The Indianapolis journal., 1884-10-05
ABRAHAM LINCOLE.
Confession of the Man who Invented the
Scotch Cap and Military Cloak Story.
Joe Howard in Philadelphia Press

Confession of the Man Who Invented the
Scotch Cap and Military Cloak Story.
Joe Howard, in Philadelphia Press.
The next party Of distinction that ] recall as
receiving marked attention in the Continental
Hotel, Philadelphia, was Abraham Lincoln
Again it was my good luck to be participant in
the chief event of the day. | had been delegated
by the paper | represented to accompany Mr.
Lincoln and his family from Springfeld Ill. to
Washington, and, of course, | did so. | stood
within yard of him when, in Trenton, he made
the memorable assertion that it was time the
government put its foot down firmly and | was
with him IN Philadelphia when he was comforta-
bly, housed in the Continental Hotel, where the
best people III the city Wed with each other to
do him honor and pay him the respect so hon
estly his due. And, by the way, this is about as
good a time as any for me to explain the Scotch
cap and military cloak story, which long since
passed into history, and can be found in all the
encyclopedias of the day.
There isn't word of truth in it. The inten-
tlon was, after the reception and parade in Phila
dephia, Mr.. Lincoln and his party reviewing the
torch-light Wide awakes and bands of music,
and attended by thousands, from his rooms in
Chestnut street. to go by the early train to Har
risburg, where, as in all big places, a reception
was to be given and procession had in his
honor, and thence direct to Washington. This
plan, however, was thwarted by information
brought to the Continental, and communicated,
l think, first to Mr.. Kingsley, and subsequently
lntrusted to Mr.. Lincoln, although the wisdom
OF that step was then and has ever since been
doubted. The information was TO the effect that
the train from Harrisburg was to be thrown
from the track in the hope of killing the Presi-
dent-elect, without regard to the lives or safety
oil his wife and children and large number of
notables who were accompanying them.
Mr.. Kingsley and Mr. Lincoln and the
gentlemen III charge Of the party, who were
Colonel Wood, subsequently superintendent of
buildings in Washington; Ward Lamon s11bse-
quently marshal of the District of Columbia
and detective In the secret service by the name
of Burns, who used to keep the Pierrepont
House in Brooklyn, kept the secret well. 1t
was an anxious night with those people and
with Mr.. Seward, jr., who accompanied the
detective from Washington and brought the in
formation to the parties Interested The next
morning the presidential group started, and
continuous ovation greeted them all the way to
harrisburg, where a very creditable turnout was
made, with speech, band and fire works accompa-
nlment went to my room in the hotel at
night, and was preparing my dispatch to wire to
this city when Detective Burns entered the
room and locked the door
looked at him in amaZement, and asked him
what he meant He told me / couldn't leave the
room until the following morning asked why
and to make long story short in spite of nv
threats and representations of serious enbar
rasSment to me personally and professionally
the conclusion was that was not to leave until
the following morning, as it was for the public
good which he, upon my promise not to use, eX
left by special engine and car. and had gone
back over his track in time to catch the evening
train from New York, while his family and the
rest OF the party would continue their Journey
IN accordance with the prearranged programme.
He also informed me that the wires had been cut,
and that communication with New York was
physical impossibility but that nevertheless his
orders were that none of the newspaper men
should leave their rooms that night | at once
wrote dispatch beginning as follows: abraham
Lincoln. tel M Init cd Gta+a &c
safe in the city of Washington" and then pro
ceeded to narrate the circumstances, as unfoided
to me by the detective, who with considerable
mystery, said that no one would recognize Mr.
Lincoln at night, and that the plans of the con
spirators were fortunately foiled.
l asked myself what possible disguise could
Lincoln get in Harrisburg and, as | wrote on, l
imagined him in a Scotch cap, which would be
about as marked and opposite to his high silk hat
as one could conceive, and military cloak,
which l borrowed, in my imagination,
from the shapely shoulders of Colonel
Sumner, who was travelling with the President
elect My dispatch was sent very
early in the morning, and by good
luck reached the Times office Just as the day
editor entered his room. His first thought was:
WELL this is pretty time c day for Howards
dispatch to arrive" and, taking it up, mechanic
ally glanced at it. The first sentence attracted
his attention. Hurredly reaching it, and seeing
its Importance, he ordered it put up and an extra
gotten out at once. The first thing known IN
this city by our esteemed contemporaries in es-
pecial and the public in general, was when thou
sand newsbops electrified the town with the ex-
ira Times and its astounding revelation of the
dabolical plot against the chosen head of the
Nation. Immediately the illustrated papers
took the matter up, and one and all printed pic
lures of Mr. Lincoln fleeing from Harrisburg
arrayed in this chimerical garb, a Scotch cap
and long military cloak. The story was abso-
lutely correct, the trimmings We're pure imagina-
ton.