The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1884-01-31

tying his shoe-string on the doorstep, he
vented his rent up passion by knocking
him over, saying, you are always tying
your shoe This thought often enabled
me to refrain from o sharp answer,
when it would have done more harm
than good Yet 1 did not always
take an unmerited rebuke
quietly. He sent down for
me one day to go to his room in the de.
partment. / found him alone. pacing
the floor. He asked me rather sternly
why had done q certain thing that had
just come to his knowledge. | gave him
my reasons. Said he: You were
wrong; you ought not to have done snY
such thing As l differed from him T
made no sort of reply. Then he asked
me why had not done something else
instead. I told him why, briefly ex-
planning the circumstances. He said III
q milder tone, that he did not agree
with me. To this msde no reply. Then
he asked, Don't you think you were
wrong?' I said, very deliberately and
positively: No. Mr.. Secretary, do not
think / was wrong, and moreover,
may as we'll add, once for all. that my
best Judgment aud ability. were uni
formly exerted to foresee what may re-
auire to be done, and to do it as
well as possible. If / fail, it is
not from want of endeavor;
and when you find fault. as you some
times do, it cannot quicken me to great
er care and exertion, but only makes
me Indifferent whether l please you or
not He said quietly, I rebuke whom
/ please yes sir said /. Having wait
ed some time, and finding he said moth,
ing more, but continued walking up AID
n I
he wished anything further. de said:
NO. and l withdrew. Half an hour af-
ter the messenger summoned me to his
room again. thought it quite probabie
he would do ss he did with a former
chief of bureau who got angry at the
way Mr.. Stanton spoke to him. and re-
sented it by saying he would not allow
any man to address to him such lam
guage. 1t was at the beginning Of his al
ministration, and the Secretary asserted
his authority by ordering the refractory
chief to a remote city and never
afterward allowing him
to return to duty. But l had taken my
stand deliberately and meant to main
tam ii. The secretary was still alone
and standing by hi' high table. Beck
oning to me with his finger in pleasant
way, be put bis arm around my fhoul-l
der and drew nay head close to his, when
he whispered to me very important
secret, which it was not at all necessary
| sh uld know. He had weighed all Il
had said, found I was right and took
this method of showing me extraordi7
nary confidence by way of acknowledge
ment. This course which the secretary
pursued more than once, fully accom-
piished his generous purpose without
sub]ecting him to q direct confession
of wrong, which he thought
might weaken his influence. He knew
that | we'll understood SO. In moments
of leisure he would often send for ne,
and in the most pleasant manner inquire
about my busiu sas, to inform himself Of
what was going on, and then converse
generally on topics requiring considera-
ton. In this way he maintained sutii-
cient knowledge of things he might have
to act upon, and broke ia Upon the
hesdlong current Of events which
seemed to cause everything to be done
In hurry.
"The absurd and malicious tale that
Station took his own life was forever
refuted by the letter of Surgeon Gen.
Barnes end affidavits of VIVA. S. Dupee
was and David Jones. Ifanything more
wanting to confirm me in the persuasion
of the talsity of such a story, my own
knowledge would suffice. | watched by
the body of Edward NJ. Stanton the en-
tire night alter his death, and could not
have failed to know if there was any,
thing wrong about it. Moreover | could
never be brought to believe that man
who so often gave utteraaces to rel g
ious convictions as he did in friendly
CONVEX -atious with me could have posi-
bly, perverted his mind so as to commit
such a deed. Only some three or four
years preceding his decease, he invited
General Barnes and Meigs and myself
to be present at his baptism. The GER
emony was performed in his chamber
by the Rev. Dr. Sparrow, bis old time
professor at Kenyon College, none 9TH
ers, except his family, being present.