DeSoto times., 1890-04-17
NEW LINCOLN STORIES.
Inc emancipation nProclamation.-Tne Fa,
tal Night at the Theater.


| tai Night at the Theater.
benson j. Losing, the historian yos
well acquainted with President Lin.
coin, and some time after the President
nad issued his famous Proclamation of
emancipation the historian Travelled to
washington for the purpose of procup-
ing photograph of it, as it was written
throughout in Mr.. I.incoln's handwrit-
ing Arriving at the White House Mr..
LOSING first stated his mission to Mr..
nay, the Presidents secretary, who at
once promised to grant the request if
the President was agreeable Mr.. Loss.
Ing then went to see Mr.. Lincoln. The
President was in merry and iovial
mood, and, of course, he said he was
willing that the proclamation should be
photographed for Mr. Losing.
But there is one thing | want to
draw your attention to-" he said, hold
Ing up the precious document. You
see here it commences in bold letters:
i, Abraham Lincoln, etc, but YOU will
notice that the last paragraph has the
appearance of having been written in
trembling and irresolute manner: there
lore, you might infer that after had
written the proclamatio ion I weakened in
my good resolution and became afraid,
but | was not afraid bit. 1t happened
this way: After had written all the
proclamation, with The exception of the
last paragraph, | determined that |
would not write that and sign it until [
had Rthought the matter over. In the
meantime | held one Of my public recep-
tions, during which | was obliged to
shake hands with two or three thousand
people, consequently when | sat down to
write the last paragraph of the proclama-
tion my hand was weak and tired and
trembled much-indeed, | could scarce
ly write at all-but was not afraid"
The most interesting story regarding
the President which Mr.. LOSING re-
lated he told me had been repeated to
him lately by the Rev. Mr.. Minor. a
clergyman well acquainted with Mr..
Lincoln's wife, who had related the
story to him. "All day long the last
day of the Presidents lfe," said his
wife, "Mr. Lincoln seemed in the most
happy and jubilant mood he fitted from
one portion of the White House to an
other as if he had been a boy of twenty,
and constantly | heard him singing
snatches of songs. Toward evening he
declared to me his intention of going to
the theater, but from this idea ! tried to
dissuade him. "No no" he said, L will
go. The war is over now, there will be
no more bloodshed, and am happy. l
need little amusement and | am going
to the theater to get it.
At last, as Mrs. Lincoln found there
was no dissuading him, she consented to
accompany her husband to Ford's
Opera-House. Once arrived at the the
ater she said that the President did not
appear to take tho slightest interest in
the performance, but apparently he was
thinking deeply upon some subject. At
last he turned to me and remarked:
"Mary, need rest. ] know what we
will do; after this Administration is
over we will go abroad, where | am per-
sonally comparatively unknown. |
would like to travel through Europe,
and | have desire to visit the Holy
Land, and especially would like as far
as possible to tread the same ground
that Jesus trod. would like to walk
the streets of Jerusalem" At that mo-
ment, before the word Jerusalem had
scarcely passed his lips, the assassins
bullet entered his brain.
Little did the President realize when
he spoke these words that rest" was
near.-Philadelphia News.