St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-04

COL. A. F. ROCKWELL.
Among the most interesting incidents
of his army life is the fact that he is the
only person who witnessed the death of
both presidents of the United States
who were stricken down by the bullets
of aSsasSinS. Reference was made to
this recently in conversation that a
representative of the GLOBE had with
the genial colonel, and he readily COM
piled with request for a narrative of
his experiences i'll connection with both
United States.
''It was few minutes after 10 o'clock
the evening of Friday, April IA, 1865,
said the colonel, as he leaned back
in his comfortable arm chair, THAT | re-
ceived message from Secretary STAN
ton to report for duty as might be nee
eSsary at the house on Tenth street, OPP
pOsite FOrd's theater, at Washington,
ID. c., whittier President Lincoln had
been carried after Booth had committed
his dastardly act. Assistant Adjt. Gen.
Thomas NJ. Vincent, who is now STA
toned in this city, and Col. Louis III.
2 elOuze, of the adjutant generals
office, received NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., and
we then proceeded to the scene where
tn e last act of the great tragedy took
place.
''President Lincoln was lying uncon-
scious on the bed in the second story
front room, with Surgeon General
Joseph X. Barnes holding his wrist and
noting the pulsatiOns, while Surgeon
Crane, U. S. A, stood next to him hold
ing watch, as our party entered the
chamber. 1t was sight
NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN,
and all night long and up to twenty-five
minutes past z O'Clock Saturday morn
ing, the 18th of April, when the surgeon
general announced the president of the
United States is dead the eyes of the
watchers were riveted upon the pros
trate form of the chief magistrate.
practically, President Lincoln was
dead as soon as the fatal bullet pene-
trated his brain, but the actual diSsOlu-
ton occurred precisely at the time |
have mentioned.
"a gesture made by Secretary Stanton
when Gen. Barnes made the announce
ment Of death struck me as somewhat
singular. The secretary was standing
by the bed holding his high silk hat in
his right hand,an his left arm was rest
ing on the crown. simultaneously with
the remark of Gen. Barnes he placed
his hat upon his head for an instant,
made low bow, and then reverently
uncovered his head and placed his hat
he wrote on piece of paper which he
placed on top of his hat the
dispatch which was sent broad
cast over the world, announcing
the demise of the chief magistrate.
All night long the anxious faces by the
bedside regarded with solicitude the
dying man, whose respiration was la
bored and prolonged, in some instances
fully three minutes, although they
seemed like hours. Mrs. Lincoln was
in and out of the room at various times
during that eventful night, but at the
moment when death came to the relief
of the illustrious sufferer she had gone
into an adjoining apartment in an en-
deavOr to obtain much-needed rest, and
Robert Lincoln was the only member of
the family present at the bedside when
his father breathed his last. Appreci-
ating the fact that such gathering
would some day prove of historical inn
pOrtance, / made note of the group
around the bedside at the time Presi-
dent Lincoln died, their names being:
Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes,
1tN. |. IL NullCy, pe'oVOl vi tuC INCW
York Avenue Presbyterian church,
where President Lincoln attended divine
service; Surgeon > Crane, U. S. A;
Robert Lincoln, Senator Sumner, of
Massachusetts,; Assistant Secretary
Mansell B. Field, of the treasury
department; John Hay, private secre-
tary to President Lincoln; Secretary
Gideon WelIes, of the navy department.;
Gen. Henry w. Halleck, Attorney Gen
eral James Speed. QuartermaSter Gen
eral Nj. G. Meigs; Secretary John p.
Usher, of the interior department; Sec
rotary Stanton, Postmaster General
William Dennison; Maj. Thomas T.
Eckert, chief of the telegraph corps of
the war department; Mrs. Kenney, Miss
Kenney, Col. Thomas M. Vincent and
l.. H. Pelouze, U. S. A., and myself.
WHEN GARFIELD DIED.
"Sixteen and a half years later, at
1920 o'clock p. H., Sept. 10, 1881, was
present at the death bed of the second
president of the United States, James
A. Garfield, assassinated within period
of little over century from the time
of the Declaration of independence.
None of the witnesses of the event
which terminated the life of President
Lincoln were at ElberOn when President
Garfield expired, and hence, by singu-
lar coincidence, am the only person in
the world who saw the last struggles of
these two celebrated Americans. For
eighty days all was done that medical
skill or science could suggest to allevi-
ate the sufferings of my friend and COM
paniOn, but all to no avail. His mag
nifcent constitution Succumbed to the
dread destroyer, and he passed away to
join the silent majority.
"When the autopsy was made DR..
Bliss uttered remark that is indelibly
impressed upon my memory-''If this
body before US had been transparent,
so that we could have traced the course
of the bullet with our eyes, we could not
have saved his life, for it pierced his
vitals, and nothing could have been
done further than has been done in
treating the case.' When the fatal bull
let was extracted, l attached it to a
piece of paper, Erst having bored two
small holes through 1t and secured 1t
with small piece OF wire, and to this
paper were attached the signatures of
those present at the autopsy, and the
relic is now. believe, in the National
museum at Washington.
THAT night at Elberon when Presi-
dent Garfield died recalled wildly to
my mind the time when President Lin
coin was shot and / made careful sur
vey of those in the room, the windows
of which looked out upon the moaning
sea, which sang a requiem as our friend
passed out into the great unknown, as