Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-04-15

President Lincoln SInd
Sec'y Seward Aur-
derod In Cold
90 Blood. aG .

Hood a0 !.
.. zT4 sf
The entire country has to-day been plung-
ed into . state Of widest excitement and
deepest grief, by the receipt. Of the shock.
ing intelligence that Abraham Lincoln, Pres
ident Of the United States. and William H.
Seward, Secretary Of State, were both assas-
sinated last night-the former in his bod
| At Ford's Theatre in Washington, by the
treason stained hand Of ]. Wilkes Booth,
the actor, who shot bis victim through the
brain and the latter At his residence in the
same city, in the midst Of his family, while
prostrated on sick bed, and in An entirely
helpless condition, by the knife Of some
accursed assassin, who forced his way into
his victims presepce, and who is yet uh-,
known.
Never, in al our country's history, was
there perpetrated such a deed Of horror
The heart fairly sickehs ct the thought oft.
It is not solely because Abraham Lincoln
and William II. Seward are the victims Of
this atrocity, for they were Of flesh aud
blood like the rest ofus, and many such
have been murdered but the fact that those
persons who were thus iNbumanly dealt
With, were the two first men Of the Govern
ment-the Chief Executive and his Premier
officer-makes the foul deed national ca
lamity,-and carries with it anguish to the
heart of every friend Of his country. What
though Abraham Lincoln was not the ma
Of our choice !; he was our President STILL
What though he might have erred, in the
opinion Of many Of this sovereign people,
still he was the Constitutional head Of the
Government, and as such Was entitled to cur
protection and respect.
lie is dead-died by the hand of an
assassin! Wherefores What incentive
was there to perpctratc that act Of infamys
Were there grievances to avenge9 What
glievences could be atoned for by this
murders Were the tottering fortunes Of
the accnrsed rebellion to be propped up ?
What could any friend Of that unholy
proceeding hope to gain BY this double
assassination? It could not be that, for the
rebellion was in its coffin, and that our
brave men in the field were driving home the
last nail; and no earthly aid could have
saved it from its meritcd fate.
Was it in order to secure to the "Con-
:, federacy' better terms? Surely, then, the
+ blow was misspcnt, tar better far were it
\ for the South, that the events Of the next
4 few months were in Mr.. Lincoln's hands
+ than those Of some others that might be
8 named. Such atrocities instead Of work
y ing favorably in the behalf Of those who
8 have been engaged in this rebellion, only tend
4 to increase and intensity their already
q heavy burden Of self.incurrcd misery and
4 desolation. What then could have fur.
y nished the motive that nerved the arms
q Of the assassirss II must have been this
y and nothing elsc-the elimination Of tina
\ devilish spirit Of secession-hatred-h
RI kissing, polluted-devilkh hatred tha
n has for years and years ranked and fes
y tered in the inmost hearts Of those wht
q hated the Union-hatod the thoughts O
O it before it was Union, and have hatet
n it from generation to generation, from
q father to son, ever since. This II wa
n and nothing more! There was nothing
M 10 be gained and much to he lost by thi
damnable act, but what cared they-th
assassins.-in whose hearts was pent NJ
n that venemous enmity to our country AMI
to our flagl
n The nation is in deep mourning to-day. 1t
sanctuary has been invaded, and its cho
\ sen leaders struck down: the deepes
crime next to that taking away the life o
the nation itself has been perpetrated. I
is an outrage upon the world for which n
bodily punishment visited upon the per
sons ofthe murdersrs can atone in any per
ccptible degree even were they in the hand
ofjustice-and We know not whether the.
are or not.
We have no heart to pursue this subjec
to any great extent to-day-feeling or en-
tire inadequaey 10 Do n that ample justic
that the enormity ofthe case demands. Tru
Il does not strike any fatal blow to our be
loved ceantry thank Cod shs liyes an
possesses dssrss sf vitality thss no rebs
hand can paralyxs-aheart 20 imprcsnabl,
walled about with strong arms snd' 'firm bay
onets that no poisoned dagger Of sscessio