Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-05-12

duced profoun d sensation here, and as much
OF sy ympathy, CONSERVATION and dismay as can
be conceived, in fact. as to all Of these feelings,
second only to one other calamity which might
have afflicted this nation and the world. 1t
was little after twelve O'Clock when the first
telegram was received announcing this sad
occurrence; this, like all other bad news,
spread rapidly, and in less than half an hour
the Exchange, where the kilograms were
posted, was thronged with persons in whose
faces was depicted an expression Of the deep
est anxiety. Very many were reluctant to be-
lieve the news, and in state OF feverIsh and
eager desire chung to the hope thatthe telegram
was some stock jobbing trick or fraud for some
sinister purpose, and in these times when so
much is done fer the sake of creating a sensa-
ton, or for some more unworthy end, 1t is no
wonder that even the public should at length
have been taught to be cautious, and be slow to
Nearly tff three Hours passed away without the
receipt of any confirmation Of the, first tele-
gram, and hope was reviving when the full
details CT the great tragic occurrences just per-
petrated at Washington came to hand. Then
there was no face In which grief was not de-
picted no sentiment uttered but that OF abhor-
renee at these foul crimes. Of fthe-trutn OF that
the American people may rest assured, SO far
as this town is concerned; for although there
has always been q strong feeling OF sympathy
here for the Southerners, a,pd never more SO
Lee and his hand, there is nothing but detes-
tation at the huge murder with which this
fratricidal war has just been crowned. The
Mayor was in London when this affecting
news was received, but he was Immediately
telegraphed to by MIR Alderman Hawkes., with
the view to some iHIpedate expression in ref
erence to this untoward event by the authori-
MT. Henry Van Vert, an American by birth.
but resident here for nearly sixty years, and
| closely connected with the family OF WASH.
irgton Irving, heard the sad news whilst
| sitting on the bench as magistrate; ne, too'
| a strong Northern partisan, came to the EX-
charge fn of gieh ths 'H
| been Slain in such crisis Of his country's his
| tory. go =
! Mr., LfncoIn's Loss to America Irrepa-
rable.
| From the LondoH Times, April 27
| The American news which we publish this
| morning will be received throughout Europe
/ with sorrow as sincere and profound as II
ewoke even in the United States themselves,
Mr.. Lincoln has fallen at the hands Of an
assassin, and Mr. Seward has too, probably,
shared his fate Deeds OF such afro.
city cover their perpetrators with everlasting
mfamy, and discredit the cause they are pre-
| sumably meant to serve. We trust 1t will
appear that the crimes of Wilkes Booth and his
accomplice were conceived and executed in
concert with one but themselves. The
South, broken and defeated, could receive no
possible benefit from the removal OF MI Lin.
the crime is an accession OF madness and anger,
rendering all schemes Of reconstruction lmpos-
sible. On the other hand, the waving Of a
knife before the affrighted audience at the
theater, and the Sic semper tyranHis, pronounced
| by the assassin, indicate the vanity OF men
|
tostratus, though the world should perish.
| Unjust as we believe it to be, the OonIed-
crate cause will not escape the dishonor cast
! upon 1t by the wanton murders of the Presi-
dent and the Secretary. The admiration Won
by the long and gallant defence OF Rlcnmona
will be Iessened; the memory Of Lees lofty
will be obscured by the atrocities committed in
the name and on behalf of the South. Arson
in New York and assassination in the capital
dim the lustre Of four years resistance to SUI
l nj
The critical condition of affairs in America,
the position OF the southern States at the feet
Of their victorious antagonists the gigantic task
of reconstruction, which must be undertaken
by the political leaders of the North, and,
above all, the unpromising character of the
man whom an accident has made the ruler OF
| the Union for the next four years, tend to exalt
our estimate OF the loss which the States have
suffered in the murder of their President; but
1t would be unjust to acknowledge that Mr..
| Lincoln was man who could not, under any
| circumstances, have been easily replaced.
Starting from an humble position to one of
great eminence, and adopted by the Republican
party as makeshitt, simply because Mr.. Sew
| ward and other prominent leaders were OBJ
noxious to different sections of the party, it
was natural that his career should be watched
with jealous suspicion. The Office cast upon
him was great, its duties were most onerous,
| and the obscurity of his past career afforded no
guarantee Of his ability to discharge them.
His shortcomings, moreover were on the
surface. The education of a man whose early
| years had been spent in earning bread by man
ual labor had necessarily been detective, and
faults Of manner and errors of taste repelled
| the observer at the outset In spite Of these
drawbacks, MIR. Lincoln slowly won for him
self the respect and confidence OF all. His per-
feet honesty speedily became apparent, and
what is, perhaps, more to his credit, amid the
meny unstudled speeches which he was called
upon from time to time to deliver, imbued
though they were with the rough humor of his
early associates, he was in none OF them be-
trayed into any intemperance of language to-
ward his opponents or toward neutrals. His
utterances Were apparently careless, but his
tongue was always under command.
The quality Of Mr.. Lincoln's administration,
which served, however, more than any other
TO enlist the sympathy of bystanders, was its
: conservative progress. He felt his way grad.
| ually to his conclusions, and those who will
, compare the different stages OF his career, one
= with another, will find that his mind was
l growing throughout the course Of it, The
: aatuete with which he once suggested to the
negroes that they should take themselves of
to Central America, because their presence ir
, the States was inconvenient to the white pop
4 uiaton soon disappeared. The gradual changt
| of his language and OF his policy was mos
y | remarkable. Englishmen learned to respect
; | man who showed the best characteristics o
their race in his respect for what is gooo in tn
!. past, acting in unison with recognition o
what was made necessary by the events o
! passing history. But the growth OF Mr. Ldn
: | coins mind was subject to 8 singular modifi
cation. 1t would seem that he felt himself o
late mere instrument engaged in WORKING
, out great cause, which ne could partl.
| control, e.. tst ~.
I Mr.. Lincoln the Finest Character Devel
r | oped by the War.
I From the London Star, April 21l :.
5 The appalling tragedy that has just beel
s perpetrated at Washington is absolutely with
? out historical precedent Not in the records O
+ the fiercest European con nvulsion, in the dark
| est hour of partisan Aatreds, have we an ex
. ample OF an assassin plot at once so foul an
r SO senseless, so horrible and so successful, a
4 that to which Abraham Lin coin has alread
9 fallen victim, and from which William H
= Seward can hardly escape. Only in such in
t stances as the murder of William of Orange
| of Henri Quatre, or of Capodstria, have W
y ! any deed approaching in hideous ferocity t
t that which has just robbed the United State
| | from the fanatics hateful point OF view ther
!, | was at least something to be said for men hk
I | Balthazar Gerard and. Ravaillac. They q
r | least might have believed that they saw EN-
bodied in their victims the whole living princi