Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-05-15
Anecd0te Of Llucoln.

1t will, says Mr.. Foster, be no
violation of the rule of avoiding
private detail ifthe very interesting
close of this letter-one written by
Mr.. Dickens from Washington-is
given. Its anecdotc of President
Lincoln was repeatedly told by Mr..
Dickens after the return, and l am
under no necessity to Withhold from
it the authority of Mr.. Summers
name: 81 am going tomorrow to
see the President. who sent to me
twice. l dined with Charles Sum-
ner last Sunday, against my rule;
and as l stipulated for no party, Mr..
Secretary Stanton was the only
other guest besides his own Secre-
tary. Stanton is man of very re-
markable memory, and very extra
ordinarily familiar with my books.
He and Sumner having been the
first two public men at the dying
Presidents bedside, and having re-
mained with him until he brcathed
his last, we fell into very interest
ing conversation after dinner, when
each of them giving his own nara.
tive separately, the usual discrepen-
cies about the details Of time were
observable. Then NJ. Stanton told
me a curious little story, which
form the remainder Of this short
letter. On the afternoon of tho day
on which the President was shot,
there was a cabinet council, at
which he presided. Mr.. Stanton
being at the time Commandcr-in-
Chief of the Northern troops that
were concentrated about here, ar
rived rather late. Indeed they were
waiting for him, and ON entering
the room the President broke off
into something he was saying, and
remarked, "Let us proceed to bus.
mess, gentlemen" Mr.. Stanton
then noticed, with great surprise
that President sat with an air of
dignity in his chair instead of loll-
ing about in the most ungainly atti-
tude, as his invariable custom was
and that instead OF telling irrcvelant
or questionable stories, he was
grave and calm, and quite a differ
ent man. Mr.. Stanton, on leaving
the Council with the Attorney Gen
eral said to him, "That was the
most satisfactory Cabinet meeting
l have attended for many a long
day. What an extraordinary
change in Mr.. Lincoln" The At
torney- General replied. "We all
saw that before you came in.
While we were waiting for you no
said, with his chin on his breast,
"Gentlemen something extraordin.
ary is going to happen, and that
very soon.'' 10 which the Attor.
ncy- General had observed. "Some-
thing good, sir, l hope |" when the
President answered gravely, 81
don't know, but it will happen. and
shortly too" As they were all i'm
pressed by his manner, the Attor-
ney-G General took him up again.
Have you received any informa-
tiion, sir, not yet disclosed to us ?"
"No, but have had a dream, and
l have now had tho same dream
three times. Once on the night
proceeding the battle of Bull Run,
once on the night proceeding such
another, naming battle also not
favorable to the North. His chin
sunk on his breast again, and ho sat
rejecting. "Might one ask the
nature Of this dream sir p said the
Attorney-Gencral. "Well," replied
the President, without lifting his
head or changing his attitude, 81
am on a great, lbroad rolling river
and / am in o boat-and drift and
/ drift-but this is not business"
suddenly raising his face aad look
ing around the Mr.. Stanton entered.
"Let US proceed to business, gentle
men," Mr.. Stanton and the Attor-
ncy- General said IS they walked on
together, it would be curious to
know whether anything ensued on
this, and they agreed to notice.
He was shot that night.