The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-05-10
History Repeating and vindicat-
ing Itself.

"The memory Of the just Is blessed; but the
name Of the wicket shall rot."-Prorer6.
A resident Of Columbus, evidently rather
AN admircr Of the "late lamented Saint of
Sangamon,'' visited Springfield, Illinois,
and the tomb Of Lincoln, Il few days ago.
Ills impressions are given In u letter, which
il copied into the Statesman. 1t is crafty
ing to know that the destroyer Of the Old
Republic, and the vulgar tyrant. who OPP
pressed, arrested, imprisoned, eNiled, or put
to death, 50 many thousands Of his fellow
citizens for tile sole crime of daring to
differ from him In political opinion, Is so
soon beginning to realize the fate Of Marat'
Said he, with cold, sardonic snccr, aud
grin. when asked, in the spring Of 1864, to
revoke the order against Mr.. Vallandig-
ham, so that that gentleman might return
10 his home and family, mo, he's banishcd
for the war, and he'd better take 1t easy"
" Ics,' said q poor Frenchman, as he looked
upon the headless body Of the tyrant OF
the Reign Of Terror, just fallen under the
guillotine, Eyes, R~obespierre, there Is a
God"'
The following is an extract from the let
ter referred 60:
The county bought the old State House
for $200,0OO, which they intend using for Il
Court House, aud the city presented the
State with q lot known as the Mather lot,
containing eleven acres, for the new build
ing. This is the piece OF ground they pur-
posed buying two years ago as the burial
place of Lincoln, but which Mrs. Lincoln
refused unless the deed was made In her
name, which the city very politely declined
to do. Passing q short distance from the
Leland House, the next thing that met my
view, was q street car on which was print
ed IN large letters, "For Iincoln's Tomb"
and | determined To pay a visit to the rest
ing place of the great departed. Accord
ingly the next day myself with 4
party of friends started on a pill
grimage to the tomb We did not, how
ever, ride on the aforesaid street car, no in
deed. but walked, actually walked, like
the pilgrims o fold, to pay our respects to
the illustrious martyr. Arrived ut Gal
Ridge, We proceeded at once to the tomb,
| which is situated OF a beautiful hill about
thirty feet high and about fifty yards from
the main entrance, and is certainly the
finest place | have ever seen in any ceme-
terry ON which to erect a monument.
at Is not quite two years since ! visited
here before, yet how changed the scene.
Then Lincoln's praises were on everybody's
lips his virtues every one seemed to eNtol
in front of the vault in which lay his re-
mains, an armed sentinel stood guard day
and night; the vault inside was strewn
with flowers, brought there every day by
ladies from the city. But now no word Of
praise is heard his virtues are forgotten; the
tramp of the sentinel is heard no more !
no flowers are scattered over his tomb not
one even planted there. During the half
hour that | sat on the hill above the tomb,
not one came to visit it, although there
were perhaps five hundred people around
the grounds aud in the park adjoining. In
a word there is nothing to remind the Wis
itor of who it Is that sleeps within the
tomb, except the simple word " Lincoln y
cut Oh the stone door 10 large letters.
Having performed our pilgrimage we
returned to the terminus of the street rail-
road and got aboard the first car for the
city, no longer deeming it necessary to
walk"