Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-04-17

he day.
After a pleasant ride Of FIVE hours
over one of the best roads in the West
under the care CT that model Conductor,
Jimmy Ferry, we found ourseif quietly
ensconsed at the Terre Haute House
which, although always one Of the best <
in the State, has, nevertheless, greatly
improved already, under the wise super
Of our old friend Mr.. Sam.
Turner, late Of the fremont House, Chi
cago, and for many years previously con-
Inected with the Buntin and Terre Haute 4
House, in Terre Haute. Turner knows
how to keep tavern, and to keep it well.
We found that the demonstration for
daylight was over, but saw on every
hand preparations for grand display
1 at night.
Almost every building on the princi-
: pal streets was handsomely adorned With
! the national colors and other handsome
devices, and the whole city fairly autter-
m
ed with flags.
y There had been during the day GringE
of cannon, speeches, and other demon
sstrations of JOY, but the most elegant
demonstration was at night.
Soon after dark huge bonfres were!
4lighted up on the street crossings and al
Thousand windows were grandly illurni-
mated, many of them in the most gor-
n geous and ingenious style.
The crowd of people on the street was
3immense. They could not be computed
10y number. For FIVE or six squares the
streets were literally packed full Of joy-l
Gus humanity, and all were filed with
II the highest delight and exultation.
81 Speeches were made by Mayor LANCE,
3Col. Hudson, and others, but we doubt
Viz many heard them, so great was the
confusion But we have no heart to
describe this pleasing pageant so soon
to be turned to the bitterest mourning.
# About half.past nine o'clock, and just
at the hour-making allowance for the
III difference in longitude-when the black
est crime that ever disgraced humanity
Esince the Crucifxion, was being perpe.
trated, the people suddenly retired to
their homes, and before 10 o'clock, the
%city was as quiet almost as church
Nyard
IL So great was the contrast with what
1--WE had known of Terre Haute, that we
Hcould not refrain from remarking to a
friend that premeditated demonstrations
were evidently a failure, and by no
means equal to the spontaneous out
&bursts of JOY such as were witnessed in
this city on last Monday.
IA We retired early, and had scarcely
fnished breakfast in the morning, when
1--WE were appalled, by the calamitous in.
Intelligence that the best and purest man
of the nation; the man around whom
centered almost every hope of the pa
triot as well as of the traitor, had beer
foully, cruelty, cowardly, traitorously
assassinated in the presence of his wife
land his friends
81 Fastening to the street we found il
full of people, running to and fro as i
they felt the most fearful calamity haC
overtaken them.
&On arriving at the Telegraph Office
I the worst repocts were officially confirm
4 led. Just as we entered, the operator
was penning the lines
abraham Lincoln died this morning
y at twenty-five minutes past seven clock
aA EDWARD M. STANTON,
M Secretary of War.
n, In a moment almost as it were th'
Mparaphernalia of rejoicing were removed
land the sable hues of mourning tool
Etheir place. All places of business were
Ezclosed, flags were lowered to halfmast
land most fearful sense of the nation
&calamity pervaded every heart, mingled
with Indignation and despair. A public
Emeeting instinctively as 1t were, gather
led at the court house, and preliminar.
steps were taken to hold mass meeting
at one clock.
Is The contrast with the night before wa
Understandable. Panied and sick o
heart, we were glad when the hour fol
the train to depart had arrived, but al
galong the road, at every village, and a
Nalmost every farm house, the same EN-
Mblems of mourning aud lamentation were
manifest, as if the last plague of Egyp
had fallen on the land, and every house
had been called to mourn its first born
IA Well might we exclaim How are the
Rmighty fallenl" Yesterday nation
was filled with gladness, joy and exulta
stion; today it is clothed with the sombre
@habiliments of mourning and woe.