The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-04-17
The Nations Bereavement.

A new calamity has fallen suddenly upon
Aour afflicted country, yet bleeding from the
#wounds of wasting and CHASTITY war
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the reyered and beloved
a Chief Magistrate, in the midst of the glory O
Ia great victory, which he was waiting to ranc
Htiiy with clemency. crowned with the splen
ms Tame immortal among the benefactors o.
Hmankind, enshrined in the hearts Of his coun
Atrymen by the constancy with which he ha:
#maintained the Republic in its severest peril
#worshipped as the Messiah of Liberty By ioul
amillions of toe oppressed poor, has fallen un.
8der the the insidious shot of the conspirator
%dnd assassin
"A This great country bushes the shouts of ex-
Hultation with which it was welcoming the
Hbloodess achievement that gave the assurance
of peace and the restoration of public order,
Sdrapes in sombre black the lowered flag, the
Symbol of victory and reconciliation, and
mourns the suddea death of its first citizen,
Z its trusted leader, its purest patriot.
A common grief overbears and controls all
( the animosity of party prejudice; and citizen
sgrasps the hand of citizen under an overpow-
Sering consciousness of a common loss Nor
fare our countrymen alone in this bereave-
3ment. Only Washington alone of all Ameri-
cans has attained that eminence of fame
Throughout the civilized world that will asso
3ciate the name of LINCOLN imperishably with
! the emancipation of four million slaves, the
rescue of the great Republic from the danger
ito which the envy and hatred of tyrants and
3aristocrats had doomed it, and the new impe-
tus given to democratic ideas by the success
3ful issue OF the greatest experiment in history
lof self-government.
What persons or powers stood behind the
dagger of the assassin that has assailed so sue
]cessfully the eminent lives of the President
land his Chief Secretary we do not know. and
may never know. OF this much, however. we
|may assure ourselves. This crime, kindred
Ito the assault upon an eloquent Senator toI
THE untold barbarities of Southern pIanta-
|tions, to attempted arson and assassination
land accomplished robbery in Northern cities !.
|and upon our Eastern and Northern frontiers
Ito the fendish mutilation of our honoredl
dead on the battle field, and to the worse than!
Indian cruelty with which thousands of sweet
land noble lives of American youth have beenI
wasted in the slow agonies of poisoned air.
land putrid food, and starvation in rebel pris,
ions, steams up from the hell of AMERICAN
SLAVERY, rendered demoniac by the madness
|of rebellion. F2 ~ a
While with magnanimous hearts we were
beginning to apologize for our victories, andS
asking each other If there were any real
sons why misguided men, who, not knowing
what they did, had sought the destruction of
the government, should not be forgiven ands
restored to their old fellowship in the Repub-A
lie, the hellish spirit of slavery, forced byE
military power to let its victims go, was con
irving how, in its own stealthy, and treach-E5
erous, and dastardIy methods it might conn.,
pass characteristic revenge. 1t has actedl
out its own malignity. Its dagger has sought
the heart of the very men in our governments
most conspicuous for their magnanimity, who. {
from the first outbreak of rebellion have neith-B
er uttered word nor done an act that was mott
by the fraternal feelings of the pa. /
triot and the charity OF the christian.
The fell spirit Of the demon that has dis Il
turbed our peace, and made itself drunk withS
the blood of our brothers and our children,
will not have peace nor amnesty. Let its
meet the doom it has imprecated upon iiselfls
Let the peoples vengeance re enforce the ter
rors of the judgments of Almighty God, and
hurl it to swift and utter damnation!
While the law in its stately majesty visits
with its just punishment the architects and8
agents of this bloody rebellion, and crushas I
The poor wretches who have brought thes
stealthy arts of arson and assassination to-
accomplish its ruin or to revenge its disasters,
let the people gather around their slain Chief3
4
And dip their napkins in his sacred bio d." q
while they swear with hand grasped to hand,
LIVE THE REPuBLIcl DEATHTo SLAVERY,
MOTHER OF TREASON, REBELL1oN ANDE
% An unoccupied house in Rockland was de- s
,troyed BY fire on Tuesday of last week ,--prob- 4
IDLY the work Of an incsndiary.