Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1861-03-06
Old Abe's Flight.

The black republicans of the North have
sung paans to the firmness and courage of their
President elect, and endeavored to endow him
with Jack oman bravery and heroism-but
all this is dispelled before he reaches the
Chair Presidential-by a flight from an i'm
aginary conspiracy against his precious life,
premedltated by some naughty fellows at Bal
timore or somewhere else, between Ph'la lei
phia and Washington. We hardly know
which feature of the farce most to laugh over
the cowardice of the Bombastes Furioso who
declared in Philadelphia that he would not
give up the principles of his party, though
he knew he should suffer assassination on
account of them-or the ludicrousness of the
disguise he assumed in six hours thereafter
to D prevent the assassination he protested TO
defy.
The inimitable speeches of the President
elect on theroute to Philadelphia, clearly show
that he is an orator of no mean pretensions
and as be Was already a hero, perhaps he
wished to follow in the footsteps of his IL
~lustrious predecessor" the great Athenian
orator, Demosthenes, whe threw away his
shield and ran in the first conflict in which
he became engaged. Or more probably, ht
took for his example his great prototype il
oratory, Cicero, who history Informs us, raj
hither and thither to save himself from assas
~sination, though very brave in defamation
on the forum. Slncho Panzo, too, was very
brave in words, but had a very cowardly
pair Of heels, that would carry his body away
from every danger, imaginary or real, leavin,
his t~aciturn chief to encounter the wind mill
in his path, as did the Knight of the Raj
basely desert his wife and the young Prince
exposing them to an assassination intended onl
for himself. What a remarkable instance
-~~-.a-+ l~~~Jr naUure-seII preservation 4.
The course pursuedby Lincoln is e~xplaine
excused, and apologized for by his black r,
publican friends in various ways; but tn
truth Of the following statement is vouche,
for by Marshal Kane, Of Baltimore
: at appears that a few hundred men, pa,
, ticularly obnoxious to the people and publ
| sentiment of b Gilmore, had determined t
: avail themselves of the opportunity to US
: Mr.. Lincoln, and to accompany him in pro
: c~essipn from the depot TO his hotel.
:, They applied to Marshal Krne for prote,
i tion by the police. He advised against III
i proceeding, assuring the parties that Will
t Mr.. Lincoln, in his passage through Bait
more, would be treated with the respect du
to him personally and to his high official pc
I, sition, there was no guaranty that the pr
s posed procession would be similarly respec
: ed. He thought, moreover, that the proceec
o ing would be calculated to place the peop
? Of B fillmore in a false position, as Meth,
: tpey nor the citizens OF Mar land sympathizt
8 with Mr.. Lincoln political views. He advise
d therefore, that the idea of procession shou
r be abandoned, lest it might provoke son
indignity which would involve the charact,
;" of Baltimore and be very unpleasant 10 Il
n President elect.
1t appear, however, that the parties insi
e ted on their programme, when Mr.. Linco
was advised If the facts, and urged to pa
Ii immediately through to Washington"