Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1874-03-13
An AnecdOte Told by Charles Dickens
"A Remarkable Dream on the Eve
of the Assassination of Mr. lincoln.

~ hemdrkaDI6 Dream Oh Jn6 Eve
of the Assassination Of Mr.. lincoln.
In the New York Hero17's review Of
the third volume Of '.Forster's Life Of
Dickens we find the following arecdotc
of Lincoln Il.
1t will {aays Mr.. I'orster) be no vio-
lation Of the rule of avoiding private de-
tail if the very interesting close of this
letter Gone written by Dickens from
Washington) is given Its anecdote of
President Lincoln was repeatedly told by
Dickens after his return, and / ann un-
der no necessity to withhold from it the
authority Of Mr. summers nanc Fl am
going Tomorrow to see the President,
who has sent to me twice dined with
Charles Sumner last Sunday, against my
rule; md. as had stipulated iornospar-
Ity, Mr. Secretary Stanton was tho only
other guest beside bis own secretary
Stanton is man with very remarkable
memory. and extraordinarily familiar
with my books. He and Summer having
been the first two public men at the dg-'
ing President bedside. and having re-
maiued with him until he breathed his
last, we fell into q very interesting con-
vcrsation after dinner, when. each of them
/ giving his own narrative separately, the
usual discrepancies about details Of time
were observable.
Then Mr.. Stanton told me a curious
little story, which will form the remain
der of this short letter On the after
noon of the day on which the President
was shot there was a Cabinet council, at
| which be presided. Mr.. Stanton, being
at the time commander-in-ch Of tho
Northern troops that were concentrated
about here, arrived rather late Indeed.
they were waiting for him, and on en-
tering the room. the President broke off
in something he was saying, and re-
marked Let us proceed to business,
gentlemen Mr.. Stanton then noticed,
with great surprise, that the President
sat with an air of dignity in his chair.
instead Of lolling about in the most IN
calmly attitudes, as his invariablo custom
was, and that instead Of telling irrele-.
want or questionable stories he was grave
aud calm. and quite different man.
Mr.. Stanton, on leaving tho enuncil with
the Attorney General, said 70 him: That
is the most satisfactory Cabinet meeting
| have attended for many long day.
What an extraordinary change in Mr..
Lincolnl' The Attorney General replied:
We all saw that before you came in.
While we were waiting for you he said,
with his chin down on his breast Gen
tlemen, something very extraordinary is
going to happen, and that very soon"
To which the Attorney General had OBJ
served Something good. sir, / hope"
when the President answered very grave
ly: i don't know, don't know but it
will happen, and shortly. too" As they
were all impressed by his manner, the
Attorney General took him up agan.
Have you received any information, sir.
not yet disclosed to us 2 No, answered
the President, but have had dream,
and have now have had the same dream
three times. Once on the night proceed
ing the battle Of Bull Run, once on the
night preceding another, (naming bait
tie also not favorable to the North.) His
chin sunk on his breast again, and he sat
rejecting Might one ask the nature Of
this dream. sir 2 said the Attorney Gen
cral. Wei, replied the President,
without lifting his head or changing bis
attitude, II nm on great, broad rolling
river, and am in boat, and drift
and drift--but this is not business,
suddenly raising his face, and looking
round the table as Mr.. Stanton entered.
Let us proceed to business, gentlemen.
Mr.. Stanton and the Attorney General
said, as they walked on together, it would
be curious 10 notice whether anything
cnsued on this, and they agreed to no
ticc. He was shot that night
CLIMATE or WASHINGTON. Tho mild
climate of Washington is the marvel Of
many Northern men, who have not6oted
the influence If the Chesapeakesand the
variable confguration Of the country
around us upon the weather. Lorin
Blodgct estimates the pra5bftion Of fair
aud fine weather in Maryland as one
third to one-half greater than in the lati-
tude Of New York The rainfall Of tidal
Maryland is very large, 4G inches, and
greatest in March and june, but our
rains are conspicuous for their quick,
heavy single falls, and do not satnrate
and cloud the atmosphere, but make fire.
qucnt floods At Annapolis as high as
AZ inches Of rain have been recorded in
a single month, while the highest known
in Washington in the whole spring sea-
son, taking the average for eight years,
was below IL inches, and our rainfall is
only about 1886 in a year, while at
Fort Washington, few miles below US,
it is As 81. and at Annapolis 1913 -
The greatest heats recorded in Maryland
are in the narrow valley of Fort Wash
ington, 103 degrees and 105 degrees.
The mean temperature Of Washington
in Spring is about "a. in summer "a, in
autumn 81, in winter 35-for the year
81 Here, then, is the climate nearest
perpetual spring. Rich. Journal.
CoppgR TARSrsmISo 80 General said
sickly copperhead Of this city TO Joe
Johnston, at the New York Hotel, the
other day. They didn't whip us, did
they They only over-rnud US =
:" Were you in the Southern army Z"
said Joe Johnston.
"Oh. no sir, | staid at home