Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1892-05-13

Il fight, but not row occurred, and b
o night the city was as quiet as evenin
= itself.
t 81 had abundant opportunity to judy
5 OF the vexation caused the president b
his secretary OF war, Mr.. stanton, On
day was passing doSn the avenue
, when an army officer stopped me. III
told me he had been in the service since
the first of the war and had never had g.;
leave OF absence. lie was about to b,
married and desired a furlough OF tire,
months. Secretary Stanton would pay
no attention 70 his request, and he de
sired me to 90 with him 10 see the presi'
dent. | very cheertully accompanied
him TO the executive mansion and stat
ed the case to Mr.. Johnson. Certainly,
replied he, that will be all right. You
may 90 to the war department and
have no doubt Mr. stanton will grant
your wishes at once But said |, Mr..
President, my friend has failed to obtain
any recognition at all from the secretary
and hope YOU will see that he has this
favor done him immediately Mr. John
son betrayed impatience, and said he
would have nothing to do with the war
department or Secretary Stsutous nj
fairs. We Immediately left the room.
"On another occasion | was called
from the House of Representatives by a
young man, a lieutenant in the army,
son of colonel who was a constituent
OF mine. he told me he Yves 20 be court
martialed and wished me to defend him
! consented. 1t appeared that ne had
come across two private soldiers engaged
in a difficulty and was separating them.
just at this point some one laid a hand
roughly on his shoulder 1t was night
and in the darkness ne struck back with
his arm at the person, whom he suppOs- /
ed a common soldier, perhaps. Instead I
it proved 20 be one OF his superior OIL /
GERS. The youth was very much agitat-
ed over his mistake, and promptly offer
ed to make ample apology. The ofii"er
refused to accept any apollo
" and he was accordingly ordered TO
appear for trial. The danger was that
he would have his commission taken
rom him. The punishment was, how.
,ver, for him to forfeit two months pay.
)ne CT the officers who had concurred
n the sentence, came to me privately
nd asked that 20 to President John
on and have the punishment commu.
ed to a months confinement or such
ght judgment. The youths father was /
ii in Oregon with his regiment and was
lot only very poor, but had no friends !
n Washington. To deprive him of pay I
you'd do the government no good and
i'm great harm. | went 10 see the pres
Dent and plainly stated the case to him. J
lie seemed to be quite disposed to grant i
ny request at first. At my arrival the a
apers concerning the court martial {
anne also from the war department, to- '
ether with a rather iervent letter from
tsnton, stnctioning most strongly the |,
eaviest punishment that could be in Il
lcted on the young lieutenant. Mr. h
Dhnson looked over the papers and I,
zen tarned reproachfully TO me saying: il
lr, Knott. | thought you were my L
lend" why sud /, 1 see no reason t
T you DOUBLING it, He then accuse b
e OF attempting to get him into diff II
,ulty with stanton and declared again
2 would have nothing u do with STAN 81
n. l replied rather warmly: Mr.. al
il | were president OF the Il
nited States l would be the president a
sue your orders and make the secreta- st
obey them But he would noue OF it I'll
ID left him. These things occurred as
fore the removal OF Stanton and tie hS
esi lent's Impeachment and show clear. az
how all that trouble came about. tn
'Mr. johnson WAS an enigma TO me. Je
= had the reputation OF being firm and an
cided in his convictions: found him vi
be man who would never take an of
vanced position on anything, unless it ST
re first conclusvely proven that his tn
tunes would be safe in taking such sp
p He was one OF the most melar-
bly, men ever knew, always looking cal
the dark side lie also was reputed mt
a speaker OF great power. The secret JeI
mis- success was this; Whine nothing ha
found or brilliant either in thought OF
language can be found in his speech de,
yet he delivered them with such tor
nderful earnestness that seemingly abb
salvation of the human race was de- aga
ldng on the effort. Some say he was Gig
icted to the use OF intoxicants. / the
e been with Andrew Johnson on He
~ occasion when such a habit in but
would have been discovered to me, ass
I am constrained to say the charge is int
true. his
The iaat time saw him was early in Ke
J. There had been a democratic re- Ke
ing in Tennessee the fall before and Vo
rye number of prominent people old