The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-10
ABOUT Clad" LINCOLN.

/ How the Presidents Son Run with the Fire Lad.
| dies or Washington.
| Although quarter Of a century has elapsed
/ since the death Of Abraham Lincoln, every in
/ cident in regard TO the character and life OF
\ the martyr President is still read with great
/ interest / first saw him when was a clerk
/ in the Bureau Of Military Justice, in the sum
mer Of 1864. lie came in to see Judge Holt in
/ regard to the case Of 4 private soldier who had
\ been sentenced TO death for desertiOn, and
/ whose sister had come on to plead with Mr..
/ Lincoln for her brothers life. The Judge sent
/ for me and told me TO get out the record, and
/ for an hour he aud the President discussed
/ that case, Mr.. Lincoln exercising more the in
genulty OF q counsel for the defense. When
/ they had finished and Mr. Lincoln come out Of
/ the Judges room he said: " / think, Mr.. Holt,
\ you can now make recommendation upon
\ which / can safely act, and | will have some
/ good news for that poor girl"
The next day the Judge made a report recon-
! mending that the sentence be disappIOved and
| that the man be restored 10 duty. This was
/ approved by the President, and the soldier was
saved from an ignOminiOus death. / remem-
/ Der how fOrcibly it struck me at the time that
/ the President Of the United States should per-
sonally interest himself in behalf Of q private
! soldier whom he certainly never knew and
/ who was but one Of hundreds Of thousands Of
/ those who were in the field, but his great and
/ sympathetic nature had been touched by the ap-
| peal of the mans sister, and he determined TO
/ look into the matter himself.
/ remember the day on which he was shot
very distinctly, aud suppose heard the last
/ speech that he ever made-that is, in pub
/ lie. / had been over to the Treasury Depart
ment, and in going back / went through the
/ White House grounds. Some procession or
other. don't remember what nOw-fOr in the
/ days Just following the fall of Richmond and
/ hp NJ A at iona
constantly going up and down the Avenue in
Washington-had gone up TO the White House,
| and Mr. Lincoln was on the porch making
| speech. Just as / reached the crowd / heard
him say: " Now l want to say word to the
| band. There is a tune that / have always
liked that is called Dixie 1t hasn't been
/ played much on our side Of the line, but
| think we have fairly conquered the right TO
| play it, aud 1 want the band to play Dixie 4"
The band played Dixie" the crowd cheered,
/ the procession marched away and went back
to my Office in the Winder Building.
That night Mr.. Lincoln was assassinated.
| had been invited TO attend the theater and wit
ness the performance Of "Our American
/ Cousin" but as / had seen the play several
times, and as the fact that the President was to
/ DO there was no particular inducement to me,
| declined. / had some work 10 do at the Office
/ and went up there about o'clock. Shortly
/ after heard procession 90 up by the White
| House aud the band stopped for some minutes
| leading me to suppose that the President was
making speech to them. | thought that the
audience would be fooled, and that the President
/ had not gone to the thcater. Shortly after 9 I
/ went back TO my room and retired. / had
barely got asleep when there was q rap on nv
/ door, and the call came, "Wake up; tile Presi-
| dent has been assassinated." / thought that il
was simply y guy and would not at first reply
| The statement was again repeated, and then on
| 81, I g., a
| TOOmed in the house who had Just come from
the theater and had witnessed the terrible deed
/ / dressed quickly and got TO Tenth street lust
/ as they were carrying the wounded President
| from the theater across the street to the Peter
sen house. where he died.
| No one who was not in Washington nj that
| time can realize tho intense excitement of the
few days Immediately following that tragic
event. Ii has been told, however, over and
over again so graphically that it need not be
| repeated now.
There are still those in Washington who re-
| memter Mr.. Lincoln very wildly, and who
were brought in personal contact with him.
| Many remember incidents connected with his
| Administration which have never vet been in
print. and among them is Mr.. William Dickson,
who at that time was the Chief of the Govern
ment Fro Department. There was but one
steam engine in Washington then, and Mr.
| Dickson had como on from Philadelphia and
was made foreman of that company.
Little Tad" Lincoln, as no was called was
his fathers idol. and the pet of everybody
about the Executive Mansion. He was a mis-
chievous little rascal, not at all vicious, but full
Of animal spirits, and his indnlgent father
generally allowed him to have his own way in
| every respect. Sometimes Tad {" would get
rather too obstreperous and then the father had
10 exercise stern parental authority, but he did