The herald., 1896-01-05
MC0LN, CORXIN and The GIRL

QJaC CHARACTER reC6u05 luto uiStoTy.
Ee remarkable personality is 90 im-
ressed upon the times when the fate
this nation hinged upon the result
If one of the most stupendous civil
wars the world ever saw, it is no won.
der that even his most trif1ing acts and
sayings should be recalled with the in-
tensest interest. His providential ap-
pearance on the broad stage Of public
affairs at crisis in our annals that
needed such man, illustrated with
great force the fact, often repeated in
history, that he right occasion will
always bring out the right man to meet
it. Great Britain had her Cromwell
France her Bonaparte, the American
revolution its Washington, and our
civil war it's Lincoln. ALI of these
great personages we're exactly lifted to
the duties of the times that called
them forth.
Lincoln presented to the world new
type of public man raised su idenly to
the highest and most conspicuous pin
nacle of responsibility. He was the
product of manly and rugged frou-
tier civilization, but possessed OF all
the finer qualities that adorn the heart
aud mind of the most refined societies.
His human sympHthies were DOundless.
He had heart, to use common eX-
preston, "as b,g as that of an OK"
Gentle, affable, tender and kind, NO
one could approach him without being
impressed with the loveliness of his
nature, and the catholic charity that
governed him in thought, word and
deed. In him, truly, the quality OF
mercy was not strained. He had
"in full measure aud running ovsr,''
those benign attributes which Beattie
picture III the one he hailed to from
his Utmost soul, when he cried:
"Come thou whose love, unlin ited sincere
Nor faction coois nor onmity destroys,
Who ha, for misery's means " plying ear,
And feelst with ecstacy another's joys"
His sense of humor was unusually
acute, and his fondnes5 for joke; has
become proverbial. AS raconteur be
seasoned his stories with illustrations
that we're always fresh aud striking;
and often by an apt and happy frontier
anecdote he would den.Oiish the la.
bored argument OF an inflated adver-
sary. No vulgar garnishment nor an
clean dressing marred the wholesome
relish of his hunor, and the clear and
peilucid flow OF his wit was as devoid
Of murky sediment as the waters OF d
purling mountain brook.
Iu 1864, wnen l was il Washington,
General Baker, brother of the head
OF the Los Angeles Baker Iron Works.
introduced me to the White House,
and presented me to President Lin
coin. General Baker was chief of the
United States detective corps, with
headquarters at the federal capital
and WAS an old San Francisco friend
/ found the president seated at the
head of u table in his work room. 1t
was large room with seats all around
it against the wall. These were prin.
cipally occupied by plain women who
had come TO Washington to see the
president about matters connected
with their husbands, soDE or brothers
in the army. He was accessible to
poor and rich alike, and the supplica-
tion of the cotton gown received the
same attention as the tale of the
grand lady dressed in fine attire.
When he had dismissed with words
of consolation sobbing woman whose
son WIS perhaps in trouble at the trout
ufeneral Baker presented me. The
president arose and We went to win.
dow, where he assumed an easy but
characterlstically awkward attitude
Our conversation led naturally to the
War and the prospects of an early
p ac,. Mr.. Lluouln said that he had
been ca nestly looking for all early
peace for over three years. H. was
ready al any time TO listen to propos.
ais, bht he feared the war would have
to go on to a finish.
Falling into reminiscent vein, hs
rec united how at the beginning of the
war he had been harassed by men OF
the highest cons quence to stop it. II
seemed ~ # distinguished personages
who ought to have known better
thought Jnat all he had to do Wac tC
lift his little finger and that would end
it. One day, he said, Tom Corwin, who
had just arrived in Washington, shed
up to the White House, and, iu a state
OF great agitation, asked him why be
didn't stop this internal war? The
president told him there was nothing
he more desired, but he was unable to
do so. Corwin pooh-poohed the idea
and declared that all that was neces.
sary to terminate hostiliies was to
have calm and earnest talk with the
Confederate leaders. He knew them
ali we'll, and he knew that if he we're
furnished train and crossed the lin Sd
he could so present the case to them
that all difficulties G uld be at once
adjusted.
"Do you seriously believe, Corwin
that you can bring this greatly to- be-
desired consummatiOn about by per-
sonal interview"
II know can," vehemently asserted
Corwln.
The president gave Corwin the nec-
essary order, and the sanguine peace
maker took his departure, reiteratinp
war.
Mr.. Lincoln then recounted, in his
OWL peculiar and inimitAble way, how
Corwln started to the front; how be
crossed the union army's lines and
approached those of the enemy cover.
ing Richmond; how he got on top of
tue Car, and as he neared the rebel
pickets he waved his handkerchief and
took off his hat; how be was warned by
shot to halt, but .iiing to do so, the
admonltory shot was folio ed by a
volley; how he yelled out that he was
Tom Corwin, and wanted to see Lee
and Davis and have this war STONED:
how this was folio sed by shower of
bullets which sent him to seek speed y
shelter below; how he called to the en-
gineer to reverse his engine; and how
all this time the rebels kept pep.
pering away at the train. The
engineer lost no time in OPEN
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