The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-04-03
ABRAHAM LIyCDLF.
i EiiheItO Unpublished Aneedote OF
the Late President.

! New anecdotes Of President Lin
coin are sufficiently rare, but here il
one which is authentic and character
istic, whether we consider the Presi-
dents goodness Of heart or the naivete
with which is found expressiod.
| When Colonel Mulligan's Chicago
regiment lay in camp away down
South, one of the privates, call him
Barney D, in 8 moment OF pas
sion and inLOXicatiUR stabbed aud
terribly mangled a cUmrade. Bar
ney was one of the hard characters Of
the com mand, and it was a matter of
! no surprise when the court martial
sentenced him for this last and grav-
| est of his many offences to be shot,
and fixed the day for his execution.
/ Meanwhile, to the surprise of every
one, including the surgeons, the
wounded man began to recover, and
was soon pronounced out of danger.
/ Public opinion took the usual turn.
1t was thought a pity, after all, to
shoot fine young fellow, such as
Barney was in his better moments;
| besides, he was one of the boys; had
been born, like them, in Chicago,
grown up with them, enlisted with
them, and fought with them. A
movement looking to a petition for
the culprit's pardon was set on foot,
in which none Joined more heartily
than the wounded man, and the
camp which, but yesterday, was for
lynching Barney, now yearued to
save his life. But the General COM
manding had approved the finding of
/ the court martial, and only the Presi-
dent could interfere, and the regi-
ment was encamped away from the
telegraph lines. So that, the necessa-
| ry documents had been forwarded,
| backed by strong recommendations,
there were grave doubts if the merci-
full message which Mr. Lincoln was
almost certain to send would reach
| the camp in time. An express was
sent to the nearest telegraph station,
thirty miles away, to carry the mes
sage with all haste-and all waited
impatiently.
The night before the fatal day ar.
rived. Barney was to be shot al sun
rise next day. No reprieve had ar
/ rived, and reluctantly the Adjutant
prepared the necessary orders, de-
tailed the firing party, arranged for
/ the parade The night wore on. 1t
is safe to say that not an eye was
closed in the camp, and every ear was
strained for hoof beats from the east.
Past midnight; 1, 2. 8 o. clock. There
We're movements in the gray eastern
sky; the brilliant southern stars
paled ; it was almost dawn.
/ Suddenly a faint sound was heard,
as of shout away to the east. The
excitement became electric. Men
rushed from their tents, half dressed,
and gathered in anxious groups. The
/ officers were hardly less excited, and
mingled with them. Then, in rapid
! succession, were heard challenge and
reply as the advancing party passed
sentry after sentry, then the tramp
and plash of hOOis, and, at last, burst
into view the long looked for messen-
ger, covered with mud from head to
foot, wan and worn out, his horse
painting, and traveI-stained, and
bruised, for they had ridden thirty
miles since midnight, along roads
that were sIuices of mud and water.
The rider held his way straight to the
| COlOnePs tent, and delivered his tele-
gram. 1t read thus
WASHINGTON, -, 1856.
"CoL. MULLIGAN: If you havn't
shot Barney D. yet, don't.
a. LINCOLN"
They hadn't, and they didn't.