The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-01-15

earnest conversation with him. Finally,
one pompous military gentleman marched
up, and said to Tom, well, sir, you call
yourself General, but you are a mighty
small one" "True," said the president,
"but judging from the results OF their cam
paigns some OF my generals are still small
err"
laughable remark was quoted, made by
Lincoln when told on a certain occasion
that General SO-and-so and forty mules had
been captured. well" said he, IL can
make another brigadier in five minutes,
but mules cost 500 apiece"
LINCoLN's MERCIFUL HEART.
Lincoln's well-knOwn disposition TO be
merciful, which prevented his signing the
death warrants found by courts-martial,
was aptly illustrated by several stories, and
the fact stated that it was for this reason
congress so modified the law toward the
close Of the war that death warrants from
| courts-martial could be executed by the
order OF a commanding general in the field.
An instance Of this trait was found in
the pardon of one of Buffers command.
When the condemned mans father called at
the white house to beg his sons lite, the
president had just received a telegram from
Gen. Butter which read:
"Mr. PRESIDENT implore you not to
interfere with the judgment of our courts
martial. You will utterly ruin all disci-
pline in my command. b. F. BUTLER"
When this dispatch was read To the old
petitioner he fell at the presidents feet
heart-broken. Lincoln Looked down at
HIM moment, and then grasping pencil
and paper, he said: Ben Butler or no Ben
Butler, here goes And he wrote a note
and handed it to the old man, whose face
was now beaming with hope. His counte-
nance again became sad, however, when he
read the words:
General BuIler-"John Blauk is not to
ne put TO death until further orders from
me. "a LINCOLN"
"Ah, Mr.. President" said the man, al
though you were writing pardon. You
might order his execution to morrow"
My man" rejOined the president, "you
are not very well acquainted with me, see
Ii you were you would know that if your
son never died until put to death by nv
orders, he would live TO be a great deal
older than Methusalem"
LINCOLN AND GARFIELD.
A coincidence of the administration of
Lincoln and Garfield was pointed out.
When the former came into the presidency
be appointed as his secretary Of state and
secretary OF the treasury his two most
prominent competitors for the nomination
for the presidency. Garfield did the same.
and, as If In premOnitiOn OF the similarity of
his fate, he called also into his CABINET the
son OF his martyred predecessor, t..uS link |
ing more firmly IN the public view The !
two administrations. 1t was also noticed |
that General Garfield, in an Grafton de-
livered while in the house, referred to the |
choice Of Lincoln Of his former rivals fer |
important cabinet positions, and expressed !
the opinion that this secured to the country |
virtually all of the advantages OF the pres |
idency of either. The charity, the
FREEDOM FROM PARTISAN BITTERNESS.
or petty malice, or revengefulness of Lin |
con, and the similar traits of Gar6eld's |
character, were described and illustrated |
by pleasant incidents in the speakers own
experience. i; is this familiarity, arising |
from intimate intercourse with his illustri- |
Gus subjects, almost daily intercourse with |
Lincoln during the dark days of the war,
-nd only less intimate acquaintance with |
Garfield, that gives Mr.. Colfax his
main charm. He speaks of /
those whom he knew personally, |
and who are how enshrined In the hearts OF /
the citizens of the republic, ant have al
ready entered into an Immortality of rever-
ence and fame when the
CRUEL BULLET OF THE ASSASSIN
robbed us of our cOuntry's savior 3 wave OF
woe swept over the land from ocean to
ocean, and from capital TO frontier. Ii was
at natures gorgeous resurrection benz ath
the first faint breath of spring, and as peace
again promised to bless the land with her
smile, and millions of people were Mailing
her return. Only few short hours before
his heart was stilled by the wicked wretch,
he had sent a message of mercy, ordering
the officials at New England port not to
modest the intended flight Of two ex-leaders
Of the confederacy detected there in disguise.
IL was a fitting deed to occupy his last |
thoughts
After some fitting reference to the more
recent death OF Garfield, the lecturer closed
with an eloquent peroration.
So lived and 50 died these two, noble,
patriotic, faithful men, whom their fellow
men in their lives delight to honor, and |
with mingled feelings of sorrow
their loss. Pure in all the relations of pri |
vate life, and faithful to the onerous
trusts imposed upon them by their fellow
'tOn the ladder Of fame they assembled so high,
From the round at the top they have stepped to the
sky"