The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-08-17


President of the Omaha Fire Depart
ment, several thrilling episodes il
the career of Abraham Lincoln
showing that more than one attemp
was made upon the life of the mar
tyred President. Mr.. Nichols wa
one of the body guard Of Presiden
Lincoln from the summer of 1S6
until 1866. Mr.. Nichols is well
known citizen of Omaha, and tn
following narrative, related to you
correspondent-the incidents 0
which have never before been pub
lished-may be relied on as true il
every particular:
About the middle of August
1862, company K of the 105th Penn
sylvania Volunteers, of which | wa
a private, was detailed as bod,
guard Of President Lincoln, anc
continued in that capacity until hi
assassination in the spring of 1865
During the three years Of my stay
in Washington, the most critica
period OF the nations history, / saw
and heard many things that have
never found their way into the pub
lie prints. Some of the body guar(
were constantly with the Presiden
and his family, whether at fashiona
BILE levees, receptions to foreign lega
tons, or private interviews, at all 0
which we were silent spectators o
all that transpired. We were al
ways treated with the highest re
spect by the Lincoln family, whC
regarded US as part of the house
hold. Every private of the guart
received the same attentions of cour
tesy as the most famous Statesman
or diplomat at the capital. We al
formed a strong personal attachment
for the President, and when the
grand old man laid down his life in
behalf of the cause that had been hi:
life work, we all felt as If we hao
lost the dearest friend we ever had.
During the first two years of oul
term of service the most rigid disci-
pline was enforced. Sometimes we
would be ordered to use extraordin.
airy vigilance. and to let no one en-
ter the grounds of the White House
without the proper passes, and to be
very particular as to who approach
ed the President. Often the order
would come for the guards on duty
to be doubled. 1t was seldom that
we knew the direct cause of these
extra precautions, but supposed the
officers of the secret service were in
possession of information Of some
plot that brooded harm to the Pres
ident.
Up to 1864, owing to our vigilance
and the over-ruling hand of Provi-
dence, our beloved chief had escaped
the hands Of violence. The back OF
the Contederacy was broken, good
feeling pervaded all Washington,
and consequently the strict watch
fulness that had prevailed grew into
laxity. This was the fatal period,
for it was at this time that conspira-
cies were hatched. and rebels over
run the city comparatively unmo-
lesteu. The President and family
spent the summer months at the
Soldiers Home, situated about three
miles north of the city, and thither
the body guard always accompanied
them. 1t was in the summer of
1864, while we were up at the home,
that the accident happened that
came very near eliminating in the
awful tragedy that occurred few
months later in Ford's theatre. 1t
was the custom of the President to
remain at the War Department when
anything of great importance was
transpiring in the army, consulting
with the Secretary and transmitting
and receiving dispatches; and after
his work was finished he would
ride out to the home. Thatsummer
he had persistently refused an escort,
imagining himself perfectly secure.
One night about the middle of Au-
gust | was doing sentinel duty at the
large gate through which entrance
was had into the grounds ofthe home.
The grounds are situated about a
quarter of mile off the Bladensburg
road, and are reached by devious
driveway. About II o'clock heard
rifle shot in the direction of the
city, and shortly after could hear ap-
preaching hoof-beats In two or
three minutes the horse came near
enough so that in the dim moonlight
| recognized the rider as the belated
President. The horse was very spir-
tied, and belonged to Lamof, the
Marshal of the District of Columbia.
He was Mr. Lincoln's favorite sad
die animal, and when he was in the
White House stables he always chose
him. As horse and rider apppoach-
ed the gate | noticed the President
was bareheaded. After assisting him
in checking his steed the President
said to me: He came pretty near get
ting away with me-, didn't he? He
got the bits much before L could
draw the rein. i then asked him
where his hat was, and he replied
that somebody had fired gun off
down at the foot of the hill, which
scared his horse and jerked his hat
off. | led the animal to the Execu-
tive Cottage, where the President dis
mounted and went in. Thinking
the proceeding a little strange, a cor
poral and myself started in the di-
rection where we heard the shot, to
investigate. When we got to the
place where the driveway intersects
with the main road we found the
Presidents hat, and upon examining
it found a bullet hole through the
corner of the crown. The shot had
been fired upward, and it was evil
dent that the person who fired the
shot had secreted himself close to
the roadway. Welistened and search
ed the locality thoroughly, but to no
avail. The next day / gave Mr.. Lin
coin his hat and called his attention
to the bullet hole. He rather un-
concernedly remarked that it was
put there by some foolish gunner,
and was not intended for him. He
said, however, that he wanted the
,noffar Ear,f o,,,of onJ oJ,,,on;ol,o1