Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-20

President-elect, and whose silvered crown
seemed to entitle him to precedence, earn
estly protested against Lincoln leaving
his immediate care, but it was
deemed unsafe to have more than
one accompany Lincoln. and the vet
eran soldier was compelled to surrender his
charge. That preliminary question settled
Scott directed that Curtin, Lincoln and La
mon should at once proceed down to the
front steps of the hotel, where there was Q
vast throng waiting to receive them, and
that Curtin should call distinctly, so that
the crowd could hear, for q carriage and di-
rect the coachman to drive the party to the
Executive Mansion That was the natural
thing for Curtin to do; that is to take the
President to the Governors Mansion as
his guest, and it excited no suspicion what
ever.
Before leaving the dining room Governor
Curtin halted Lincoln and Lamon at the
door and inquired of Lamon whether he
was well armed. Lamon had been chosen
by Lincoln as his companion because Of his
exceptional physical power and prowess,
but Curtin wanted assurance that he was
once uncovered small arsenal of deadly
weapons, showing that he was literally
armed to the teeth. In addition to pair OF
heavy revolvers, he had slung-shot and
brass knuckles and Q huge knife nestled
under his vest. The three entered the car
riage, and, as instructed by Scott, drove
toward the Executive Mansion. but when
near there the driver was ordered to take q
circuitous route and to reach the railroad
depot within half an hour.
SCOTT CUT EVERY WIRE
When Curtin and his party had gotten
fairly away from the hotel 1 accompanied
Scott to the railway depot, where he at once
cleared one of his lines from Harrisburg to
Philadelphia, so that there could be no OBJ
struction upon it, as had been agreed upon
the change should be made. In the mean
time he had ordered a locomotive and a
single car to be brought to the Eastern
entrance of the depot. and at the appointed
time the carriage arrived. Lincoln and La
mon emerged from the carriage and entered
the car unnoticed by any excepting those
interested in the matter, and after quiet
but fervent goodbye and God protect you"
the engineer quietly moved his train away
on its momentous mission.
As soon as the train left 1 accompanied
Scott in the work of severing all the tele-
graph lines which entered Harrisburg. He
was not content with directing that 1t
should be DONE but he personally saw that
every wire entering the city was cut. This
was about O'Clock in the evening. It had
been arranged that the II o'clock train from
Philadelphia to Washington should be held
until Lincoln arrived, on the pretext of de-
nvering an important package to the con-
ductor. The train on which he was to leave
Philadelphia was due in Washingtfn N at 6 in
the morning, aud Scott kept faithful vigil
during the entire night, not only to see that
there should be no restoration of the wires,
time when he might hope to hear the good
news that Lincoln had arrived in safety.
To guard against every possible chance Of
of imposition special cipher was agreed
upon that could not possibly be understood
by any but the parties to it.
PLUMs DELIVERED NUTS SAFELY.
Il was long, weary night of fretful anx-
fety to the dozeS or more in Harrisburg who
had knowledge of the sudden departure of
No ott tad 70 ola
felt that the fate of the nation hung on the
safe progress Of Lincoln to Washington
without detection on his journey. Scott,
who was of heroic mould, several times tried
to temper the severe strain of his anxiety
by looking up. railroad matters, but he
would soon abandon the listless effort,
and thrice we strolled from the depot
to the Jones House and back again,
in aimless struggle to hasten the slowly
passing hours, only to find equally
anxious watchers there and a wife whose
last the Eastern horizon has purpled with
the promise of day. Scott reunited the
broken lines for the lightning messenger,
and he was soon gladdened by an unsigned
dispatch from Washington, saying: "Plums
delivered nuts safely" He whirled his hat
high in the little telegraph office as he
shouted: "Lincoln's in Washington" and
we rushed to the.Jones House and hurried a
messenger to the Executive Mansion to
spread the glad tidings that Lincoln had
safely made his midnight journey to the Cap
ital.
have several times heard Lincoln refer
to this journey, and always with regret. In
deed, he seemed to regard 1t as one of the
grave mistakes in his public career. He was
fully convinced, as Colonel Lamon has
stated t. that che had fled from q danger
purely imaginary. and he felt the shame and
modification natural to brave man under
such circumstances" Mrs. Lincoln and her
suite passed through Baltimore on the 23d
without any sign of turbulence. The fact that
there was not even a curious crowd brought
together when she passed through the city
which then required considerable time, as
the cars were taken clear across Baltimore
by yhorses-confrmed Lincoln in his belief
LINCOLN WAS DISGUISED.
The sensational stories published at the
time OF his disguise for the journey were
wholly untrue. He was reported as having
been dressed in a Scotch cap and cloak and
as entering the car at the Broad and Prime
station by some private alley-way, but there
ments. ! saw him leave the dining room at
the Harrisburg depot and the only change
in his dress was the substitution of a soft
slouch hat for the high one he had worn
during the day. He wore the same -overcoat
that he had worn when he arrived at Harris
burg, and the only extra apparel he had
about him was the shawl that hung over his
arm.
When he reached West PHILADELPHIA he
was met by Superintendent Kenney, who had
a carriage in waiting with single detective
IN =. Lincoln anu IdnOn entered the car
riage and Kenney mounted the box with the
driver They were in advance of the time
for the starting of the Baltimore train and
they were driven around on Broad street, as
the driver was informed, in search of some
one wanted by Kenney and the detective
until it was time to reach the tation. When
there, they entered by the public doorway
on Broad street and passed directly along
with other passengers to the car, where their
berths had been engaged.
The journey to Washington was entirely
and at 6 o'clock in the morning
schedule time. Seward had been advised.
by the return of his son from Philadelphlo'
OF the probable execution OF this pro.
gramme and he and Washburne were in the
station and met the President and hs party.
and all drove together to Wfllard's Hotel.
Thus ends the story of Lincoln's midnight
Journey from Harrisburg to the National
Capital. A. K. MCCLURE.
RuecRII SkaE,s IucY noIua