The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-23
UNWRITTEN WAR HISTORY.
John G. Breckinridgc's Prediction
when He Was Vice President.

John G. Breckinridgc's Prediction
when He Was Vice President.
From the New York Tribune.
There is one part of the history of the
civil war and the affairs which led up to
1t that possesses strong fascination for
most people, because so little Is known
of 1t. This is the series of events be-
tween the election and Inauguration of
Abraham Lincoln. Magazines and news
papers have ransacked all the fields of
the war itself, until 1t seems as If there
were nothing left to tell, and most read
ers are familiar with it,
One of those who saw something of the
actors in the strange drama that was
played in those four months was General
Stewart L. Woodford, of Brooklyn. He
was then only % years old, but he was
already beginning to be known in poll
ties, and when the electoral vote of New
York, cast for Abraham Lincoln, was
sent to Washington, General Woodford
was selected as the messenger. Some of
the incidents and conversations in which
the young man took part during that
journey shed an interesting light on the
attitude of the leaders of the political
world at that time. and last night the
General was induced to relate some CT
them to a reporter.
AT the meeting of the Electoral college
at Albany" began General Woodford
after the election of 1860. Governor John
a. King proposed me, young man as l
was, to be the messenger of the college to
take the vote of New York to Washing
ton. When I reached Washington I called
upon Governor Seward. who was then
the senior Senator from New York, and
shall never forget the cordial kindne SIS
and thoughtful courtesy with which he
received me. l remember attending SER
vice with him the next day, which was
On our way back from the church to his
rooms, as we were walking on + street,
he called my attention to a man coming
toward us, and asked me to note i'm
carefully as we passed. AS they came to-
gether each raised his hat very ceremon-
iously to the other, and Senator Seward
remarked that that was Senator Jeffer-
son Davis, of Mississippi, and added:
:" IF any trouble should come out of
this election, that man would be the CEN
trail figure of the south.
I'm the light of subsequent events Mr.
Stewards estimate of Mr.. Davis was accu-
rate and prophetic.
when | came to deliver the vote Mr..
Seward introduced me to his colleague
Preston King, who took me into Vice
President Breckinridge's room and pre-.
sented me to the vice president, into
whose hands it was my duty to deliver
the package containing the electoral vote
of New York. Mr.. Breckinridge was AT
erect, soldierly-looking man, with olive
complexion, long, dark hair and a sin
gularly full and intellectual forehead. He
was courtly and dignitied in manner, anC
the interview which followed, although
brief is as vivid in memory as though il
occurred yesterday.
Senator King was a short, very heshS
| man, with a merry twinkle in his eye
and an almost constant laugh in his voice
and manner He presented me to tn,
vice president as the messenger of tn,
New York Electoral college, and | hand
| ed to Mr.. Breckenridge the long envelop,
| containing the certified vote of our state
| Mr.. Breckenridge took it without ward
stepped over to a window balanced i
| on his hand as If upon a scale, and stoor
| for several seconds holding and loOkint
at it. He then said, as if speaking t.
| himself:
This is very little thing-and yet
am afraid that it weighs all that ciyi
! war can weigh
II stood silent. Senator King pause 70
a moment and then said rather cheer
| fully: ooh, no, Mr.. Vice President; no
| so bad as that. There will be no war.
Mr.. Breckenridge was silent for a mo
ment, and then, turning toward Senate
King and myself, replied:
Senator King, you people at the nortl
| don't understand this, and If war came
it could not mean very much to anybod
living in New York. But my home is 4
border state. l can look across tn
| Ohio river into the state of Ohio.
! trouble comes, the border states will b
the scene of struggle; and that littl
package which makes Mr. Lincoln presi
dent may mean a struggle that will cos
more lives than dare to think of today
Senator King was hushed into silence
l,.a, mt li,,tr
cused himself for having given way t
his anticipation, and after a few moment
| of courteous conversation he closed III
! interview.
when the time for the inauguratlo
| came continued the general, 81 went {
| Washington and was fortunate in gett!n
a good place directly TO the front of IN
platform where Mr. Lincoln delivered hi
inaugural and took his oath of Office
While the words of that marvellous speec
| are, as audible in memory as though
had heard them yesterday, a little Incl
dent that occurred by my side has al
ways formed a very sweet companio
piece to the great spectacle of the pres
dent pleading for peace, There stood be
side me a tall, gaunt Nrginian farmer
clothed in brown, hOmespun who had evi
IDENTIFY come some distance to see an
hear Mr.. Lincoln. With him was hi
wife, in simple farm dress wearing Il
old-fashioned sunbonnet. They watche
and heard Mr.. Lincoln without saying
word to each other, and We're so intent u
to seem obliVious of everything abou
them. When he closed the silence was 5
deep in all the great throng that 70
could literally hear men draw their lon
breaths, Then the woman reaching he
hand up to the shoulder of her tall com
panion, said:
"John, that mans honest. and yo
must stand by the old flag
II did not catch his reply, but he wa
drawing his rough hand across his eye
| can see that WOmans honest face now
and somewhere | am sure that she