The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-13
Mr.. LincOln'S Remarkable Present..
ment.

Inc IOIlOWlng is 1uil report OF
that part of Mr.. Pierrepont's argu
ment in the Surratt trial which re-
lated to President Lincolns remark
able presentiment of his own death:
GENTLEMEN-I now come to an act
in this great drama, which, though
strange, is not new. So wonderful is
it, that it seems to us to come from
beyond the vail that separates us from
death. As | have said before. "all
government is of God" The powers
that be are ordained by God, and for
some wise purpose which we do not
understand, the great Ruler of all.
by presentiments, by portents, by
bodings and by dreams, sends some
shadowy warning of the coming doom
when some great disaster is to befall a
nation. So was it in the days of Saul.
and so it was when the great Julius
Caesar fell; so was it VIXEN Brutus
died at Phillippi; so was it when
Christ was crucifed, and the wife of
Pontius Plate said to her husband.
Have thou nothing to do with this
man, for | have suffered many things
this day in dream because of him"
SO was it when the great Henry Nv,
of France, was assassinated; so was it
with Harold, at the battle of Hastings;
so was it on the bloody day of Bos-
worth field; so was it when the Rus
sian Gar was assassinated; so was it.
and so it has ever been, when men in
high governmental places have been
stricken down by the assassin's hand;
so was it before the death of Abra-
ham Lincoln, the President of the |
United States.
In the book which | hold In nv |
hand-in this Life of Caesar, by De |
Quincy; in this Life of Pompey, by |
Plutarch; and, in this presentation |
which is given in Julius Caesar by the |
great dramatist, Shakespeare, are re-
lated the portents which came to
warn Pompey when he left the ship,
and landed on the coast of Egypt
and the warning given to Julius |
Caesar, not only in the dream of CAL |
furnia, but in his own dream on that
bloody day when he was assassinated in
the Senate. The same was true when
the Prince of Orange was ass ssinat-
ed; and equally true is this sane his
toric fact, that never in the whole
history with which we have been IA
miliar has there been single instance
of the assassination of the head of a
government in which the assassins
have not all been brought to Justice.
1t is terrible thing to fight against
God. Government being Of God, any
attempt to throw a people into con-
fusion and anarchy is fighting against
Jod, and, In no instance, has he ever
suffered man guilty of such a crime
70 go unpunished Though he NAV
AXE unto himself the wings of the
morning, and flee to the uttermost
parts of the earth, yet the eye of
Tod will follow him, and the hand of
Justice will eventually be laid on him,
md compel him to give a rendition of
lis bloody account.
"On the 18th of April, 1865, Abra-
lam Lincoln called together his Cabi-
let. He was in good spirits, for, as
-ou well remember, We had at that
ime been receiving the most crafty
ng and cheering news; but still upon
lis soul there lay heavy gloom, and
lie remarked, / am very anxious to
lear from Sherman The reply was.
You will hear good news from Sher-
nan. There can't be any doubt bout
hat General Grant was there, and
le knew Sherman. He took occasion
o assure the President that the news
rom Sherman would be all right. /
!on't know, replied Mr. Lincoln, and
hen repeated what he had before said,
L am very anxious to hear from Sher-
nan, adding the remark, / feel some
,reat disaster is coming upon US.
last night | was visited by strange
lream, the same dream that in the
arkness. of the night. when deep :
lleepA had fallen on men, has three
INES before visited me- Before the
attic of Bull Run, before the battle
t Stone River, before the battle of
charlottesville, it came to me In the
anne identical, distinct form, and the G