The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-05-07

which uT. IICOluIc Is now
publishing, and which Miss
Ida Tarbell is writing, is based
upon a thorough investigation
of the facts in his history and
his family's history, and the
history of his childhood, and
the experience of the family in
Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois;
an investigation that has not
been made before. It proves
in the first place that Mr.. Lin
coin did not come of a trifling,
silly, or stupid family. He be
longed to the Lincolns of Hing
ham, Mass, and he was related
to the famous Governor Lin
coin. Many stories about his
marriage, too, are not SO. Lin
coin was a straight, upright,
respectable man. He was a
poor man, picking up knowl-
edge as best he could, and ris-
ing by his own talent Until he
reached a great place in the
bar of Illinois, and finally be-
came President of the United
States.
l regard the book which
Mr.. Mcclure is publishing as a
public benefaction. With this
book presenting all these min
ute details, and with the great
work of Hay and Nicolay, Mr..
Lincoln's private Secretaries,
giving the most important doc
uments, we shall have amply
satisfactory and faithful &C
counts of perhaps the greatest
man in modern American his
tory; perhaps the greatest man
in the modern history of man
kind. Applause.
Let me bring these reminis-
cences to a close with another
story which relates to the last
day of Mr.. Lincoln's life. 1t
was one of my duties in the
War Department to receive the
reports of the officers of the
Secret Service in every part of
the country. One cloudy after
noon l got telegram from the
Provost Marshal in Portland,
Me-, saying: 81 have positive
information that Jacob Thomp-
son will pass through Portland
tonight in order to take a
steamer for England. What
are your orders?" Jacob
Thompson of Mississippi, as
you know, had been Secretary
of the Interior in President
Buchanan's administration.
He was a conspicuous seces-
soonest, and for some time had
been employed in Canada as a
semidiplomatic agent of the
Confederate Government, get
ting up raids, of which the no.
torious attack on St. Adams,
Vermont, was a specimen. |
took the telegram and went
down and read it to Mr.. Stanton.
His order was prompt: ARREST
him" But as 1 was going out
of the door, he called to me and
said: mo, wait. Better go
over and see the President"
At the White House all bus
mess was over, and went into
the Presidents business room
without meeting any one.
Opening the door, there seemed
to be no one in the room, but
as 1 was turning to 60 out, Mr..
Lincoln called me from a little
side room, where he was wash
ing his hands:
"Halloo, DANA" said he.
What is it? What's up?"
Then 1 read him the tele-
gram.
What does Stanton say?" he
asked.
che says arrest him, but that
l should refer the question to
you"
Well" said he slowly, wip-
ing his hands: mo, I rather
think not. When you have
got an elephant by the hind
leg, and he is trying to run
away, it's best to let him run"
"Oh, stuff" said Stanton.
That night l was awakened
from sound sleep with the
news that Mr.. Lincoln had
been shot, and that the Secre-
tary wanted me at Manager
Ford's house. found the Pres
ident lying unconscious,
though breathing heavily, on
bed in small side room, while
all the members of the Cabinet
and the Chief Justice with
them, were gathered in the ad-