New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-07
"REMINISCENCES or LINCOLN and HIS
TINES.

Tribune
Last ni2ht, when Judge Usher finished. in
second lecture, his "reminiscences OF Lincoln ana
His Times he began bY relating incidents OF rue
Presidents great faith in the final success of the
Union arms One dag he received letter from
Governor .. T. Morton. OF Indiana, hiled WIN lo1e
bodings. Every thing was going wrong ana Morton
DAM Won know. Usher" said Lincoln, that
Morton Is one Of the very best Governors we've
fndgo Usher repiied that he so considered him.
We'll IT'S A." reiterated the President; " nut
he's the easiest stampeded Of any man you ever
'TTincoIn looked at everything in a hopeful way.
When others were crushed by the disasters the
armies suffered. kept his spirits mp IL vas not
until the Conledelacy was pIactcally ueau-
after the fall Of Rchmoud-that ne seeulou op-
pressed a. though tie heavy strain mad been TOO
much and finally broken him down .-..,,
stanton was peculiar m4n-a man Oh IIoi W 49,.
and one who never smiled. He had SON bright
and promising fellow and. when he died, he ieIt tPe
lad nothing absolutely nothing. out Oh AI1 ample
fortune not even book from his splendid library
but ordered in hs will that every Vo'ume De gam
cred up and sold. The son Obeyed tue tather IN
struction 10 the letter He Is now dead stanton
WAS a man of resources. OF great executive doi.tS'
and could hardly have been spared from me " ar
Department. He was very unpopular, ana IN lacg
! it may Doe said he was hate' "a wa u9IGse anu
unciyii though the speaker dld not thlhA ne ~
intended to be. He was never well, and that Oh
cour.c accounted for "A great many OF MS actions
lie never engaged 10 free ana easy conFGls o.
He was an accomplished lawyer, ant ma" tue
faculty OF expressing his views aud opinions Win a
| precision ana force rarely cqualed. Ihe written
! requests Of Mr.. Lincoln ne would sometimes a.
reaninr rend 10 pieces and throw them on the floor
or In the face OF the bearer, and then rudey ieny
the request. OF course ms conduct w0uu DC
/ promptly reported 70 Lincoln, VINO Noulu reply
| " Well YOU see ] have not got much influence WIN
this Administration; but | expect to nave more
with the next" The tact was there was an UNI !
| derstanding between them that stanton shouIu
refuse If granting the request was deIIlIShIdI "
We read in the papers now" said Judge Usher,
| 4 sfhn
cusslou of questions at these meetings. There was
| nothing of that kind with Mr.. Lincoln ana ms
| Cabinet Each was too busy WIN MS own GepdI y
mcnt to discuss any ~ e,tOn relatih5 10 otneI og
partments. When Cabinet meetings were called
! stanton would usually put his head IN M the door
and inquire, Is there anything to-day 4if. lIeslI
| deutY To which Mr. Lincoln would reply, No 1
| GUESS not Stanton The Mason and cldell ahaIr
! caused some discussion. but Seward decided thal
| question and not the Cabinet IleTe were never
but two questions brought before the Cabinet, ana
| one of them was the fearful massacre at tort
| Pillow. Mr.. Lincoln was very much III earnest
| about the matter, and Ietailatoiy MEASURES "eIo
| talked of. but never resortcd TO: ~,
| After Hallecs had been withdrawn from the
| fpd he was kept at Washington by Mr. Lincoln
! and was in and around the W hic House all tue
| time lie was said Judge Sher " great, Di!,
| clever intelligent clerk. somebody asheu IinCViH
| WHAT he had Hallecl around 80 much for, aud he
answered that rs there were no military men IN Jhe
| CABINET 10 was handy to have somebody around
who could explain the movements OF Tue troops n
! tine field when the dispatches came H. IlaliecfN
| was IN short a sort of a Presidential exp amer.
! Lincoln had as kind a heart any man could
possIblv have, though he never for moment
thought of giving up the struggle iog the pleserVa,
| ton OF the Union on that account. lie WOulu Ieeu
the enemy when he took MN prisoner put ne
| Thought of nothing else than the enemy ma
| surrender Many stories are related % now Dc
| permtted food and clothing 10 be taken TO IeOe
| prisoners who relatives OF ante. Oellun days
Yet when it came TO signing the death warrants OF
men caught burning Northern cities OF sending III
| fected clothing into pOpulOus communities no man
could he more sternly Just.
| Judge Usher gave the history OF the famous
Gettysburg OratiUn-thst snort anu simple pto7ei
noen which is immortal, and has been compared
| 10 the sermon on the Mount. The President was
! exDected of course to say something on the 0cca-
sion though Everett the orator of the day and
would deliver the address. Mt. Lincoln was SO
| hurried by business in Washington that he had no
time 10 write out any notes. so, on the cars, be-
! tween the National Capital and Gettysburg, upon
| a piece of pasteboard placed upon his knee, with
| a great crowd all around him. talking, gossiplng
| laughing and chatterng, he wrote the words oil
which Everett said would rather be the author
of those twenty lines than to have all the tame my
! Grafton to-day Will give me-
Marshal LamOn who was going down to Rich
mond TINS being two days before the assassination
with him. He asked the President not 10 90 out
| alone while lie was gone, to 20 10 the theatre
| Lincoln was inclined to treat the pleadings OF
| Lamon lightly, but Judge Usher advised he Pres
dent to pay attention to Lannon's appeals. LanlOn
went to Richmond and while there heard the news
| of the ASSASSIN patton.
| Judge Usher described the deathbed scene
| graphically Mrs. Lincoln was IN front room
with some lady friends, and every few moments sne
| would come TO the bedside and give vent TO the
most Fearful screams, that were painful ana even
! appaliing to hear. Thus it continued through the
night and inst ~ the dawn OF the coming day was
breaking the soul of the great Martyr passed 10 1a
| final rest.