The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-05
OLE G1teLIiqetrran.
A West YIrglnIHn's "Reminiscences o,
LIneoIn.

n heh NFkiuIAhH NomlniBcouCO 81
Lincoln.
WARRINGTON, April S.-The iollowiu,
Interesting letter, detailing an interview
with President Lincoln during the war /,
now for the first time published:
WASHINGTON, D. O., May 10 1895
MY DEAR COLONEL AT your rennest 4
place on paper m interview between ,ov,
seIl anu tie great and good President,
Abraham Lincoln. During the late re.
peIllon there was u certain young soldier.
belonging TO the Confederate forces, enc.
tured by the Union army aud placed In
camp Douglas, near Chicago. .AH pDele Of
THIS young soldier, but ~ true Union man.
asked me to interCede with tho psesiIen;
~ behalf OF his nephew tho Young sol.
uler referred to AboYel for the purpose OF
procuring his release from Imprisonment.
AwrItien statement was made out. giving
lne nllne and circumstances under which
the young soldier vas captured and, ~ /
liAVe stated, imprisoned in Camp Doug.
lass. With this written statement / called
upon the President and was Introduced to
HIM by the Judge Advocate General Of the
United States Army, the Hon. Joseph
Holt who had given me bis card Of intro.
unCtion. When ] WIS nsheTrd into the
presence Of Mr. Lincoln lie re-.
ceivtd me very cordially, shook
hands with me, and then gave me
n chair and babe me be seated When /
was about 10 make known the object Of nv
visit he stopped and said ~ want first 10
ask you u question" and then proceeding
to ask Il, he said: ~ sec on Judge Hollis
card OF introduction yon have written these
words (here he picked up the card and read
what bad written, j will not hetain Won
to exceed three minutes Now, by whnt
authority do you say yon will delay ne moi
10 exceed three miuulcs?'. Ireplisd: AIR,
President your time is much Occupipd ouI
! wanted you to feel assured that / did not
intend to bore yon long, but woulI n,Ske
haste to transact or make known the object
oil my call" He replied: "0h, then, ! ian
keep you longer, Il choose" to which /
answered: "lcs, sir, or get rid Of mo soon.
or, II you prefer" He replied again: "Oh,
that is all right, then; did moi know Lut
that there was some authority higher than
mine outside. 1t is bard to tel these DAYS
who has most power" Then after tDlking
to me Tor time in general way, he .kel
me what special business it was about
which wanted to see him and ialk with
him. proceeded to read the written state.
nent, showing, US | stated, The cirrnm.
stances OF the young soldicr's arrest, and
giving also his name, and when told him
hat knew, and all knew of nv Old
Union friend and OF the young soldier md
why he should be released.
Mr., Lincoln heard me patiently and Mt.
tentively, and then made use Of these re-
markable words, and l shall never forget
them: Gaines, suppose you were in nv
place; and suppose that l were to CONC 10
you and tell you what you have lust been
telling me, and suppose You believed
every word told YOU to be true, what
would you dO?' 81 replied: "Wejl. Mr.
President, in that case would discharge
the young man, and let him return TO his
aged mother" The President then added:
"Well, believe every word YOU have told
me to be the truth, and taking up his pen
he endorsed on the back Of the "writien
statement" Let the young man named
within take the oath Of December - and
be discharged. A. LINCOLN" lie then
handed the paper to me, and asked. evil
that get him out?' and added: "If il is not
sufficient come buck and will get aunth-
er name or so added to it, for It is hard
10 tell these days WHO'S highest in author
ity and influence" said 10 him,
MI, President, this order would
get him released il it ever reaches
the officer in charge" To which The
President said: "Well, do. you intend 10
send it to that Otlicer?" told him would
be glad 10 do so, but that Executive order
No 80 required me to take the paper TO the
War Department, md that when il was
once there the honorable Secretary of War,
Mr.. Stanton, would pigCon-hOle it and that
would be the last OF it," The President
remarked that there was no such order.
replied, Excuse me, Mr.. President. but
copy OF it is conspicuously placed upon
my desk, and also another copy over the
desk OF my chief clerk. and we are aware
that its violation would resul. seriously to
the offending party" the President re.
marking, "You would be dismissed D." 10
which | replied, "Ies, sir, that would be
theresult."
Then came the most remarkable part OF
the whole interview. The President called
messenger and said: "TclI Mr.. Hay to
send me executive order No. 90" In n
minute the order was in his hands, and
then after looking over il carefully he
looked up and observed: "f declare! YOU
are right, but declare l never saw this
order before"
"Well, will tell YOU what to do. Send
this order TO that officer, and II he returns
1t to the Secretary Of War, and it results MS
you fear, in your dismissal, you will know
it first, and in that event you heel it to
me and | will step over to the War De.
partment with you as your attorney, and |
will argue the case for you before the Sec
retAry." Suffice it to say acted upon the
suggestion, and in very few weeks, or
days, might say, learned that the Young
soldier was released ut once and had re.
turned to his home in Kentucky.
My dear Colonel, have made this loo
long, but could not make it shorter with
oft leaving out too much OF IN interview
with a great and good man, whom to know
is, III my mind and opinion, politically
speaking, "lile eternal" Sincerely and
truly your friend,
THEorIUus GAINES,
Major and Judgc AdrOcGte.
y. B.-The words embraced in quota.
ton marks in the foregoing remarks are
literally true and distinctly remembered
T.G.
"a