Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-05-30

aud'are apter and Hpter, with each passing
day to forget that they only hold power 10
representative capacity: Now this is all
wrong. ! go into these promiscuous re-.
ceptious of all who claim to have business
with me twice each week, aud every appli.
cant for audience has TO take his turn as if
waiting to be shaved In a barber's shop
Many Of the matters brought to my notice
are utterly fFiyolous, but others are of
more or less Importance, aud all serve 10
renew me in a clearer aud more vivid
image of that great popular assemblage
out of which l I.spraug, and to which at the
end OF two years must return. tell you,
Major" he said--appearing at this point to
recollect was in the room, for the former
part of these remarks had been made with
half shut eyes, as if in soliloquy-'I tell
you that call these receptions my public
opinion baths-for have but little time
to read the papers and gather public opin-
ion that way; ;and though they may not be
pleasant in all their pArticulars, the effect,
as whole, Is renoVatipE and inyigoratiug
to my perceptions Of Responsibility and
duty. 1t would never do for President
to have guards with drawn, sabres at his
door, as if he fsncied he. were, or were try
ing to be, or were assuming to be, an en-
peror." -'",'
This remark about "guards with drawn
sabres at his door" called my attention
afresh to what had remarked to myself
almost every time enered the White
House, both then and since and to which
l had very frequently called the attention
both of Major Hay and Gen. Halleck-the
utterly unprotected condition of the Presi-
dents person, and the fact that auy assas.
sin or maniac, seeking his life, could enter
his spresence without the interference of a
single armed man to hold him back, The
entrance doors, aud all doors on the official
side of the building, were open at all hours
of the day and very late into the evening :;
and have many times entered the mansion
and walked up to the rooms OF the two pri-
Vate secretaries as late as or 10 o'clock
at night, without seeing or being chslleng-
ed by single soul. There were, indeed,
two attendants-one for the outer door
and the other for the door of the official
chambers; but these-thinking, suppose,
that none would call after Office hours save
persons who were personally acquainted
or had the right of official entry-were, not
unfrtquently, somewhat remiss in their
duties.
To this fact I now Ventured to cell the
Presidents attention, saying that to me
perhaps from my European education-it
appeared deliberate counting OF danger,
even if the country were in q state of the
profouudest peace, for the person ct the
head Of the nation to remain 90 unprotected.
"Eyen granting, Mr.. Lincoln" I said
"that no assassin should seek your life, the
large number of lunatics always in COM
munity, and always larger in times like
these, and the tendency which insanity has
to strike at shining objects, or whomsoever
10 moot talked nbout, ahouId leRd-T sub
mit-to some guards about the place and to
some permanent officers with the power
and duty of questioning all who seek to
enter" To this added some brief sketch
of the all but innumerable crazy letters and
projects which were continually being re-
ceived at Gen. Halleck's hesdquarter and
which he had one day laughingly turned
over to me, on the ground that now and
then wrote verses.
"There are two dangers, therefore" l
wound up by saying: "the danger of de-
lberate political assassination, and the
mere brute violence of insanity.
Mr.. Lincoln had heard me with smile,
his hands locked across his knees, aud his
body still rocking back and forth-the COM
mon indication that he was amused.
"EOw, as to political assassination" he
said, "do you think the Richmond people
would like to have Hannibal Hamliu here
any better than myself7 In that one al
Tentative, / have an insurance on my life
worth half the prairie land of Illinois.
Aud besides" II this more gravely-"if
there were such plot, and they wanted
to get at ne, no vigilance could keep them
out. We are so much mixed up in our at.
fairs, that-no matter what the system es-
tablished-a conspiracy to assassinate, If
such there were could easily obtain pass
to see me for any one or more of it's in
struments.
ITO betray fear of this, by placing
guards or 90 forth, would only be to put
the idea into their heads, and perhaps lead
to the very result it was intended to pre-
vent. As to the crazy folks, Major, why
must only take my chances-the worst
crazy people at present fear being some
of my ewn too jealous adherents. That
there. may be such dangers that you
and many others have suggested to me, is
quite possible, but guess it wouldn't i'm =
prove things any to publish that we were
afraid of them in advance"
At this point tho President turned to
the papers l. had brought over for his sig.
nature, and signing them, banded them to
me with some message for Gen. Halleck.-
Whereupou bowed myself out, aud the
stream of emnium. .gatherum humanity from
the waiting rooms again commenced flow
ing in upon him-sometimes in individual
sometimes in deputstional or collective
waves.
The whole interview 1 have here nar-
rated, though taking so much longer to
tell, had probably not endured over ten or
fifteen minutes; and it was the first, al.
though not the only time, that heard Mr..
Lincoln discuss the possibility of an at.
tempt TO asssssinate him.
The second time was whom he came
over one evening after dinner to General
Halleck's private quarters to protsst-halt
jocularly, half in esrnest-against small
detachment of cavalry which had been de.
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