The National tribune., 1885-11-26

| this information for the President and his Sec
retaries. His trip, however, was for naught, as
on that night the assassins did their work IN
| part Wilkes did his. and Mr.. Lincoln, the
noblest of all men, fell by the bullet Of this
murderer. Page tried his hand, but failed to
| complete his task Durham failed entirely
| from some cause.
Henry arrived in Washington the next
| evening when he saw the Secretary of Wa.
| He told him to say nothing, as they would all
| he put on their guard by these facts being made
| public Gen. Silent only escaped, as it seemed,
| the President that night, and was only pre-
vented by his wife's trunks with her wardrobe
being carried by Washington to Baltimore that
| afternoon.
"The intelligence of Mr.. Lincoln's death, as
| it trembled along the wires on the morning of
| the 18th to every portion of this Republic,
coming as it did in the midst of universal re-
| .joicng firing of cannon and unfurling of ban
ners, struck dumb those who moment before
were shouting with joy. Language nor pen
can adequately express the horror and grief
with which the people were stricken. Ma
tion's shouts of joy and triumph at one mo-
ment, were the next turned into grief and sor
row. The people were bowed down and bathed
in tears. The shadows Of gloom were on every
| cOuntenance. The flags that were floating in
| triumph moment were the next at half
mast. Almost instantaneously all houses were
| draped in mourning. Women ran into the
streets wringing their hands and weeping
aloud Children ran to and fro to learn the
cause of the great change from joy to over
| whelming grief. Each family wept as though
for the loss of their frst-born. The soldiers in
/ the field had lost their idol; the coored people
| had lost their deliverer from the wilderness of
| slavery.
THE people gathered in their places of wor-
ship and mingled their tears with their prayers.
| A dark pail hung over the whole land. The
| people seemed to lose heart. The very earth
seemed to groan and cry out against the hor-
rible decd. The enemies of the Government
were alarmed and shocked at this terrible
crime growing out of their own course of con-
duct Foreign Governments were Mortified at
the atrocity of the fendish resentment shown.
Many men became alarmed and fastened to
leave the country. Some left for Mexico, some
for South America, and some for Europe.
"The Vice President had now taken the oath
of Office and had entered upon the duties of
President. Lincoln was dead; the last act in
the bloody drama on the program of the con-
spirator5 had been played"
CHAPTER XXI
THE SCHEME FOR A NEW REBELLION.
"Jones surrendered to Sherwood Mobile
had fallen and all the minor commands in re-
belliOn were trying to see which could get in
first The President of the Confederacy had
been captured by Willston. Our great armies
were mustered out of the service and peace
once more reigned throughout the land The
then President had by his declarations shown
such bitter hostility toward the leading rebels
that they were greatly alarmed and many
were leaving the country. The General of our
armies had established his headquarters at
Washington, and all matters pertaining to the
future were now in the hands of the civil au-
thorities
"Gen. Anderson had returned to my house,
where he found joy and happiness in our little
family at his safety after passing through the
storm of this great struggle. His wife and lit
tie Mary, as well as little Jennie seemed as
though they would never get through kissing
him. Henry and his wife (Seraine) were now
with us. Lieut.. Whitcomb returned to Detroit
to his parents. Gen. Anderson and Henry
were all that were left of the eight of my house
hold who had entered the service You can
imagine the sadness this brought back to me.
"Davids wife (Jennie) become melancholy
and more depressed than usual She was
stricken with fever and died in about three
weeks after the Generals return. This left
this dear child "-pointing to Jennie Wilson
" alone in the world, without a protector save
her poor old grandfather. Mary Anderson. the
General, Henry and Seraine were all kind and
willing to do anything for her that they could
She was heir to her fathers farm, which had
been left i'll my hands, and naturally looked to
me, and SO we have ever since lived together
Henry, Seraine, Gen. Anderson and his
family remained with me until the General
could determine whether he would remain
North or venture to return to his old home in
Mississippi. Old Ham and Aunt Martha after
the murder of Mr.. Lincoln seemed to have lost
energy, and were silent and melancholy, seldom
speaking to any one, save in the expression of
their great joy at the safe return of lheir
'Marsa Genl.' One day while we were sitting
on the porch, the General said to Ham, who had
come to the front of the house:
Ham. what is the matter with you and
Aunt Martha? You seem to be in serious mood
all the time, since my return2'
Yes, Marsa GENT, we is monstrous serious,
sah We feels bad bout Marsa Lineum, what
dem 'Sesh kill. He war our bes' fren' He
make us free, and we feel dat dar am some
wrong somewhat. dat dem 'Sesh starve de Union
sogers; dey shoots dem when dey wants to, and
dey kills our President, and none of dem get
hunged for dis. If dis is de way dat matters is
a-gwine, what am goin' to come of de darkics
Whar am dew gWino? What am pWine tn come