The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-03-26
CHARLES SUMNER.


Washington, in the winter of 1S62-3,
was not pleasant city to live in. Lee and
his army had, till within few months,
been stationed on the opposite aide of the
Potomac, in full view OF the Capitol, and
be had left behiud b i'm many well-wishers
within it. Party strife in politics ran
high, and angry feelings were uppermost.
Perhaps even then Booth was planning the
assassination of the President, and that at
least one, though happily thwartei in his
intentions, had designs on the life of the
late Charles Sumner, VI be seen by the
following incident:
One afternoon in that same winter, lit
tie girl was playing on the hoor of the parl-
OF of large Washington boarding house
Two gentlemen sitting near the child were
engaged in earnest conversation, unheed-
ing ana unheedei by her. One of them
Was foreigner Of violent feelings, the
other a Washingtonian, but hostile to the
North and Northerners, in other words, a
Southern sympathzer.
The child played contsntsdly on by her
self till noticing the voices near her were
lowcred almost to a whisper, and hearing
the word pistol" she stopped her play,
and on tho principle that little pitchers
have large ears, listened with eager stten-
ton to what followed. The foreigner was
was speaking to his friend Of Charles Sum.
ner, ana. said he had long thought that the
greatest service an American could do for
his country would be the ridGing that
country Of Charles Sumner. He had had
this thought for some time, he went on to
say, and acting on it hud, few evenings
before, waited in an angle formed by some
buildings near the Treasury Department,
which place Mr.. Sumner would inevitably
pass on his way home on that particular
evening. A pistol in hand, his fnger on
the trigger, he had watched Mr.. Sumner
walked alone ard slowly up the street to-
ward where he was standing, and never
cnce did any doubt Of the full Justification
Of the deed cross his mind till Mr.. S. had
almost reached h,m. Then for the first
time come the thought, But this will be
murder, and there is commandment,
Thou shalt not kill" He hesitated, and
in thr moment of hesitation Mr.. Sumner
had passed by beyond lis reach. "But,"
he added, 81 have regretted that hesita-
ton ever since, and the next time shall
do IT."
The little girl too much frightened
after this to play any longer, left the room,
and running up stair, to her father, told,
with dilated eyes and in breathless haste,
all she had heard. 1t happened that she
had interrupted, with her story, conversa-
ton between her father and gentleman
friend of Mr.. Summers Thi. gentleman,
after hearing the little girls account, said
he should at once send word to Mr.. S. of
his possible danger He did 80, but no.
thing was heard of it just then. Some lit
tie time afterward, however, Mr.. Sumner
acknowledged the friendly warning; said
he had known the man in question to be
bitter enemy of his; that he should be
careful now always to have some friend
with him when going TO any exposed place.
And he concluded, "thank that little
girl for me-"
One cannot help seeing and blessing the
direct interposition of Divine Providence
hand, and in the chance BY which, perhaps,
the little girl was used to save the great
mans life.
THAT LITTLE GIRL.