Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-11-16

Lincoln was so excited she had gone
home"
You See the senator put in" we
knew that Breckenridge would get the
south and that Lincoln had Illinois. If
Lincoln got New York we were sure
of his election.
When the telegram came announcing
that New York had gone for Lincoln"
Mrs. Palmer continued. Mr.. Lincoln
read it very calmly and remarked:
We'll, l must go home and tell Mary
And he did"
DO you thing, senator, that Lincoln
believed before his Inauguration that
there would be a big war; the Even
ing Post correspondent asked.
Yes. | was then Il member of the
peace conference. 1t met in February
and continued into March. | told Lii
coin that the conference would come to
naught and asked him what he wanted
me to do. He told me to make big
promises.
But said |, they regard me as your
spokesman, and they will take what
say rs coming from you
. That's all right Lincoln replied
There's is going to be a long war, and
+ them anything.
| L did So the senator went on. Il
| promised things | never could have sup
! ported; but l knew they would accept
nothing. | remember that Chase and
others favored holding Il convention
| which might divide the union peaceful
ly. l was then Il great admirer of
Chase. But when he suggested con-
vention L sprang to my feet and de
| nOunced the suggestion He looked
j round at me as if in reproof.
I mean it, L cried. The day is past
when conventions can make or unmake
nations. This union shall not be divid-
ed and if necessary the northwest with
sword in hand will sweep through the
south to the Gulf of Mexico to prevent
it. The convention ide, was dropped
Did Lincoln have much trouble get
| ting a cabinet?'
We'll, it took a great deal of careful
consideration, but / don't believe he
| worried much over it. | remember one
night when 1 was III his room man
came in from Pittsburg and wanted
: to know if Camoren were going into
the cabinet. If he WERE, he said,
! Chase wouldn't accept PORTFOLIO
Well Mr.. Lincoln remarked,
calmly and slowly, if Chase won't
come into the cabinet, L guess we will
! have to try to do without him.
DO you think Lincoln was in danger
, of being shot when inaugurated"
| Undoubtedly, and but for the many
detectives about in citizens clothes,
! and other precautions, [ believe he
would have been shot. But he himself
was not afraid. You know, he used to
out protection and unarmed. 1 spoke
to him once about it, and he replied:
I would rather be killed than live
in fear
Il remember about that time, or
rather before that the senator con-
tinued that | met Senator Sumner. [
had always looked up to him rs Il great
man. He sad to me:
Judge, what kind of woman is
Mrs. Lincoln?'
- A very worthy woman, l replied,
surprised.
80 But he went Oh, Z hear so many
stories about her. For instance, /
hear that the other day while she was
in New York she came down to the
| 70 If ST in, no
evening dress
Why senator [ replied, that is not
So Mrs Lincoln would never appear
in public i'll a night dress
50 oh, no! no. no. he exclaimed with
his hands up, I didn't mean in her
night dress [ meant in her evening
address, the dress she would wear in
the evening.
oh, WE'LL L said, I suppose Mrs.
o.siio?vs ivU xfiidlmb-io m ny, 'setaom
Lincoln will certainly wear the best
she has, whether at breakfast, or din
ner, OF wherever she has
II suppose" the senator added with
a quiet chuclkle, Il suppose Sumner
thought I understood him to mean
/
thought so much of Sumner after that"
Did you see Lincoln during tile
ware
Yes [ saw him once in 1868. 1t
was just after the battle Of Stone
River, where / commanded a division.
That was a hot fight. There were times
during it when bullets whizzed by
thick as rain. | don't know that l
feared being struck, for L knew that if
the bullet to kill me hadn't been mold
ed I was in no danger. The rebels
were good fighters and [ admired the
way they fought. | remember once
seeing a body of rebel cavalry come
sweeping across the plain toward us.
The sight was inspiring and / took off
my hat and called out to my men:
There they come, boys. They are
Americans and our cOuntrymen. But
it's our duty to fight them, and now
give 'em HI" Strange" said the
senator musingly, strange how men
will swear in battle. Why, I've seen
preachers in the thick of a fight cheer
ing ON their men with the hottest kind
of swearing I ever heard.
after that fight Yates, who was gov
ernor of Illinois, wrote me to come
home. He wanted to raise troops for
duty at home, for defence against the
copperheads, and he desired me to see
T inco1r and rnt nnrr1+<SiOn from him