Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-06-25

than those which record the murder o
the President and the attempted assas
sinat!on of his Secretary of State. Dr.
Verdi. of this city. who was the family
physician of the Stewards, has furnished
The R'public with the following graphic
story of that terrible tragedy. The Incl
dents related, of which he was not only
all eyewitness. but an important part
will, we think. he deemed valuable con
tributions to political history.-ED.l
AT the breaking ont of the war w
find Mr.. Seward in The Cabinet, aud al
h;s sons, William, Frederick, and Angus
tus. in the service Of their country.
Frederick, a man of letters, was sc
lected by his father as his coaljutor in
the Department of State, with the posi-
ton of assistant secretary.
Augustus already held commisai ol
as paymas;er in the regular Army. Ill
is graduate of West Point.
William left very ucrativebu-incss
young wife and baby, and, as Colone
of the Ninth New Yo.k Artillery. can't
to brave the hardships of soldier. Al
the battle of Monocacy he distinguished
himself and was wounded. for which b,
was raised to the rank of brigadier gen
eral.
In 1868, while commanding at Fort
Fooie, on the Potomac. William was
seized with an acute attack of dysen
terry. induced by exposure in ,ha. mala
rious district lie was brought home to
Washington by the surgeons in charge
who looked upon bis case as one to e4
cite the greatest alarm For several
days he lay between life and death
causing the greatest solicitude to his
parents. At his bed side l had the
opportunity of estimating the character
of that angelic woman who, moving
around his coach as if an ethereal form,
administered to his wants with so much
judgment and infinite maternal love
lie rail- ed and his convalescence brough,
consciousness of happiness in that
household. which. without excessive de
monstraiions, seemed to prevede the
very air As he became convalescent, |
recommended temporary change OF
climate, aud ordered him to his home in
Auburn. There he improved greatly
aud gave hope of speedy recovery /;
tut few weeks after. the malaria still
remaining in his system developed into
=, dangerous form Of typhoid fever
About the first of November Mr. Sew
ard requested that should Immediately
90 with him to Auburn. He had re-
ceived a telegram stating that consul
tation of physicians had given but little
hope of the recovery of his sou. Fur
nished with an extra train, accompanied
by his daughter Fanny-now his almost
luseparable companion-we started for
Auburn.
During this long journey he conversed
no freely that / ventured to ask him the
question "how it happened that he, the
acknowledged leader of the Republican
party, was not selected as the candidate
for the Presidency in 1850 p put my
question with some degree Of tirnidity,
for feared that he might be sensitive
on that subject. He surprised me with
bis frank and unaffected answer. There
was no bitterness or disappointment in
the tone of his voice. If he had had the
ambition to become The Chief Magistrate
of the nation-particularly when his
party, the child of his brain, came into
power-lt was smothered by the nobler
desire of aerving his country rather than
himself. His reply was
"The leader of political party in a
country like ours is go exposed that bis
enemies become as numerous and formid-
able as bic friends, and in an election
you must put forward the man who will
carry the highest number Of votes.
Pennsylvania would not have voted for
me, and without her we could not carry
the election hence / was not the avail
able man. Mr.. Lincoln possessed all the
necessary qualifications to represent our
party, and being comparatively unknown
had not to contend with the animosities
generally marshaled against leader
We made him the candidate he was
elected, and we have never bad reason to
regret it."
Colonel Seward recovered, and soon
returned to the field and led his regi-
ment at the battle of the Monocacy.
There he was wounded, and in the hasty
retreat of the national forces he was left
on the field The rebels rushing wildly
in pursuit. did not discover that under a
simple blue blouse was an officer of 80
much importanc. He played "possum."
as they say in the Army. waited for
them to get out of sight. then caught
stray mnle. mounted it, and came in the
lines at Washington. The simple and
unconepicuous uniform saved him, as it
saved MANY Of our officers in the cam