OTD in 1892, First Lady Caroline Harrison passed away form tuberculosis in her White House bedroom. Her funeral was held in the East Room and her remains were sent by train to Indianapolis for a memorial service at First Presbyterian Church and burial in Crown Hill Cemetery. That the presidential election was two weeks away at the time of her death, Democrat Grover Cleveland informed his campaign management to suspend his campaign out of respect for the Harrisons, which he did without reservation. She was the second of three First Ladies to die in the White House.

Some more spooky White House ghost tales for your entertainment. From the Washington Herald, March 2, 1913. 👻🎃

Saturday, October 17, Herbert Clark Hoover suffered a “massive, internal hemorrhage from the upper gastro-intestinal tract.” From the onset of the hemorrhage through Tuesday, October 20, several doctors worked together to alleviate him of his condition, administering 200 blood transfusions in the process and miraculously were able to stop the bleeding. But Tuesday morning, 8:30 AM, Hoover slipped into coma, and the bleeding returned along with an irregular heartbeat. At this point, there was nothing more doctors could do. Three hours later, with his two sons by his side, the oldest President at the time (90 years old) passed away in his Waldorf-Astoria 31-A apartment. CoD: internal hemorrhage that caused an “accumulation of toxic products” in Hoover’s bloodstream due to inadequate kidney function.

Missed this one by a day: OTD (10/18) in 1982, Bess Truman died from congestive heart failure at her home in Independence, Missouri. She's the oldest First Lady, dying at age 97, four months shy of her 98th birthday.

One of the many memorials found at the Tower of Pisa site in Pisa, Italy.

Here's a spooky newspaper article about White House ghosts from the Saginaw News, November 6, 1897. 👻🎃 Enjoy!

youtu.be/AGsGg-8p3so?is=3xFY… One of the best Laurel and Hardy shorts. The “dispute” with the neighbor is damn funny.

Random president sightings from this gem of a suspense/horror movie.

Late September 1869, Franklin Pierce was vacationing at a cottage on Little Boar’s Head beach, North Hampton, New Hampshire when he was overcome by a painful discomfort in his abdominal region that quickly grew more intense. Dr. Gage, from Concord, was summoned to the cottage and diagnosed Pierce with abdominal dropsy. Gage provided some relief by draining the fluid from the affected area, but fluid quickly refilled and with it came a serious case of hiccups. Pierce returned to Concord and stayed at the home of his friend, William Willard, where he spent the last two weeks of his life bedridden. The damaging effects of alcoholism had finally caught up with Pierce. Pierce asked his doctor, “What do you think of my case?” I think your symptoms are very grave ones,” said his doctor. “I think so myself and I am convinced that I shall not recover,” responded Pierce. Thursday, October 7, Pierce was in good spirits despite the intense pain in his abdomen and the nagging, incessant hiccups. Come evening, Pierce’s condition was grave. A physician was summoned to Willard’s home to check on Pierce, where he stayed at Pierce’s bedside, making him as comfortable as possible. But little could be done to stave off the hand of death. “As death approached, his waning strength did not permit him to converse, but to all appearance his bodily pain had left him.” Early Friday morning, October 8, Pierce was resting in bed, his face calm, and those in the room-friends and his doctor-watching him in silence. Around 5:00 AM, Pierce looked around the room, looked at his friends and the doctor, and then closed his eyes for the last time. CoD: liver cirrhosis from years of chronic abuse. As for the hiccups, “it’s theorized the cause is due to an electrolyte imbalance and a build-up of blood toxins (the electrolyte imbalance affects the diaphragm muscle, causing it to spasm).”

OTD in 1948, Edith Roosevelt died at her home, Sagamore Hill, in Oyster Bay, NY. CoD was due to a "ten-year lengthy illness brought on after fracturing [her] hip." She rests next to her husband in Oyster Bay Young's Cemetery.

For all the hot and thirsty citizens, their discomfort made worse by the thread of wool clothing, they found some relief from one of these "water depot" barrels set up along the processional route of President Garfield's funeral in Cleveland. Chug chug chug!!!

OTD in 1830, Elizabeth Monroe passed away at the couple's Oak Hill estate, outside Leesburg, VA. Specifics of her death are unknown. From 1826 to 1830, she grew sickly and frail. In a letter Monroe wrote to Madison in early July 1830, he explained she was too sickly to join him for a visit to a university. Of course it's entirely possible her fall into a fireplace and fire a year after leaving the WH brought about her slow demise. She was interred on the grounds of their estate near the base of a copse of pine trees where she remained until November 16, 1903, when she was removed and taken to Hollywood Cemetery to rest beside her husband, interred two days later.

The grisly task of embalming the much emaciated President Garfield. The undertaker made a mistake by using the wrong embalming fluid. So, rather than arresting the decomposition process, Garfield's remains began to show signs of decay visible during the viewing by federal officials in the U.S. Capitol. His skin showed tones of yellow, copper, black, blue, purple and grey; and an unpleasant odor being present due to active decomposition. His skin was dry tight, making his appearance worse and more dramatic. Dark circles had formed under his eyes. And his nose looked "unnaturally long, sharp, and hooked." His sad appearance necessitated a closed casket, thereby saving his wife, Lucretia, from a very painful viewing experience.

OTD: Monday, September 19, 1881. President Garfield was seventy-nine days in recovery after being shot in the back at the Baltimore and Potomac Depot in Washington. The beginning of the end came at 9:50 AM with a twenty-minute episode of rigor he suffered during a wound dressing. He complained of being cold, suffered tremors, shaking, and, depending on the source, “severe retching.” He was quickly made comfortable, fell asleep, somehow ate, but continued to suffer from chills. Two of his physicians, Drs. Bliss and Agnew, were of the mind that if his rigors continued, he’d live less than 48-hours. Their prescience proved accurate. Dr. Doctor (yes, that was his first name) Bliss was of the mind the rigors were in Garfield’s right lung, his exhaustion caused by blood poisoning; important to note the medical record doesn’t support rigor being tied to the right lung. Although he was focused on the “rigors,” his stance on Garfield’s recovery came largely from appearance: he didn’t look sick, well, at least in facial appearance. Contrary to Dr. Bliss, Dr. Agnew did not fall prey to false optimism. When he was asked about Garfield’s condition, he responded in four words, “There is no hope,” a position supported by Garfield’s wife, Lucretia. At 11:10 AM, Garfield’s surgical sites were examined; a putrid, rotting odor emanated, the odor detected before the sites were examined. Under the dressing, the surgical site was pinkish red, weeping, gooey, festering, and warm to the touch-all signs pointing to a major infection. Half past noon, Garfield was asleep, sweating profusely. Mid-day, he was awake, aware of his surroundings. Contrary to the opinion of lead physician, Dr. Bliss, Garfield was subdued on his outlook and recovery, mindful of his frail state. Resting in bed, he asked for a mirror. Staring at his reflection he spoke in a hoarse voice, “I cannot understand why I am so weak when I look so well.” Garfield knew very little of the severity of the infection and the true nature of his condition. Throughout Francklyn cottage, rumours swirled of Garfield’s impending demise. The cabinet, accepting the inevitable, informed Vice-President Arthur to report to Long Branch (he arrived the day Garfield was taken by train to Washington). By late afternoon, all those in the cottage accepted the coming fate of the President and that medical intervention had run its course. In the evening hours, Garfield spent much of his time sleeping, yet, somehow, he was still able to eat and hold down his food. At 10:00 PM, he was sleeping comfortably in his candle lit bedroom. Long-time friend, Gen. Swaim, and a servant by the name of Daniel, kept watch. Dr. Bliss, staying down the hall, checked on Garfield, who woke briefly. Dr. Bliss asked him if he was comfortable. “Not at all,” responded Garfield. Dr. Bliss, at a loss, went back to his room and Gen. Swaim applied warm towels to his friend’s cold limbs to offer some relief. In the minutes between 10:10 and 10:15 PM, he woke up and asked for water. Gen. Swaim held up the glass of water for Garfield and wiped sweat from his brow. He complained of chest pain, placed a hand on his chest, and spoke for the last time, “Oh Swaim, can you stop this…Oh Swaim” and fell unconscious. Daniel held a candle over Garfield’s face, his eyes half open and rolled up, the whites showing. Daniel ran from the room and came back with Dr. Bliss. Dr. Bliss and Gen. Swaim tried in vain to revive Garfield by massaging his limbs. His pulse was checked, his heartbeat faint and weak. “My God, Gen. Swaim, he is dying, send for Mrs. Garfield.” He also asked for Drs. Agnew and Hamilton. Dr. Agnew walked into the room, joined by Dr. Boynton; Dr. Hamilton could not be found. Lucretia arrived, saw her husband, and was overcome, “Oh!, why am I made to suffer this cruel wrong?” she cried. At 10:35 PM, Garfield stopped breathing and his heart gave out. Cause of death: massive septic infection.

OTD in 1996, Spiro Theodore Agnew (VP under Nixon) passed away from acute leukemia at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, Maryland. (He collapsed at home the previous day.) He's 1 of 5 VPs to be cremated and he is 1 of 5 VPs who served in the military during WW2. Of the five, four went on to become President (L. Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Bush Sr.).

Random President Sighting: The John F. Kennedy Bridge in Vienna, Austria.