The Portland daily press., 1895-04-04
"REMINISCENCES OF LINCOLN.
Ex-Representative FindIay's Interesting
Letter on the Great President.
baltimore Americana

WAS LII the spring Ol louo. L WAS counsel
for gentleman of this city who had
been indicted for treason as an active
participant in the unfortunate riot of the
10Th of April. The Indictment against
my client had been pending for some
time, when unexpectedly one morning
there appeared in the newspapers pro-
clamation by the President which de-
clared in effect that anyone in custody
or under bonds for such acts as the in
dictment was founded on would be Ii ber
atcd or released on taking an oath to
support the government. which was pre-
scribed in the body of the proclamation.
Befole the district attorney took action,
the President came out in qualifying
proclamation explaining that the term
OF his first proclamation were too broad,
that il was not INTENDED to cover just
such cases as the one which I had the
honor to represent. | was in q guam
Diary. I had my fee, and did not like
the idea of returning it, as fees were
pretty scarce with me in those days.
felt, too, certain degree of blame for
not having been more urgent in pressing
the matter upon the district attorney.
Finally l drew up petition for the
President stating the facts as they nre
here related, little more at length. and
armed with this paper, for the truth OF
which the district attorney had youchel.
proceeded to Washington to intercede
with the President for the release of my
client. | have been in the White House
often since-I have been all through from
second story to basement, have slept in
it, and oftens.din in it, but it, tsnever had
the same interest for me as on that
rough day in Macrh, 1863. Mr.. Lincoln
was absent at the war office when ! ar
rived, and as there were then few or no
accom- modations for visitors, l spent part
of my time making myself as cOmfOrta-
BILE as I could on the edge of woodbox
which stood In the corridor. 1t seemed
that my turn never would come, and
don't believe it ever would if, in mo-
ment of desperation / had not appealed
to Mr.. John Hay, the Presidents private
secretary, with whom had some slight
acquaintance, and who promised to secure
for me the desired interview. just as
my hopes were about to be realized they
were dashed again By the appearance of
the Attorney General, Mr.. Bates, who
went into the Presidents room and
stayed SO long that l thought he never
would come out. Finally he disappeared
and Mr.. Hay then. about four in the af-
| ternoon, announced that my time had
come.
When I entered his room be was stand
| ing up with his back TO the fireplace
| in which there was wood fire, and he
slipped from time to time a beverage OF
some sort out of glass which was stand
| ing on the mantle over the fireplace. He
was tagged aud weary, SO much SO that in
any other state of mind than was then in,
or toward any other parsonage less au-
gust, | would have felt sentiment Of
pity. His brow was wrinkled. and there
were great hollows in his cheeks, and
| his eyes were dull ana listless. I was too
much occupied, however, with the busi-
ness in hand to take an inventory of his
personal features, and at once told him
why was there, remarking that the
paper l held my hand would tell my
story more concisely than I could relate
it by word of mouth. He told me to
read the paper, and he listened to it
standing up, slipping now and then from
the glass on the mantel. After I had
finished and looked up to him, and it
was looking up in reality, for he was
six feet four. l saw that the mans ap-
pearance was completely changed. He
said to me that the oath prescribed in
| the first proclamation was not intended
"to get fellows out of hockelty and as
| he used this last expression his face light
ed up in the most remarkable manner
and caused the change that I Observed.
No one could say he was ugly-he was
homely, doubtless. but when his rugged
features were illumined by that strange
| light from within he stood like one trans
| figured by his own angel. I think the
transforming power that wrought this
wonderful change was in the eye. Mr.
Lincoln had the saddest eyes | ever saw
in the human head. and in repose they
were dull, but any little humorous
| thought or passing sentiment would
throw into them light which would
1 r,o11 irvod or hA I,a1n 70 T.,
| this light was the effect of the change
have seen in his countenance, which. if
| it did not shine like an angels, it was
| positively beautiful. At all events, that
was the way it looked to me that after
neon, and still mo % so when, taking my
paper and folding it into a file width. be
sat down in a chair and putting the paper
on his knee after he had crossed his legs
began to write. had not disputed hii
proposition as to "hockelty;n indeed
then | did not know exactly what ht
meant, but he took the paper and wrote
as have said. on his knee, pausing only
once, at which pause my heart stopped
beating, for / was afraid be was then re-
considering first favorable resolution
but it was not. and finished the paper
which, although have not seen it since
now third of century ago, woulc
stake my reputation for accuracy reads
word for word and line for line, as fol
lows:
"The district attorney in this case, no
| (here is where he paused) as precedent
in any other case, will be justified by m,
if he enters nolle prosequi.
"A. LINCOLN. I"
He handed back the paper to me with
this Endorsement, and, with many thanks
/ l bowed myself out, and on my return tx
the city / looked up the word "hock elty'
and found that the word hockle means t.
hough, to hamstring, and thatMr. Lincoll
| probably meant to describe my client az
in the situation of hamstrung horse
unless hoekelty is provincialism with
out legitimate descent, or the origin Of
which is lost in obscurity.
] saw him on two occasions afterward,
both of them of personal and public in.
terest, but this first interview left on my
mind an impression of the man which
shall always cherish as one of the most
pleasing and interesting experiences in
my life.
WIT AND WISDOM.
| superintendent Ito citizen sweeping the
| Sfraate in ba hot sun1ip )-ssyou,d battar