Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-16
HE TRAGIC EVENT
That Resulted in the Death of Presi-
dent Lincoln.
MEMORIAL MEETING WHERE he DIED
The Personal RecoIIections of the
Only Cabinet Survivor.
THE PROMINENT SPEAKERS

/ IL "dso Specially 1T anu pEOpcT thdt thr
first public meeting of the Lincoln Me-
mortal Associs ton Of the District Of Column
bia should be held in the humble private
dwelling, sic 10th street, where the martyr
| ed President breathed his last tweuty-nine
years a 20 Saturday. That lamentable event
was al propriately commemorated by the
association and its friends and well-wishers
Saturday evening. Vice President Steven
son acted as chairman of the meeting in
the absence of Chief Justice Fuller, orig
inally selected for that duty. who had gone
to New York to attend the funeral of his
| friend. David Dudley Field. The first ad-
cress of the evening was made by Secretary
Herbert, who apologized for lack of prep
aration and then paid an eloquent tribute
| to Lincoln.
| 1t was a sad day, said the Secretary, for
the whole country when he fell at the
hands of crazy assassin, but saddest of
| all for the people of the south. If he had
| lived the south would have been recon-
structed on different lines and The recon-
struction acts of 1867 and 1865, which kept
| the sections apart so long, would never
| have been passed. The time is coming when
| all must acknowledge that the reconstruc-
| ton policy attempted by Andrew Johnson
was In reality the policy of Abraham Lin
coin, but that he was not able to carry 1t
out as Lincoln would have done. Nowhere
in this country" said MIR. Herbert, in con-
| clusion, were the virtues of Abraham Lin
coin more honestly acknowledged than in.
and by. the people Of the south. lie was
indeed model Of charity to all and malice
| to none"
Mr.. John G. Nicolay read highly in
| teresting paper on the character Of Lin
coin, which gave evidence of care and deep
study.
Rev. DR.. Hamlin then explained that Mr..
Hugh McCulloch, the only surviving men,
Der OF Lincoln's cabinet, was too feeble to
be with them, but had prepared a paper
which. owing to his age and feeble health,
was the result OF great deal of labor, CIV
| ing some recolections of the assassination
of Mr.. Lincoln. Mr.. Hamlin read it as fol-
| lows:
There had been a cabinet meeting at
| the presidential mansion on the afternoon
of April IA. at which all the members of
| the cabinet were present, except Mr.. Sc
| ward, his son Frederick taking his pace.
Mr.. Seward had been thrown out of mis- car
riage few days before and had had his
jaw broken. On his way from the treasury
Mr. McCulloch called on Mr.. Seward and
| found him doing well. At dinner that day
Judge Carter and Commissioner Doyle in
| quired about the state of the country at
| the cabinet meeting. Mr.. McCulloch told
| them the reports were extremely salts
| factory.
Gen. Grant had just returned from APP
pomattox, and was present at the cabinet
| meeting. He reported that the southern
| officers were resigned to the situation and
ready to go home to attend to their own af
| fairs, SO long neglected. 1t was beautiful
evening. After dinner we walked past the
White House; the shrubbery was in bloom,
and MIR. McCulloch remarked that Mrs.
| Lincoln would have another four years to
/ enjoy her position in Washington. Mr..
/ McCulloch was very much fatigued and re-
tired early. A little after 10 o'clock a neigh
Dor knocked at my door. asking me If
heard the horse that cantered by. She said
| the man on that horse has killed Mr.. Sew
ard and all his family Mr.. McCulloch
arose. dressed. and before he left the room
another knock came. Mr. Walker of the
| Treasury Department called to him: Mr.
Lincoln has just been assassinated in Ford's
mir. McCuiloch said: never saw Mr..
| Lincoln SO cheerful and happy as on the
day of his death
Brutal Attack on Seward.
"An patriotic people We're rejoicing at the
good news from the south We were living
in the Cass building, now a part Of the Ar
| hngton Hotel. not more than a stones
| throw from the house occupied by Mr.. Sew
| ard, to which, Mr.. McCulloch said L imme-
oiately ram The outside door was open,
and saw no one as 1 went upstairs and
| through the hall to Mr.. Stewards sleeping
| room, except Mrs. Frederick Seward. who
| was just entering another room to attend
upon her husband, whose skull had been
fractured by blow from her father-in-
laws assailant, whom he had met at the
head of the stairs and had tried to arrest
As entered Mr.. Stewards room Mrs Sew
ard left 1t, and l was for a minute or two
alone with her father He had been raised
from the floor to the bed, upon which he
had been thrown by his murderer He Law
upon his blood-stained bed. with his wound
still bleeding. AS 1 took his hand he
opened his eyes and seemed to recognize
me. His wounds were CHASTITY but did not
seem to be fatal. His breathing was regu-
| lar and his pulse was full and strong To
keep the bones in place where his law had
been fractured an elastic wire bandage had
been placed on one side of mis- face extend
ing GOWN TO the throat; This bandage pre-
vented at least one Of the blows of his DOW
| erful assailant from being a death-blow. II
was aimed at the throat but the bowie
knife, Though welded by a strong hand.
was diverted when it struck the bandage
and failed to inhict deadly wound
The life of Mr.. Seward was however.
saved Dy his army nurse. George F. Robin
| son, VINO was in attendance upon him Az
the assassin entered the room and knife in
hand, was rushing toward the bed upon
which his intended victim was lying Robin
son. although greatly inferior in strength,
seized hold of his left arm and prevented
him from using his right arm with fun
force. When Robinson prevented him from
killing Mr.. Seward, the assassin turned
upon Mr.. Robinson, gave him a staggering
blow, dashed through the hall and down the
stairs, and in moment he was on the
horse which he had left standing on the
sidewalk. Some days after he was arrested
in the house of Mrs. Surratt which he had
entered disguised as a laborer As soon as
a surgeon and one or two friends had en-
tered the room, left it to learn the fate Of
Mr.. Lincoln.
At LfncOln's Bedside.
Il had not gone far toward the White
House before met number of men, who
told me he was not there. 1 then ran down
the avenue to F street, down F to 10th
street, and thence to the theater, around
which large crowd had gathered, through
which I pushed my way to a house oppo-
site the theater, and presently was at the
bedside of the dying President Mr. STAN
ton, Mr.. Wells, Mr. Denison and Mr. Speed |
members of the cabinet, were already there
Surgeon General Barnes, Gen. Meigs Mr. |
SOmner and a number of other friends of
the President were also present. The death
like paleness of Mr.. Lincoln's upturned face
his stertorous breathing and the grief |
stricken countenanceS of the men around |
him, indicated too clearly, / entered the |
room, that his case was hopeless.
"Al night we stood sat silent by bis |
bedside. Not word was spoken except by |
MIR. Stanton, who gave directions in under |
guard the exits from the city to prevent, If |
1t might be possible, the escape of the as |
sassin. Once only was the impressive |
silence broken, when Mrs. Lincoln came in |
and kneeling by the bed and clasping the |