The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-13
account of the "illness'' of a gentleman on

account Of the "illness" of q gentleman on
that side of the question.
One of the most memorable of my inter
views with the president occurred about
May 1. a few days before the vote on i'm
peachment WAS expected, but two weeks
before it wal taken, owing to repeated post,
ponements. Mr.. johnson had requested
me to call every night and tell him how
things were going.'' 1t was known that tho
vote would be very closet was finally 35
to 10, when So to Is, or a change of a single
vote, would have convicted, and there were
rumors every day of changes from one aide
to the other. On the night in question |
opened the conversation by saying, ut
looks rather bad, Mr.. President. They are
York" The hell they are" said
Mr.. johnson, pounding the table with
his fist. $50 they have called the gamblers
in to help them against me, have they? !
wonder what they will do next" WELL"
he continued. II shouldn't be surprised,
from what l hear of them, if they carried
as the office of president was concerned, he
didn't care q cent for it--perhaps he said he
didn't care q d-n for it-but he would hats
to be put out by "a lot of usurpers like those
fellows at the other end of the avenue" If
removed he would quietly take his hat and
leave. but. as sure rs there was a God IN
heaven, he would make those fellows"
hear from him. He would go upon the
stump all over the country and impeach
them as traitors and rebels, and let the
people decide between him and them. He
brought his TRADE to a sudden close, looked
at me rather sharply, and said: How many
men were there in the court that beheaded
Charles I.?" This unexpected query rather
dazed me, but l answered that, to the best of
my recollection of history, there were about
sixty members of that court. "How many of
these fellows are there up yonder?1said he,
pointing to the capitol. The answer WAS an
easy one-ffty-four. II believe the muir
Regicides," was the next observation of
Mr.. johnson. Now he continued, what
became of those R%egicides? According to
my recollection, a good many of them died
outside 81 their beds" I helped Mr.. John
son to the best of my ability in solving this
the best way to got at the truth of the mat
ter would be to consult the history of the
Regicides, which could undoubtedly be
found at the congressional library. He
asked me to do that, and to write a letter
showing what became of the men who be-
headed King Charles-how many of them,
after the restoration. were compelled to
leave their country; how many were con-
voted of crimes. and if the bodies of
some of them who had died we're not
e1humed and hung in irons. "That'll
make a good letter just now" said. I.
Eyes" said he, "but don't send it to the
Cincinnati Commercial. The crisis may
come before it gets back, and it may be TOO
late to do any good. I want these fellows
at the other end of the avenue to know
what their fate may be if they keep IN
Write that letter and send it to a New York
paper, SO that it may get back here in a day
or two. And have a sop of it sent to every
member of that high court of impeachment.
as they call Themselves This, and a
promise on my part to have a letter about
the Regicides printed in a New York paper,
closed the interview for the evening. Two
days later the letter way duly forthcoming,
but its effect upon the final vote of the en-
ators is still an unknown quantity.
1 find now, by consulting the History of
the Regicides,' that fifty nine persons
signed the death warrant of Charles. OF
these, several died before the restoration.
OF the survivors, twenty-nine were tried,
and of these thirteen were put to death and
the rest were imprisoned; twenty more were
declared incapable Of holding civil Office.
The rest absconded and died in exile
three in America.