The Washington bee., 1886-07-17

expressed his desire to end the wal
as soon as possible. While | was
talking with him Governor Buck
ingham sent in his card, and | was
amused by his telling the messen-
ger, as we'll as by the way he ex.
pressed it, Ito tell Gov. Bucking.
ham to wait, | want to have
a long talk with my friend Doug
lass" He used those words, | said,
Mr.. Lincoln | will retire. "Oh no,
no, you shall not, / want Governor
Buckingham to watt" and he did
wait for at least a half hour. When
he came in | was introduced by Mr..
Lincoln to Governor Buckingham
and the Governor did not seem to
take it amiss at all that he had
been required to wait. / was pres
ent at the Inauguration of Mr.. Lin
coin, the 4th of March 1866. !
felt then that there was murder in
the air, and | kept close to his car.
riage on the way to the Capitol,
for | felt that L might see him fall
that day. 1t was vague PRESENT..
ment. At that time the Cenfeder.
ate cause was on it's last legs, as it
were, and there was deep feeling.
| could feel it in the atmosphere
here. | did not know exactly what
it was, but | just felt as if he might
be shot on his way to the Capitol.
l cannot refer to any incident, in
fact to any expression that L heard,
it was simply presentiment that
Lincoln might fall that day. i got
right in front of the east pOrticO of
the Capitol, listened to his inaugu-
raj address, and witnessed his be-
ing sworn in by Chief Justice Chase.
When he came on the steps he was
accompanied by Vice-President
Johnson. In looking out In the
crowd he saw me standing near by,
and | could see he was pointing
me out to Andrew Johnson. Mr..
johnson, without knowing perhaps
that | saw the movement, looked
quite annoyed that his attention
should be called in that direction.
So got peep into his soul. As
soon as he saw me looking at him,
suddenly he assumed rather an
amlcable expression of cOuntenance.
| felt that, whatever else the man
might be, he was no friend to my
people.
| heard Mr.. Lincoln deliver this
wonderful address. 1t was very
short but he answered all the OBJ
jectIons raised to his prOlonging
the war in one sentence-it was a
sentence.
"Fondly do we hope, profoundly
do we pray, that this mighty
scourge of war shall soon pass
away yet if God wills it continue
until all the wealth piled up by two
hundred years of bondage shall
have been wasted, and each drop of
blood drawn by the lash shall have
been paid for by one drawn by
the sword. we must still say, as
was said three thousand years ago,
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether
For the first time in my life, and
L suppose the first time i'll any col
Ored mans life | attended the re-
ceptiOn of President Lincoln OH the
evening of the Inauguration. AS |
the door | was seized
by two policemen and forbidden to
enter. | said to them that they
were mistaken entirelyin what they
were doing, that if Mr.. Lincoln
knew that [ was at the door he
would order my admission, and |
bOlted in by them. On the inside |
was taken charge of by two other
policemen, to be conducted as |
supposed TO the President, but in
stead of that they were conducting
me- out the window on a plank.
''Oh" said /, this will not do, gen
tlemen, and as d gentleman was
passing in | said to him, ''Just say
to Mr.. Lincoln that Fred Douglass
is at the door" He rushed in to
President Lincoln, and almost I'D
less than half q minute | was in-
vited into the East Room of the
White House. a perfect sea of
beauty and elegance, too it was.
The ladies were in very fine attire,
aud Mrs. Lincoln was standing
there. | could not have been more
than ten feet from him when Mr..
Lincoln saw me; his countenance
lighted up, and he said in a voice
which was heard all around ssHere
comes my friend Douglass" AS l
appr. ashed him he reached out his
hand, and gave me cordial shake
and said, Douglass. | saw you i'm
the crowd to day listening to my
inaugural address. There is no
mans opinion that | value more
than yours what do you think of
it? L said: s'Mr. Lincoln, L cannot