The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-16
LIACOLN'S FRIEND.
6hn HAY, Our Coming Ambassa,
dor TO England.
Inns NUMEROUS EXPERIENCES
VITA IAneoln At the NNhitehOusS DURING
the Nvar--In l.Itstatpro ana Politics.
4ye u ~, Poems NvhIoA iIavs RssA
Sviasly Hsaa and Ilse'tsd "I,'t''e
Hrssshss'' ana "Ilm BlnasO,"

] was talking with John Hay, who u
Is becotne ambassador TO the Court OF
81. James, in his library the other day
about tliS ballads Jim Bludso ana
Ilttle Rreeches," ana / asked him how
he came 10 write them, says a writer IN
thS New York Herald.
SQh.' he said. "they are rough har-
{ really writlrn pieces and It Is Won
def how they have lived, but they arc
founded on fact and ! suppose they
touch q chord In the popular heart. All
these pieces were written within u few
weeks, while was working with White
iaW Reid on the Tribune in the winter
Of lS7ts7s.
~ had q great poetic fever Just then.
ana ] sanetlhies wrote two ballads IN
6nS 9vnning, did not keep Il up Ions,
however, al did not estimate my work
very highly. aud ] was n very busy
man and didu't have much time TOT
poetic excursions. ,.
IN do not think 80 much Of Little
BFeeclHes,' but 4 rather like Jim hluu-
Ro.f Each Of them describes real in.
cident / first heard OF the original OF
Little BTeecheS' In u sermon prencheu
5 by an old fashioned Methodist minis
term . country church at warsaw, III.
while I WAS there on q visit 10 my
mother, Ia 1870, think. The tale I'M
pressed me. and l dressed II up In yerse,
and ] suppose It Is too late TO XIII II
s.JtnA pludsa' also had q counterpart
A real lie. His nriEiual was an eDEi-
neer named Oliver Faircllild, who piled
for many years before the war up ana
down the Mississippi ON the steamer
Fashion. knew him very well, III.
deed and lic met his death In 1850, not
far from Warsaw. Just In the manEer
described In the pOem The old boat
caught flre one dark night, and the tlI-
Ter ropes were burned away. 10 that
the steering apparatus was powerieSs'
Old Oliver held her nozzle nE IN the
bank till every soul but himself was
ashore
..And BludsO's ghost went up alone
IN the smoke OF the Prairie Belle.
"ExceptlnE my work on the life OF
Lincoln and some sketches ana poems
IN The magazines. have done litle NJ
erary work lately. / do not consider my
work over yet, however, and may
publish something or other before Ions
II time permits"
IN ktNNN appointment VI AHNAulNl AAHS ~
succeed Mr.. BayRrd uS ambassador to
THE court NJ st. James President Me-
RIuleY selects Tor this. perhaps the
most important and desirable OF ems
bassies, a representative OF the highest
tyIte of American citizenship. u man
OF rare cultivation and marked literary
!. KlGts. the confidential friend and biog--
fapher OF Lincoln, and one who has had
wide and valuable experience Ia nation
a ana international aHatrs
The appointment OF Hay recalls that
Of I8rnes Russell Lowell to the same
post, aud there are those living who re-
member Washington Irving as minis:
Ter to the court OF Spain. To both OF
these men Hny>cnn lay claim to ltera-
~ kInship. Both not AMY ably dis
charged the duties Of their high offices.
but 80 prOfitsd by their residence ana
Stdies abroad as 10 ada richly to the
stores Of American literature.
John Hay IS not quite tifty-nine years
OF aye, and u native Of Indiana. His
anceators were Scotch. several repre-
SentRIIves OF the EalAily emlgratinE TO
this country In the early part OF the
eighteenth century serving with dis
tinetlnn In the war for Independence.
John was preCOCious boy, and when
he had learned the rudimcnts nt Latin
and mathematics WAS sent to Brown
University. at Providence, r. l., Where
he took high rank as q writer.
Graduating ut Brown In lSSS' ne re-
turned to the west, and commenced The
study OF law at Springfield, Ill. To his
residence ut Springfield may he traced
the subsequent development OF his CT
reer, for It was here that he met t4tn-
coin. the rising lawyer and politician.
and with whom he WIS to be. associated
intimately until the tragedy Of April,
1855 John q. Elcolay, a great friend
or Lincoln, and a man whose name VIII
always be inSeparable from Hays, was
z resIdent Of Springfield at this time.
and tho three men generated. a strong
friendship in the dark. anxious days
preceding the outbreak OF the rebel
lion.
p Warrington Experiences.
Hay was admitted to practice law be-
fore the supreme court OF Illinois early
in 1881. Meantime Lincoln had been
elected to tho Presidency, and ScCes-
sion had begun. Hay and NtcolHy had
ali along been warm supporters Of Lin
coin and sharers Of his political views.
II was natural, therefore, that the lat
ter should select these two intimate
friends 10 accompany him 70 Washing
ton in q confidential capRcity-Ntcolay
10 be private secretary ana Hay assist
ant secretary. From then on Till the
day OF Lincoln's death they were the
daily and nightly witnesses Of the in.
cIdents, the anxteties. the fears and the
hopes which pervaded the executive
mansion and the national capitnk
In 1854 Hay was aide dc camp to
President Lincoln and served actively
In the tleld for several months under
General Hunter and General Gilmore,
with the rank Of major and assistant
adjuthnt general
For faithful nnd merItorious services
at this period he was brrvcled lioutcn-
ant colonel and colonel OF volunteers
Lincoln frequently sent him on mis-
RIOns Of Importance through the south
during the war, on" Of the most nrdu.
GUS being his investigations with Gem
craI ROSecr0nB concerning the alleged
Mot OF the American Knights. Hay
was IN Washington on the night OF Lin
coins assassination, and was present at
his betlslde when he died, while NiColay
was absent at Charleston. $. c.. on the
occasion OF raising the Onion nag over
Fort Sumter.
President johnson made NIcolay COM
sui general at paris In 1865. and Hay
was appointed first secretary 0f the
French legation nj the same time. lie
remained ut Paris two years. and was
frequently In charge Of the legation
during that time. In 1867 he was de-
outpd to Vienna RS charge d'araires,
but resigned the next year and returned
10 the United States, to be- Immediately
appointed secretary Of the legation at
Madrid under General Sickies.
Leaving Madrid In $50 Hay came
A NnVeradie.