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MARY EDITH RUSK : 1893 - 1894 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY THE DAUGHTER OF THE GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN, A DEDICATED DIARIST WHO DETAILS HER FATHER'S LAST DAYS OF PAIN MERE WEEKS AFTER THE PLEASURE OF SEEING THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR AND MUCH MORE

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. Offered is a super, original, significant manuscript diary dated January 1st 1893 through November 30th 1894 handwritten by Mary Edith Rusk, the daughter of Wisconsin Governor Jeremiah Rusk. Born on January 11th 1862 thusly 30 when she began writing January 1st 1893 from Washington DC. In a tight small hand Miss Rusk well filled the notebook with details her life with clarity and an erudition speaking of a fine education. She also writes of significant times but perhaps of particular interest to researchers and historians of late 19th Century Wisconsin will be the awful last days of the Governor's life: "Papa had a bad night but I guess is some better…Papa has been very sick all day and tonight is no better. Charity is here and the Dr is to stay all night…Some improvement in papa today but he is very weak. I am to sit up with him tonight. Papa had a very bad night and a very hard weak spell about three. Dr Lull took himself off home at one o'clock in spite of all…I sat up until half past five so am done up…Papa was nervous last night so took a capsule and rested some and today has been so much more like himself. Papa is alarmingly ill and we have telegraphed for Dr Hamilton. He felt badly all day and about five this afternoon he had a slight chill so I telegraphed for Dr Schreiner to come down for the night. Dr Golt came up about 6 and papa's temperature had run up to 103. We are worried to death…Dr Golt came about 8 and Dr Hamilton got here at a little before nine. We were glad indeed to see him. He made a thorough examination and decided at once that there must be an operation an incision in the bladder so it could be washed out and treated. It was his only chance for his life and of course we felt it must be done, otherwise he would die of blood poison…Dr Hamilton felt very confident it would give him relief and he would recover but it is still extremely anxious time that we are in…A whole month has gone and I have not once written in my diary but so much sorrow and trouble has come to us that it has been quite impossible. My darling father has left us and we are so desolate. He died Tuesday morning November 21 about a quarter before eight, very suddenly all the days after the operation we could see so little improvement and there were so many trials…" Other significant writings include seven full pages of her time at the Columbian Exposition with her father just months before his death. Here are some snippets: "Spent the morning picking up the things I wanted to take to Chicago. Papa and Blaine went downtown afternoon did not do much and now we are started on our way. Blaine and I out I imagine won't stay long… I think both Blaine and I have been a little bit sorry we came but we are here anyway. We were on time this AM and came directly down to the ground. We spent about two hours looking for a place to say and finally found this at 5422 M Ave. We went to the fair and spent the day wandering about and did not accomplish much. Walked down the midway and met up on the Ferris Wheel… Chicago Oct 9 A great day this has been. This morning we met around 54th street for our breakfast and then started for the Fair. Blaine went to the gate with me and then left me as he wanted to go up town. I found vast numbers of people in the grounds. I went through the California building also some other state buildings, the Children's Building, Puck White Stare then over to the Wisconsin Building to meet Blaine at noon. Such a crowd of people I despaired of his coming. Met Bunn and Fanny and some other friends, Blaine came at one o'clock. We went to the Public Comfort for lunch and then walked through Transportation through the Pavilion to Forestry…Krupp Gun and back through the Manufacture Building over to Wisconsin again. Found a chair to sit and rest and who should come along but Henry Lindemann. Was much surprised… Sat on the porch and waited for the parade of Floats but it did not come so we started off to see the fireworks and saw the parade also. It was very pretty indeed. Walked through the? Island which was so beautifully illuminated and over to the Fisheries, went through the aquarium… There were 716 thousand and over paid admissions to the Fair yesterday and there really seemed most as much of a crowd today. I spent the morning in the art gallery mostly in Russia, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway and Italy, some fine things too. Met Blaine at one for lunch and we had it on the roof garden at the California Building…Henry and I went first through the Illinois Building and then through the foreign buildings and enjoyed them very much…Came back through the Manufacturers and over to Wisc again… All went for lunch down to the White Horse Inn after many trials trying to find a place came back to the ? sidewalk and there through Liberal Arts. We got so tired, we found a seat on the lake and listened to the music for an hour…Blaine and I went to Van hornets for cocoa came over to Wisconsin…we met at the court of honor to al see the Fireworks. They were beautiful and the Electric fountain and the illumination….was beautiful a sight never to be forgotten… This morning Blaine went downtown and I met Jennie at Wisconsin. I stopped and wrote a note to H and then we went to take the Intramural over to Agriculture. It was so warm and pleasant we rode for nearly an hour and then went through Machinery Hall, Agricultural Hall and over to La Rabid to use one of the most interesting places on the ground. So many Columbus Relics and valuable pictures and papers from the vatican… Mrs Horton her husband was with her we came back past the Santa Maria, the Pinta, the Nina over to Liberal Arts. A wind had come up from the Lake and a heavy fog was the result so it was most disagreeable. We went to a few more of the foreign buildings I had not been to a number of the state buildings…Miss AF and I walked through a number of the galleries and she told me many interesting things about the pictures. We met Mr Phillipine station commissioner and he told us a great deal about Italy's pictures and statue. We came across a picture My Studio by Karl Kahler a beautiful thing which has a cut across the face. Mr Kahler painted a picture of which this is a copy and sold it with the promise that he would never reproduce it but he did paint this one for the Exposition. He was offered $16000 for it by a wealthy New Yorker and for fear he would accept it and so ruin his reputation he took a knife and cut it across. It is a most beautiful picture, he must be found of Persian cats as he has one in this picture and has all painted a Happy Family with a number of them… We are just about to start for home this morning Jennie and I went to the Fair. Went over to the Art Gallery to see Miss F a moment first spent some little time there and then went to the ? building through Fisheries and Government and to Manufactures…I met Mamie Jackson and had quite a little visit with her…had some Brazilian Coffee and went to the midway…went to the Woman's building we went outside the grounds a little after four and came up on the Illinois Central Railway by the time we got up town it was raining hard." The plain 7 x 4½ inch book is shaken with a couple of loose pages though complete and very legible. Overall G.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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