the following morning he
sank down on his bed apparently lifeless. Artificial
respiration was resorted to, and hot poultices were
placed over the heart to stimulate its action. 37 Thus
his life was preserved for a few hours longer; but at
five o'clock on the afternoon of the 29th of August,
1877, being then in his seventy- seventh year, he
passed away quietly, surrounded by his family and
intimate friends, the last rites of the church being
administered by several of the apostles, to whom he
responded in a clear and unfaltering voice, "Amen!" 33
At eight o'clock on the morning of the 1st of September
the remains of President Young, escorted by
members of his own family, by members of the twelve,
and by others of the priesthood, were conveyed to the
tabernacle, the coffin being enclosed in a metallic case
draped in white and wreathed with flowers. The
funeral rites were appointed for noon on the following
day, and during each hour of the interval a constant
stream of visitors, numbering in all some twenty-five
thousand, passed through the great aisle of the building,
all being allowed to stop and gaze for a moment
37 On the evening of Tuesday a consultation was held by his physicians,
S. B. Young, W. F. Anderson, J. M. Benedict, and F. D. Benedict, and it
was resolved to fill up the lower portion of the bowels by injection, for the
purpose of causing an action through the alimentary canal; but this treatment
was discontinued on account of fainting symptoms. The coma was
attributed to the pressure of the swollen bowels, which checked the circulation
to the heart and lungs. Deseret Ev. Xews, Aug. 31, 1S77.
38 Francis Dorr, who crossed the plains in 1850, and rendering assistance
to the Mormon trains, was told by Brigham that he would ever be welcome
to Salt Lake City, paid the Mormons a visit in 1877, and was kindly received
by their prominent men. He is of opinion that Brigham's last illness was
partly caused by fear of being arrested and tried for complicity in the Mountain
Meadows massacre. Dorr's Statement, MS., 3. I find no confirmation of
this theory, which is extremely improbable, in view of the evidence and the
statements of the counsel for the prosecution at the Lee trial. See pp. 566-S,
this vol.