Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-25
The Attempt to Assassinate The Emperor,
Whom Bismarck Declares to be
One Of the Most Kind-hearted
Gentlemen-Grant and
layery.

and show him Berlin. He said also that the
emperor himself was disappointed IN not be-
| ing able to see the general.
His majesty, SAID the prince, 'has been
| expecting you, and has the greatest interest
In your character and history, and IN your
| visit to Germany. He commands me to say
| that nothing but his doctor orders that he
shall see no one prevents his seeing you"
The general SAID: 81 am sorry that | can
not have that honor, but am far more sorry
| for the cause, and hope the emperor is re-
| covering"
''All the indications are of the best, an
| swered the prince, 'for the emperor has a
| fine constitution and great courage and en-
durance, but you know he is very old
man..
| THAT said the general, "adds to the
| horror one feels for the crime
st is so strange, so strange and so sad, "
| answered the prince, with marked feeling.
| Here is an old man-one of the kindest cid
| gentlemen in the woodland yet they must
| try and shoot him! There never was more
| simple. more genuine, more-what shall |
| say-more humane character than the en-
peror's. He is totally unlike men born in his
| station, or many OF them, at least You know
| that men who come into the world In his
| rank, born princes, are apt to think them
| selves of another race and another world.
| They are apt to take small account Of the
wishes and feelings of others. All their edu-
| caClOn UenUS TO Qeduen the human SlUe. but
| this emperor Is so much OF man In all
| things! He never did any one wrong In
| his life. He never wounded any ones feel
| ings; never imposed a hardship. He is the
| most genial and winning of men, thinking
| always, anxious always tor the comfort and
| welfare of his people--of those around him.
| 7 gu cannot conceive a finer type of the no.
| BILE, courteous, charitable old gentleman, with
| every high quality of a prince, as well as
every virtue of a man. | should have sup
| posed that the emperor could have walked
alone all over the empire without harm, and
| yet they must try and shoot him"
The general said that it was a horrible
| thing, and referred to Lincoln, man of the
| kindest and gentest nature, killed by an as
sassin.
"In some respect" said the prince, contin-
| uing as if in half a revery, and as if speak
| ing of a subject upon which he had been
| thinking great deal, lin some respects the
emperor resembles his ancestor, Frederick
William, the father of Frederick the Great.
The difference between the two is that the
old king would be severe and harsh at times
I to those around him, while the emperor is
| never harsh to any one. But the old king
| had so much. simplicity of character, lived
an austere, home loving, domestic life; had
all the republican qualities. So with this
king; he is so republican in all things that
even the most extreme republican IT he did
| his character justice would admire him. "
The general answered that the influence
which aimed at the emperors life was an in
| fuence that would destroy all government,
all order, all society, republics and empires.
I'm AMERICA he said, "some of our peo-
about it. There is only one way to deal with
1T, and that is by the severest methods. |
don't see why man who commits a crime
like this-a crime that not only aims at an
old mans life, rulers life-but shocks
the world, should not meet with the severest
punishment. In fact, continued the gener-
AL although at home there is a strong senti-
nent against the death penalty, and it is a
sentiment which one naturally respects,
am not sure but it should be made more Sc
we're rather than less severe. Something is
due to the offended as well as the offender,
especially where the offended is slain
THAT" said the prince, sis entirely my
view. My convictions are so strong that |
resigned the government of Alsace because |
was required to commute sentences Of CAPT.
tai nature. | could not do it in justice to my
conscience. You see, this kind old gentle
man, that emperor whom these very people
have tried to kill, is so gentle that he will
never confirm a death sentence. Can you
think Of anything so strange that sovereign
whose tenderness of heart has practically
abolished the death punishment should be
the victim of assassination or attempted as
sassiration? That is the fact. Well, have
never agreed with the emperor on this point
and in Alsace, when | found that as chancel-
lor had to approve all combinations of the
death sentence, | resigned. In Prussia that
is the work of the minister of Justice; in AL
SAGE 1T devolved upon me. | felt, as the
French say, that something was due to JUS
tice, and If crimes like these are rampant
they must be punished.
'All you can do with such people," said
the general, quietly, is to kill them
Precisely so, answered the prince.
al
especially sorry that he could not in person
show General Grant a review, and that the
crown prince would give him one. But"
said the prince, 1.-The old gentleman is so
much of soldier, and so fond OF his army,
that nothing would give him more pleasure
than to displayit to SO great soldier as your
SELF
The general said that he had accepted the |
crown princes invitation to a review for next
morning, but, with smile, continued: ''The |
truth Is am more of a farmer than soldier |
take little or no interest in military affairs,
and although I entered the army thirty-fye |
years ago, and have 6een IN two wars, IN |
Mexico as a young lieutenant, and later, |
never went into the army without regret and |
never retired without pleasure"
''You are so happily placed" said the |
prince, Gin America that you need fear no |
wars. What always seemed SO sad to me |
about your last great war was that you were
ngnIlnS your own people. InaC IS always so |
terrible In wars, so very hard.
But it had to be done, said the general.
EYES," said the prince, ''you had to save
the Union Just as we had to save Germany"
mot only save save the Union, but destroy
slavery" answered the general.
81 suppose, however, the Union was the
real sentiment, the dominant sentiment -
said the prince.
SIN the beginning. yes, said the general;
"but as soon as slavery cred upon the flag it
was felt-we all felt, even those Who did not
object to saves-that slavery must be de-
stroyed. We felt that it was stain to the
Union that men should be bought and sold
like cattle.
81 had an old and good friend, an Ameri-
can, Motley" said the prince, ''who used to
write me now and then. Well, when your
war broke out he wrote me. He said: |,
will make prophecy, and please take this
letter and put In a tree or box for ten years.
then open it and see if l am not prophel
prophesy that when this war ends the
Union will be established, and we shall not
lose village or a hamlet This was Mot
ley's prophecy, said the prince, with a smile,
land it was true"
Yes" said the general, at was tru6.'
81 suppose if you had had large army at
the beginning of the war 1t would have end
ed in a much shorter tme?''
1--WE might have had no war at ALL" said
the general, 'but we can not tell. Our war
had many strange features-many things
which seemed odd enough at the time, but
which now seem providential If we had bad
a large regular army, as it was then consti-
:uted, it might have gone with the south. In
tact, the southern feeling in the army among
nigh officers was Sc strong that when the
war broke out the army dissolved. We had
no army-then we had to organize one. S
great commander like Sherman or Sheridan
wen then might have organized an army
md put down the rebellion in six months or /
year, or, at the furthest, two years. But
hat would have saved slavery, perhaps, and
lavery meant the germ of a new rebellion. 1
There had to be an end Of slavery. Then we
we're fighting an enemy with whom we could '
lot make peace. We had to destroy him. i