Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-08-14
THREE KNELLs.
Lincoln In is65--oarfieId IN ISL
Grant In 1895.
Dr.. J. B, Smith in the Arkansas Gazette.

DR.. j. B., Smith in the Arkansas Gazette.
On the night of the 18th Of April,
1866, the writer was busy at his desk
in the Office Of the depot quartermas-
ter at Richmond, Va, with no sound
falling on the ear but the click Of a
telegraph register in an adjoining
room. 1t was growing late, and only
the operator and myself were in the
building, when ! heard a cry of min
gled wonder and horror, and a moment
after he rushed into my room, and,
trembling with emotion, said, my
God, sir, what do you think has just
passed oyer the wires to head
quarters? President Lincoln as
~sassinated, and Mr.. Seward, and
possibly many more" Then he
was called by a message to me to
close the building and come to head
quarters at once. Then the streets
were cleared and guards stationed all
kover the city, and each man looked at
his comrade, and said, "What next?"
Then the breathless suspense until the
worst was known, and then the bells
took up the ever mournful toll, and the
people knew the President was dead.
On the morning OF the I'd Of July,
1881, l was sitting alone at my desk in
the census office at Washington, hav-
ing just seen President Garfield ride
past on his way to the depot. Again
another person, the postman, came
to place the mail upon my desk, when
suddenly he cried: "What are all the
people running across the street to-
ward the depot for?" And looking
from my window, which commanded
the avenue, / saw vast crowds pouring
from the pension Office and all the
buildings and rushing wildly to the
Baltimore depot. Ringing my tele-
phone, l received a short reply, 1.-The
President has just been shot and is
dying" AS / could not leave
my post, l watched from
the window the excited crowds, until
in a few minutes an ambulance came
with quickened pace up che avenue,
surrounded by mounted police, and
recognized in front Col. Rockwell sup.
porting the pale face of the wounded
President, a face | shall never forget
as it looked to me that day. Then
came the long days of suspense and
bulletins and hopes and fears, and then
the change to Elberon, and the fading
hours, until one night as l sat watch
ing the lights from my window on
Capitol Hill, l hearda long deep stroke
upon a church bell, and then another
Of its mournful echo, and / knew thu
pale face had grown paler and still BY
that seaside, and the end had come
And so later on l stood by the ever
open vault at Lakeview cemetery anC
reverently gazed upon the casket an(
: the withered wreaths, and left thu
sentry pacing and still pacing in hi
lonely watch over the nations dead.
And once again as / sit by an opel
{ window in the City Of Roses, / heal
} that knell, and l know full well tina
far away in the hills of New York an
other pale face is still and peaceful al
last, and again the nations dead IL
waiting for burial. Already the great
columns of the White House and the
departments are being draped with
heavy folds of Grape, and the president
and the cabinet are sadly issuing thu
} funeral orders that shall go round thu
) world; and on land and sea the flag
/ of every nation will thunder out
requiem for the dead captain; but il
this great republic which claims hin
as her own, the bell will toll all ovel
the land once again for a dead hero, 70.
a generous soldier, for a loving hus
!, band andfather and the third knel
! of the bells closes a mournful recol
, lection of the three heroes dying eacl
: away from his own home and unde
strange roofs, but surrounded by low
ing FRIENDS.