The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-12-21
The Attempted Assassination Of Secretary
Seward and his Son,

lut htbCiuptCu hANuShludtlUu vi StCTckHTg
Seward and his Son.
Yankee Orchard Grant White), the
New York correspondent of the London
Spectator. met Secretary Seward in New
York, during the lalter's recent recreation
tour, and gives the following description OF
the interview ia his last letter. He COM
niences by saying:
1t may interest my readers to know that
MIR. Stewards speech at Auburn was not the
only evidence which he gave upon his tour
OF vigor aud elasticity very noteworthy in
a man Of his years, VINO has recently suffer
ed 30 severely from accident and at the
hands Of AN assassin, and upon whom in his
apparently shattered condition there fell
such eight OF official anxiety and do
mestic affection AT the polnts where he
iandeti on the Hudson, | am informed by
one OF i's companions, he would go miles
on foot rather t.lan miss the sight of the
beautiful scenery, or Of, what he seemed to
value more. "a place endowed with historical
interest by events IN our war of indepeud-
enCe.
luieed both he and his son, whose very
wounds are not yet healed, exhibit vitaIi-
~ Va NVhnAhobipb All LIIcI
wio are not robust i'll figure, and whose
pursuits have always been sedentary. They
stoppeo !, day or two in New York on their
return well on their passage up the riv-
er, and had the pleasure OF seeing them.
TaE ASSASSINATION SCENE.
They each told, at the request of friends,
the story Of their sensations at the time of
the attempted assassination and although
under ordinary circumstances such relations
should certainly be regarded AS within that
pale ut privacy which no public position
gives ue warrant to invade, yet as, from
the nature of The Case, the whole affair has
Gen brought before the world in its minu-
test detalls, it seems not improper for me to
make TINS trifilng tut interesting addition
10 " hat is already known. Mir Frederick
Sewatd said that OH stepping FROM his bed
room into the passage ami seeing tie assas-
sill, he merel y wondered what 10 was doing
there. and called him to ACCOUNT On his
resisting the fellows endeAvpr H. press into
Alr. Stewards room, he (the ,,ssassin) drew a
revolver, which he presented at Mr.. Freder-
ick Stewards head. What tollowed,it must
be remembered, took place in a few So
combs.
Mr. Frederick Stewards first thought as
That's navy revolver The na1 pulled
the trigger, but it only snapped, aud mis- in
tended victim thought, That cap missed
fire." His next sensation was that of con-
fusion, aud being upon the floor, resting
upon his arm, which, like his fathers Jaw,
was barely recovered from bad fracture
the assassin had felled him to the floor with
the butt Of the pistol-he put his hand to
his head. and finding a hole there, he
thought THAT cap did not miss fire, after
all" Then he became lnsenslbe and re
manned so for two days aud more. His
first indication of returning consciousness
was the question, ''Have you got the ball
out p after which he fell off again into a
colnatose condition, which was of long con-
tiuuance. On the very afternoon of the day
when Mr.. Lincoln WAS assassinated, Mr..
Frederick Seward, who was Assistant Sec
rotary Of State, had asked his father what
preparation should be made for the presen
tation IF Sir Frederick Bruce, which was to
lake place the next day.
MIR Seward gave him the points of a re-
ply 10 be made to Sir Frederick, and he
laid the outline OF the speech upon the
Presidents table, and as | have previously
informed my readers Mr.. Lincoln that
afternoon wrote out the reply, adopting
Mr. Seward 9 suggestions. and thus prepar-
ing tnat reception OF the British Minister
by President Johnson which Was regarded
at the time 10y the people to whose repre-
sentative it was addressed as so friendly.
ana fair and diguitied. Mr.. Frederick Sew
ards first inquiry after he came fully to his
seHsts which was long time after the as
esssiuation, was :. Has Sir Frederick Bruce
been presented ?" He thought that only
ohe night had passed since he knew not
what bad happened to him. and Ills mind
tuuk up matters Just where it had left them
MR. sEwARDs MENTAL IMPRESSIONS
Mr. Stewards mental experience durirg
lis supposed assassination was In it's nature
So ike that IF his son, that it raises the u,l,.s-
ton whether this absence of CONSERVATION
aud observation Of minute particulars is not
cotmon III circumstances Of unexpected and
not FULLY unprecedented peril. Mr.. Seward
WAS lying upon his side, close to the edge of
his bed. with his head resting in frame
which had been made to give him ease ali
To protect his broken jaw from pressure -
lie was trying to keep awake having been
seized upon 10y sick mans tancy-it was
that if he slept he would wake up with tile
lock jaw. He was brought to full conscious
ness by the souff1e i'll tie passage way, fol-
lowed by the entrance of the assassin aud
the cry of Miss Sew ard, sob! ho will kill
my father" But he saw nothing of his as
saiIant until hand appeared above Lis face,
and then his thought VAS, What handsome
cloth that overcOat is made The assassiu's
face then appeared, and the helpless states
man only thought Wh.t u handsome
mani" paine was fine looking fellow
Then came sensation as If ram striking
him snartly upon one side of his face and
ueck. then quickly the same upon the other
side, but he felt no severe pain. This was
the assassin's knife. The blood spouted he
thought "my time has come" and. falling
from the bed to the floor, tainted. His first
sensation of returning consciousness was
that he was drinking tea, and that sit
tasted good" Mrs. Seward was giving him
tea with spoon. He heard low voices
around him, asking and replying as to
whether it would be possible for him to re-
cover. He could not speak, but his ewes
showed his consciousness, and that he de-
sired to speak. They brought him porce-
lain tablet on which he managed to write.
"Give me some more tea. | shall get well"
And from that mouent he has slowly but
steadily recovered healthy and strength.