The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-06-10

pfoioundesi peace, for the person at the
nead OF the nation 70 remain SO unpro.
tected.s d ,s,'',
Even granting, Mr.. Lincoln y I said.
tnat no aseassln should seek your life. the
large number Of lunatics always in COM
muni!y, and always larger In times like
inese, and the tendency which INSANITY
has to strike at shining objects, or whom
soever - most talked about, should lead. I
summit, to some guards about the place.
and 10 some permanent officers with the
power and duty ofquestioniDg all who
seek 70 enter. TO this added some brief
sketch Of the all but innumerable crazy
letters and projects which were continually
oeing received at Gen. Halleck's head.
quarters. and which he had one day
laughingly turned over 10 me-. on the
ground that now and then wrote verses.
There are two dangers, therefore,, I
wound up by saying, ",he danger ofAeIih.
crate political assassination and themerG
brute violence of insanity,''
M. Lincoln had heard me with smile,
his hands still locked across his knees
and his body still rocking back and forth
the common indication that he was
amused.
Now, as to political assassination. he
said, "do yoG think the Richmond people
would like 10 have Hannibal Haml!n here
any better than myself? In tha; one alter
native. l have an Insurance on my life
worth halfthe prairie land Of Illinois And
besides" more Sravely-.if there
were such plot. and they wanted 10 get
at me, no vigilance could keep them out.
We are SO mixed up in our affairs. that
no matter what the system es.ablished-a
conspiracy to assassinate, If such there
were, could easily obtain pass to see me
for any one or more Of its instruments.
To betray fear Of this, by placing guards
and SO forth, would only be to put the idea
into their heads, and perhaps lead to the
very result It was intended to prevent. As
to the crazy folks, Major, why. must onlv
'take my chances-the worst crazv people
at present, 1eak. being some of my own
too Jealous adherents. That there NAV be
such dangers as you and many others have
suggested to me, is quite possible; but I
guess it wouldn't improve thines anv to
publish that We were afraid of thcm in adj
vance,"
At this point, the President tarned to the
papers had brought over for his sigma.
ture, and signing them, handed them to
me with some message for General Hal
9eck. Whereupon bowed myself out. aud
the stream of onsniln, -gtsthey1sm humanity,
from the waiting rooms again co.nmerced
flowing in upon hiin--sometimes in indi-
vidual, sometimes in deputational or coll
iectiye waves.
The whole interview I Gave here narrat-
ed, though taking SO much longer to tell.
had probably NOT endured over ten or fif.
teen minutes; and il was the first, although
not the only time. that heard Mr.. Lincoln
discuss the possibility of an attempt to as
sassinate him.
The second tine was when he came over
one evening after diQner te Isn. Halleek's
private quarters to protest jocalarly.
half III earnest against small detach. |
mentof cavalry which had been detached |
without his request, and partly against his !
guard for his carriage in going to and re-
turning from the Solti;ers' Home. The
burden OF his complaint was that he and |
Mrs. Lincoln s'conldn't hear themselves
talk" for tho clatter OF their sabres and |
spurs; and that, as many Of them appeared |
new nands and very awkward, he was
more efraid Of being shot by the acciden-
tai discharge Of one Of their carbines or |
revoivers than Of any attempt upon his |
life or for his capture by the rowing bands
of Jeb Stuart's cavalry, then lowering all /
around the exterior works Of tho city.
This conversation is related, as repro
duced by memory of perhaps moro than I
average tenacity, precisely as the writer
would re-Word the matter II called on to
give evidence thereanent in . court OF ius-
lice. Nothing has been added to It, nor
suppressed, that / can recpllect.-
The President . -emarks-perhaps solilo.
quy were the better tefm-relative TO the
necessity Of constant inter communion
with the average people Of the country,
made deep Impression on me; and his
FALLING these general receptions his ''pub-
ic opinion baths" was phrase not soon
% be forgotten. RS3