The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-16

iiC DGlllS Seipldlu LeWlS, l WoS Soh~ victed and sentenced to be shot. My brother Allmon, who was then captain in the Union army, had al ready heard of my trouble, and had written to John B. Henderson, who had short time before been elected United States senator from Missouri, laying my case before him and beg ging him to use his best efforts to se- cure at least a reprieve for me, Sena- tor Henderson was raised in LeWls county, and he knew all the members of our family well. His father, who was Mason, died when he was very | young, and the Masons, at the sugges- | tion of my grandfather, George Vau- | ghan, took up the lad, who was very precocious and promising, and gave him an education and made man or | him. Henderson never forgot the members of our family because of the kindnesses my grandfather did nm, and he immediately interested himselt | in my case"
 | After receiving the letter from cap tain Allmon Vaughan, Senator Hen derson went direct to Secretary Stan- | ton and laid the matter before hlm' | Stanton consented to make thor- ough investigation, but after making | it he decided that George $. E. Fau ghan was guilty of the offence charged against him, and that he must dle' Henderson begged, argued and plead | ed with him, but the Secretary or war turned a deaf ear to his entreatles ana refuse to be convinced by his argu- ments. Vaughan had been guilty or acting as a spy, he said, and the Judg- l ment of the court martial must stand. 1 Finding Stanton immdvable, senator | Henderson determined to carry the matter to President Lincoln. The President heard him through patient ly, and after looking carefully over the papers in the case, sent word to Stan- | ton that he must order a new trial for | Vaughan. The secretary issued the necessary orders, and Vaughan was again tried in St. Louis and again sen | fenced to be shot. On learning the re-
 suit of this second trial Senator Hen derson again took up thei case He went to stanton with another plea for | Vaughan's life. A stormy scene, In l which Stanton declared that he would
 not exchange Vaughan for any ten | prisoners the Confederates held, and | that he must die, followed. For the 1 second time Henderson carried the
 case up to the President, and for the
 second time Lincoln took such action l that Vaughan was given another trial. | This third trial occurred at Alton,
 H., whither Vaughan had been re-
 moved following the second sentence,
 and resulted in his being found guilty
 for the third time. Vaughan then gave up all hope and decided that he
 must die. But Senator Henderson's
 blood was up, and he decided to make
 a last attempt to save him. He went directly to the President, told him Of the personal interest he had in the
 case, called attention to the fact that
 the war was practically over, and | urged him as a matter of public poli-
 cy. as well as a matter in which he Henderson was personally interest ed, to pardon Vaughan. The Presi-
 dent. after hearing him through, said:
 Senator, you go over to Stanton
 and tell him said this man must be
 released"
 But, MT. President" Senator Hen
 derson protested, "I have been to Stanton twice, and I know he won't do it.'
 You go and tell Stanton what l
 tell you, and I believe he will do it"
 replied Lincoln. "and," he added. If
 he does not come back here again" Henderson went over to the War de-
 partment, and there followed precise
 ly what he had predicted Stanton
 lost his temper and the two men parted, both of them angry.
 Senator Henderson was in deadly
 earnest now, however, and after eat
 ing his supper he went direct to the
 White House. It was the evening of
 April 14. 1865, black letter day in
 American history The President had
 his coat on and was almost ready to
 go to the theater when Senator Hen-
 derson was shown into his office. He
 related in a few words what had hap
 pened. Lincoln thought pensively a
 few moments and then turned to his
 desk, picked up a pen, wrote a few
 lines on a sheet of official paper, and
 handed it to him, remarking as he did
 so:
 q guess that'll stand little over
 Stanton"
 It was an order for the immediate
 and unconditional release of George s
 E. Vaughan, and it was the last off
 cial paper that he ever signed AT hour later he was assassinated in the ] old Ford Theater.
 Mir Vaughan is now seventy-five l years old. He has lived in Maryville ]; twenty-seven years. He is the oldest , Mason in northwest Missouri, he hay ling joined Canton Lodge, No. 100, if. ty-two years ago.--St. Louis Globe l Democrat.
 WOULD PAY HIGH TO SILENCE THE POET LAUREATE. If an arranpament could be madl