Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-04-24
LINcoLN,s FRIEND.

LINCOLNs FRIEND.
| A SOutherner's Interview with LeOnart
| SWEET While in Atlanta.
Atlanta Constitution.
Three distinguished Chicago gentle
men are at the Kimball house Georg'
Dunlap, the railway king, formerly o
the Chicago and Northwestern railroad
Judge Grant Goodrich, and the cele-
brated lawyer: Leonard SWEET Knowing
that Mr.. SWEET was the intimate friend
and all through the war an adviser Of
Abraham Lincoln, though never ar
Office holder, q Constitution man called
upon him, and was courteously received
Mr.. SWEET is tall man of about sixty,
with a fringe Of gray whiskers, hal,
slightly gray, heavy, overhanging eye
brows, large nose, and strongly marked
face. He would be picked out of any
crowd as a notable man. After some
general conversation the reporter asked
"How did you become acquainted with
Mr.. Lincoln?"
"By travelling and living with him
while attending the circuit courts of I'LL
nois in 1848 till he was elected president
in 1861" was the reply.
"You knew him then as Intimately as
any man could?"
Eyes, I think so.'
"You assisted him in the selection of
his cabinet?'
Well, only in this way soon after his
election. Seward, Chase, and Welles
were decided upon, when Judge David
Davis (afterward on the bench of the
supreme court of the United States and
SENATOR and advised him to
CONSULT THURLow WEED.
Mr. Lincoln asked me to write Mr. Weed
and invite him to a conference at Mr..
Lincoln's house in Springfield. Ibid so,
and the result was that Judge Davis,
Thurlow Weed. and myself spent a whole
day with him in discussing the men and
measures of his administration"
"The remaining members of his cabi-
net were selected at that conference ~
Eyes, in the main, though circum-
stances afterward made one or two
changes necessary"
"When did Mr.. Lincoln become con-
WINGED that war was iminent between
the north and south?"
cat that meeting, which took place in
less than month after NJ. Lincoln's
election, or about Dec. !, 1860. Mr..
Weed, you know, was very astute man,
and had wonderful knowledge of what
was going on. He told Mr.. Lincoln of
preparations being made in the south
ern states that could mean nothing less"
"How was Mr.. Lincoln affected by
this information
'.It was a serious time with all of us,
of course, but Mr.. Lincoln took it with
the imperturbability that always distin-
guished him. Let me relate an incident
that has never been published which
this trait in
HIS CHARACTER.
I'm the spring of 1854, when Grant
was pounding his way toward Richmond
in those terrible battles of the Wilder
ness myself and wife were in Washing
ton trying to do what little two persons
could do toward alleviating the suffer
ings of the MANNED and dying in the vast
hospitals of that city. We tried to be
thorough and systematic. We took the
first man we came to, brought him deli
cacies, wrote letters to his friends, or did
for linn whatever else he most needed,
then the next man, and SO on. Day
after day cars and ambulances were
coming in laden with untold sorrows for
thousands of homes. After weeks of
this kind of experience my feelings be-
came SO wrought up that I said to my
self: The country can not long endure
this sacrifice. In mercy, both to north
and south, every man capable of bearing
arms must be hurried forward to Grant
to end this fearful slaughter at the earli-
est possible moment. I went to Presi-
dent Lincoln at the white house and
poured myself out to him. He was sit
ting by an open window, and as paused
bird Lit upon branch just outside and
was twittering and singing most joyous
ly. Mr. Lincoln, initiating the bird,
said: 'Tweet, tweet, tweet; isn't he sing
ing sweetly?' I felt as if my legs had
been cut from under me. I rose, took
my hat, and said: i see the country is
safer than I thought As I moved to-
ward the door Mr. Lincoln called out in
his hearty, familiar way:
HERE, SWEET
come back and sit down. Then we
went on: 1T is impossible for man in
my position not to have thought of all
those things. Weeks ago every man
capable of bearing arms was ordered to
the front, and every thing you have sug-
gested has been done.'"
The Visiting Dog.
Rochester Herald.
The most interesting and least ap-
preciated of dogs is the dog that visits.
He is usually iver-colored animal, two
hands high and about twenty-six inches
long, with pink spot on his nose. His