Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-08-21
LINCOLN AND HANCOCK.
What Honest Old Abe Told o Baltlmor, Del
egation.

bedford Springs Letter 10 Lancaster In.
telligencer.]
I met Mr.. James McDougal, a
lumber merchant of Baltimore of
high respectabiIity, a relative OF
Mrs. B. J. McGrann, of Lancaster,
and one OF the genial class OF
spring visitors who become gener.
ally known and popular. Mr.. Nc
DOugal has been an ardent Repub.
lican; demOniac condition be
reached after starting 10 life as an
Old Line Wing, and passing
thence through the purgatory Of
Douglas Democracy. Mr.. Nc
Dougal lost forty thousand aud
some odd dollars by the rebellion,
a circumstance which may account
for some of his bitterness against
the rebels. They say he was in
danger Of being lynched in the un.
patriotic atmosphere of Baltimore
in the earlier days of the rebellion,
q fact which can readily believe,
for he evidently Is brimful Of strong
opinions and plain language and
has no disposition to check their
overflow. He told me something
which you will be glad to hear and
which l am surprised that we
never read before.
When Mr.. Lincoln issued his
Emancipation ProclamatioD-I be-
lieve that was the OccasiOn-a dep.
utatfon of citizens from Baltimore
went on to Washington to con.
graduate him. Mr.. MoDougal was
Of the mum Ger. They speedily got
through with their addresses at the
White House, aud were about to
leave, with the declaration that
they would not further trespass
upon the Presidents valuable tim
"rake seats, boys, take seats"
exclaimed Mr.. Lincoln, as he rang
for chairs to be brought in, "iL
would be strange If could not
spare half an hour or an hour for
conversation with friends who have
come from Baltimore to see me-"
And the visitors sat down and
spent nearly an hour in converse.
ton. Presently the subject OF Gen.
eral came up and various opinions
were expressed as to WHO was the
ablest officer GU our side. When a
great many opinions had been Civ.
en-, Mr.. Lincoln said:
"Gentlemen, in my Judgment,
you have not struck the right man
yet."
And of course all were anxious
to hear him name the man and
asked him to do SO. He said:
sit Ia General Hancock
The cOuntenances OF his visitors
expressed their surprise, and one
of them ventured to say that he
feared Hancock was too rash,
EYES," said Mr.. Lincoln, $50
some Of the older Generals have
said to me, and l have said to them
that / have watched General Ham
cocks conduct very carefully, and
[ have found that when he goes
into action he achieves his purpose
and comes cut with a smaller list
of casualties than any of them.
Bold he Is, but not rash. Whv.
gentlemen, do you know what his
record was ut West Point?n
And Mr.. Lincoln went to his
bookshelf, and. taking down an
army register, showed the position
in which Hancock had graduated,
and that, Furthermore, in a GLASS
that was one of the most dstin.
guished that had ever graduated at
the military academy. Continuing
to speak OF him in the highest
terms, he further said:
II tell you, gentlemen, that II his
life and strength are spared. l be-
Ileve that General Hancock is des
tined to be one of the most distin.
guished men Of the age. Why,
when [ 60 down in the morning TO
open my maitland arise at four
o'clock-I declare that I do it in
fear and trembling lest may hear
that Hancock has been killed or
wounded"
Was not that o remarkable mar.
rative to take from an absolutely
trustworthy source in the quiet
valley by the Bedford Springs, and
is II not q waving plume 10 Han.
cocks hat? Mr.. Linco;n's predic.
ion comes true in this hour that
dnds Hancock at the summit of his
highest possible ambition; and his
estimate OF him has come to he
shared by every intelligent reador
II the great letter to Sherman.
which appeare, coincident witt,
Lincoln's stamp, to fasten upon