Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-07-17
Anecdotes Of COifaX.

Anecdotes Of COifaX.
"SWEDE," of the Cincinnati Commercial,
writes from Washington an interesting
letter. from which we take the following
COLFAX's CoURTsHIP.
A friend of Colfax gave me glimpse of
his early courtship the other day. He met
his wife when they were both little child
ren, at or near Fort Edward, New York
They played together, and the little girl,
Eveline, when the Colfaxes were going
away, said to Mrs. Matthew's
" "Aunty, maynt l call you 'ma,' like
Schuyler? ?"
eyes" said Mrs. Matthews.
The young miss was then just beginning
to write, and soon afterward she wrote a
letter inclosing her love for Schuyler.
Their acquaintanceship never ceased
When ColfaX had money enough he built
q little one-story house, still standing at
South Bend, and then he went for his
playmate and brought her to his nest
Many ladies in Washington knew Mrs
Colfax, and they speak no less of her love-
ly nature than of her perfect faith, happi-
ness, and pride in her young husband.
Now the steamboat, bearing the name of
"Schuyler Colfax," goes by the little old
house and the larger new one; but the
house of One-story is perhaps to be the
most revered when this man of luck comes
at last to the narrowest house of all
When ColfaX was nominated the news
was brought first to his mother, then to
his sister.
Miss Matthews only said: "Well, that
is just brothers luckp
Very unlike these episodes is the one
which ensues
COLFAX AT THE DEATH OF LINCOLN.
The day that Mr.. Lincoln saw the last of
earth, he asked Colfax, whom he warmly
esteemed and relied upon, to accompany
him to the theatre that night. 1t was the
day but one before Colfax was TO start on
his Rocky Mountain trip.
Colfax replied: at is impossible, sir;
all my time is engaged"
"What kind of play is this American
Cousin, Colfax?" asked the President.
Mr.. Colfax said it was just the thing to
be amused with and made forgetful of
ones cares.
"Then," said Lincoln, "here is little
message | want you to carry to the miners.
Let me read it to you"
And while they waited at the Office
door, Lincoln read to Colfax his last COM
pOolOlOh Ill Glll0 w OIlliy ttllIl tIlCu DldCSu IL
in his side coat pocket.
"Good-bye!' said Lincoln. "Ill tele-
graph you at San Francisco"
That night, Colfax, going home from a
visit to the Postmaster General, who lived,
| believe, in the Speakers present resi-
dence, passed by the Metropolitan Hotel
Seeing crowd there, he hurried by, as is
his wont when there are indications of
quarrel; but man cried:
"Colfax!' The Speaker stopped.
"The President has been murdered"
said the man.
The Speaker laughed in his face.
"Why, left him." he said, mot more
than an hour ago"
"Well, sir l was in the theatre myself,
and saw him shot"
At the word "theatre Colfax saw it ALL
He hailed cabman and was driven rap
idly to the White House. There he dis
missed the carriage. Ringing the bell, the
porter said that there was no doubt that
the President was murdered, but his body
had not come home. The Speaker walked
with Senator Conness down to the little
brick house where Mr.. Lincoln lay dying,
and being admitted, stood by the martyr
till daylight. Soon after, the life of Lin
coin expired.
This accident links Mr. Colfax to Lin
coin as closely as Grant, and both were
probably nearest the Emancipator's
thoughts when he received the disappoint-
ed actors bullet. Tom Taylor is pleas
ing but not extraordinary dramatist; the
American Cousin, however, by reason of
its association with Lincoln's death, will
probably keep the stage as long as the
mock drama in Hamlet 1t belongs to his
tory now, and not to literature
When Colfax saw Lincoln so shortly
before his murder, he was accompanied, I
believe. by Representative Howard. The
topic OF conversation was Lincoln's re-
ending of his permission for the Legisla-
ture of Virginia to assemble. As recon
struction is now being fully consummated,
may refer to this.
The element of mercy in Lincoln's ma
ture FASTENED prematurely the business
of paciication. He gave permission,
under pressure, for Letcher and his en-
tire Legislature to assemble at Richmond.
When he came back to Washington, Stan
ton assailed him on this point, and de-
manded that he revoke it. They talked
together till Stanton sweat through his
shirt, and moistened his pocket handker-
chief with the perspiration of his face.
Lincoln, therefore, said to Colfax:
Stanton says | have been behaving
wrong, Colfax! | guess he is right. And
here's the telegraph message wherein l let
him have his wayT'
The rebel Legislature never assembled.
and the principles of Stanton prevailed,
" that loyal men shall govern a redeemed
Republic!"
AN English paper publishes a curious
list of the largest capitalists known to ex-
lSt III the world. The first is an American
manufacturer who has an income of ten
millions; the second is Russian boyard,
and the third an Englishman possessing
immense territories in the East Indies.