The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-04-12
AkAHjR I'M 1INCOLN's DEATH.
Walt NM hams Account of the Scene
lat Foro'5 Theatre.
N3i his forthcoming Book.

,o LHc uS ol Aprll IL, lSb3, seems
ri 10 hay been II pleasant ono
:, througlEut the whole land@the
moral u aAnosplere pleasant, too-
:. the long torn. SO dark, so fratrici
= dnl, full blood and doubt and
y, gloom, oNr and ended ut last by
the sulrir of such an absolute,
national &:tory, and utter break
; ing down pf sccoSsionism-wo al
y most douli icd our own senses t,co
had capitui i,tcd beneath the apple
! tree of Ap,omattox. The other
:, armies, the llanges of the revolt,
swiftly followed.
, Gut 1 must not dwell on ac'
ccssories. The decd hastcns. The
popular aftetnoo paper. the little
Evening Star, had spattercd all
= over it's third page, divided among
the advertisements in sensational
manner i'll II hundred different
places: "Ihe President and his
lady will be ut the theatre this
evening"" Nincoln was fond Of the
theatre. J. have myself seen him
there several times. I remember
thinking how funny it was that he
in some respect, the leading actor
in the graatest and stormicst drama
known to real history's stage
through centuries. should Slb there
and be SO completely Interested
and absorbed in tho human jack
straws moving about with their
silly little gestures, forcign spirit
and tlatnIcnt tcxt}
SO the day, as I say, was pro
pitious. Fairly hcrlase, early
flowers were out. I remember
where I was stopping at the time
the season being advanced, were
many lilacs i'll full bloom. BY one
Of those caprircs that enter and
give tin%c to events without bcinS
Il ut all Il part Of them, I find myself
always reminded of the great
Tragedy Of that day, Ivy the sight
and odor OF these blossoms. 1t
never fails.
On this occasion the theatre was
crowded, many ladies' in rich and
gay costumes, officers in their
uniforms, many well KNOWN citizcns,
, young folks, the usual clust crs OF
= gas lights, the usual magnetism OF
, so many people, cheerful, with
, perfumes, music of violins and
tutes-and over ;,ll, and snt,tratinc
all, that vast, vague wonder, victory,
the nations victory: the triumph OF
: Union, filing the air, tile Thought,
, the scene, with oxhilarution more
than all perfumes.
The President came bctimcs. ahd
with his wife, WITNESSED the play.
t frnm the lnrGr stage boxes Of the
second tier, two thrown iato one.
, aid pro}nsely draped with tho
, NATIONAL iIng. The acts and scenes
;: Of the pioth-onc of thrte singular.
" witless compositions which have
at least tue merit Of eifing entire
. relief to all audience engaged in
, mental act'''h or business excite
ments and cares during the day, as
it makes not the slightest cml ON
,, either the moral, emotional
aesthetic or spiritual nnttlre-;,
: piece CO,'r American Cousin') in
which, among other chnracterH, Sc
=, called, a Yankee, certainly siluh n
one us was never rcen, dt the lunst
like it cqcr seen in North America,
| is introduced in England, with II
varied fol dc-rol of talk, plot
! scenery, and such phantnsmagoriu
MS goes to to make mp II modern
popular (hnma---had progressed
Z through n couple of it's acts, when
= III the midst of the comedy. or
tragedy, or non-such or whatever
it is to be callod, and to offset it or
: finish it ont. us if in naturc's and
, the great muses. mockcy of these
l poor mimics comes intcrpolatcd
that scene, not really or exactly tc
: be described at all Qor oil the many
hundreds who were there it seems
G to this hour to have left little but 4
: passing dream, q blotch)-and yet
=. partially to be described rs l now
G proceed to give it.
n There is Il scene in the play rep
k resenting modern parlor, in Mhicl
n two unprecedented English ladies
arc informed by the unprecedented
. and impossible Yankee that he is
= not u man of fortune, and therefore
). undesirable for marriage catching
i purposes after which the com
\ motifs being Finished, tho dramatic
= trio make exit, leaving the stage
@ clear for II moment. There was
t. pause. II hush ns it were. At thi
period came the murder of Abraham
Lincoln. Great rs that Was, Will
o all it's manifold train circlihg roun,
II it, and stretching in the future 70
:; many II century, in tho politics
history, art etc, of the New World
s. in point of fact the main thing, tin
~ actual murder, transpircd with tn
T. quiet and simplicity of any COR
&c monost occurrencc--the bursting &
II a bud 81 pod tn the growth of vcgt
'o tation, for instance.
Through the general hum follow
,s ing the stage pause, with the chang
q of position, etc, came the mutlie