BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.  Original May 6, 1790 edition of Thomas’s Massachusetts Spy: Or, The Worcester Gazette newspaper containing Isaiah Thomas’ announcement on the graphic death of Benjamin Franklin: “On Saturday night last departed this life, in the 85th year of his age, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, of this city.  We are favoured with the following short account of Doctor Franklin’s last illness, by his attending Physician.  The stone, with which he had been afflicted for several years, had for the last twelve months confined him chiefly to his bed; and during the extreme painful paroxysms, he was obliged to take large doses of laudanum to mitigate his tortures–still, in the intervals of pain, he not only amused himself with reading and conversing cheerfully with his family and a few friends, who visited him, but was often employed in doing business of a publick as well as private nature, with various persons, who waited on him for that purpose…acknowledged his grateful sense of the many blessings he had received from that Supreme Being, who had raised him from small and low beginnings to such high rank and consideration among men…In this frame of body and mind he continued until five days before his death, when his pain and difficulty of breathing entirely left him, and his family were flattering themselves with the hopes of his recovery, when an imposthumation, which had formed itself in his lungs, suddenly burst, and discharged a great quantity of matter, which he continued to throw up while he had sufficient strength to do it, but, as that failed, the organs of respiration became gradually oppressed–a calm lethargic state succeeded–and on the 17th instant, about eleven o’clock at night, he quietly expired, closing a long and useful life of eighty four years and three months.”

ORIGINAL MAY 6, 1790 EDITION OF THOMAS’S MASSACHUSETTS SPY: OR, THE WORCESTER GAZETTE NEWSPAPER CONTAINING ISAIAH THOMAS’ ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE GRAPHIC DEATH OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Thomas (1749–1831) was an important colonial-era American printer and publisher, second in renown only to Franklin (1706–1790).  Also contains the U.S. House of Representatives response to Franklin’s death from Congressman James Madison: “‘The house being informed of the decease of Benjamin Franklin, a citizen whose native genius was not more an ornament to human nature, than his various exertions of it have been precious to science, to freedom, and to his country, do resolve, as a mark of the veneration due to his memory, that the members wear the customary badge of mourning for one month.’”

“AN IMPOSTHUMATION, WHICH HAD FORMED ITSELF IN HIS LUNGS, SUDDENLY BURST, AND DISCHARGED A GREAT QUANTITY OF MATTER, WHICH HE CONTINUED TO THROW UP WHILE HE HAD SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO DO IT, BUT, AS THAT FAILED, THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION BECAME GRADUALLY OPPRESSED–A CALM LETHARGIC STATE SUCCEEDED–AND ON THE 17TH INSTANT, ABOUT ELEVEN O’CLOCK AT NIGHT, HE QUIETLY EXPIRED, CLOSING A LONG AND USEFUL LIFE OF EIGHTY FOUR YEARS AND THREE MONTHS.”

Printed in Worcester, MA as Vol. XIX, No. 892, contains four pages, measures 18 by 11 inches, and in fine condition with toning, minor creasing along the borders, and a small hole near the top border.