The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-07


all the airs possible | confess that tried to at
tract his attention. At all events ne noticed me
and stopped. | did not know whether to 'come,
to a shoulder" or still keep my rife in front ''at
a present" for there is no special rule for the
conduct of private in the presence of a Presi-
dent. But to remain on the safe side remained
at a present arms" A moment later this put
me in predicament To my utter amazement
the President recognized me and held out his
hand, Then had to drop the rifle to return the
salutation. The gold-decked officers contem-
plated the occurrence with as much establishment
as my own. They were astonished that Presi-
dent should recognize private. I was astonish-
ed that, seeing the thousands Of people that he
did, amid the thousands of soldiers there on the
spot, all dressed alike, he should have remem-
bered ever having seen me before. There were
majors and captains standing around who would
have knocked me down for my impudence had
presumed to address them But here was,
nothing but private, being addressed by the
commander of them all, l felt my sunburned
face turn red to the roots of my scraggly hair.
II remember your face" said Mr.. Lincoln;
where have L seen you before"
I'm the rotunda of the Capitol, sir" replied l.
1T was just after the second Bull Run and about
o o'clock in the morning"
'Oh, yes, you are the Jersey boy talked to-"
said the President. II remember now"
ut seems hardly possible sir" 1 ventured.
II never forget faces" said the President
but can't remember names as WELL You've
smelt powder since then, l guessp
Eyes, sir, little" said.
"Well, said he, encouragingly, and letting go
my hand to turn away, 'ifyou brave Jersey boys
continue to fight asyou did at Antietam, the war
will soon be over"
The President then proceeded in company
with the brilliant staff that surrounded him.
leaving me for the second time hero-'the
man who talked with the Presi-
dent" l had to repeat the
versation so many times that it became firmly
engrafted on my memory, and 1 remember
every word, every look, as plainly as if it were
yesterday. The incident made solid with
my officers, with some of whom l not in
very good favor. Then, as now, was addicted
to newspaper correspondence, and | sent let
ter to one of the New York papers, critcising
the treatment of the men by some of the officers
with such severity that landed in the guard
house as soon as it became known that l was
the author. But after this, l was given an easy
place in the shape of a detail on detached
vice, which relieved me from drills and picket
duty, on the promise that would not write any
more letters to the papers. AS the position was
a comparative sinecure, with board at the
officers mess, 1 kept my part of the agreement
for the two months that | enjoyed this snap.
The most wonderful thing of it all was that the
President should have picked out of that mass
of soldiers any particular one that he had ever
spoken to before.
happened to be brought in contact with Mr..
Lincoln many times after that There was an
opportunity given for examination at Washing
ton of a certain number of enlisted men of the
ferred after being wounded at Charlottesville,
and went on and took my chances. Partially
through certain degree of general intelligence,
as we'll as perfect mastery of ''Casey's Tactics
and the information contained between the blue
covers of the Revised Army Regulations, and
partially through the influence of Provost Mar
shall General Fry and his assistant, Col M. n.
Wisewell, and Captain O'Bierne, Il former attache
of the New York Herald, l secured appoint
ment as lieutenant and received a commission
personally from President Lincoln bearing his
signature, well that of Secretary Stanton
and Adjutant general E. D. Townsend. l have
this commission now. [ appointed to the
charge of the guard around and in the Old Cap
itol Prison, which position | held for several
weeks. No one could enter the prison to see any
one without an order from the President, and
the interviews had to be either in the presence
of Captain Davis afterwards provost marshal of
Pittsburgh or myself The orders from the
President were always written on small blank
card as follows:
CAPTAIN DAVIS
Or LIEUTENANT CRowEIL:
Let bearer see John Blank.
A LINCOLN.
I distributed perhaps fifty of these cards
among my friends afterwards for the sake of
the signature Unfortunately, l have none of
them left myself. My Trenton appointment was
another easy place which | filed, practically.
till the end of the war 1t was while there one
day that William w. Mershon, now the Trenton
agent of the Belvidere Delaware railroad. met
me with blanched face one bright morning.
Were lost" said he.
Lost How9" asked.
THE President has been murdered"
could hardly believe it. When the awful
truth finally flashed across my mind felt as if
had lost friend
When the railroad hearse bore the remains of
the martyred Lincoln from Philadelphia to New
York, commanded one of the companies that
presented arms during the short stop of the cor
tege train at the Trenton Depot. Through the
glass windows of the car l saw the black cata-
falque that bore all that remained of him whom