The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-05
CIVIL WARS DARK DAYS
WITH ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN
THE EARLY DAYS OF 1861.
One of His Secretaries Relates an Even
Ing With "Old Edward" MIR. Seward
and General Dix.

and General DIX.
Away back yonder in the dark yea
| in the northeast room of the Whit
House at Washington. I was hard a
work with paper-knife and pen, opening
and disposing of innumerable letter
that lay in a confused heap at my el
bow, for it seemed as if all the nation
were disposed to open personal cor
respondence with the president. | wa
only a kind of human mill to which
such a grist was brought for grindlnt
several times each day, A man Woul'
come through the door before me witt
a leather mail-pouch He would UNLOCK
the pouch pour out it's contents on tn
table and go out without saying
word Then every envelope had to p
/ opened, and the fate of whatever was
in each covering was determined witt
| lightning rapidity. Much chaff, llttl
wheat, and great deal of out-and-ou
evil came addressed to Mr.. Lincoln
during all the bitter-spirited war years
So far as I knew, l was all alone
upon that floor for the other secretaries
had finished their work and gone out
No mail was due at that hour
but the door opened and man cams
in. He did not have any locked pouch
1 in HE hand, but a very large portfolio
such, for instance, as might be used for
holding maps and broad documents like
parchment commissions, civil or mill
tary. l arose as he entered, for I was
Law IN
what he might be doing with that port
folio.
'Stoddard,' he said, I'm going over
to Stewards. / want you to take this
and come along with me-
Something else was said no matter
what and I left my heap of unfinished
matter behind me.
Mr.. Lincoln seemed to be in an I'M
usually cheerful mood, with occasion
al lapses into fits of absorbing thought.
One of these came upon him at the
head of the stairs, and there he linger-
ed for moment as if he might have
forgotten something and was trying to
remember it. His next pause was in
the porch outside of the front door,
when he discovered that it was raining.
Dam lie Steppeu, anu Cdllcd " oiu iHo-
ward" Moran, the doorkeeper, to bring
him an umbrella. The doorkeeper would
find 1t, he was assured but the COM
mander-in-chief of the United States
armies and nayles, 'in the corner by my
desk, near the window
Up went Edward; and in few mo-
ments more he was down again, smil-
ing sarcastically and rubbing his hands
one over the other in manner that
was habitual with him whenever he had
something especial to say.
It's not there, your eXcellency. I'm
the owner may have come for
it."
GO and get me another then" COM
manded the president, laughing hearth
ly at the manner more than the matter
of Edwards drollery.
The next search for an umbrella was
successful, although there was more
spread than splendor in the very anti
quated shelter tent that was brought
by the doorkeeper. Under it's protection,
nevertheless, we walked on out of the
White House grounds and as we went
Mr.. Lincoln related merrily sundry
other of Edwards comicalities.
He has been here" he said, ''since
Taylor's time. He was great favorite
with President Taylor. Did you ever
hear his hit upon Fillmore's carrlage?"
l replied that / had never heard it.
"Well, then, President Fillmore used
to tell it himself Shortly after Taylor's
death and Fillmores Inauguration it
was necessary for him to procure car
flnf 1t,G Il
ng up housekeeping had one to sell, and
Fillmore went, one day, to take look
1t it and see if it would do He took
I'D Edward with him. The carriage
seemed to suit well enough, but Fillmore
.urned to Edward and asked him. Ed
ward, how will it do for the president
If the United States to ride in a second |
1and carriage?' Edward rubbed his !
hands hard, and answered him,
Sure, your excellency, you're only a |
secondhand president, you know"
Any passer-by at that moment, listen !
ng to the anecdote and the laugh that |
ollowed might well have supposed that |
somebody a little belated was going |
lome cheerfully, unoppressed by bust
less cares and certainly not aware of |
,eing in any shadow of personal peril.
Was there, then, at that time any
LANCER of violence to Mr. Lincoln? I
10 not know. There may not have been
my, although there were bitter enmi-
les enough. Hardly day passed with
ut the arrival of threatening letters
which he refused to know anything
bout. Neither were they ever seen by
ther eyes than mine. Most of them,
oubtless, may be regarded as only the
mpty expressions of brutal animosi-
les, whether their envelopes were adj
ressed to the president, or, as some of
he worst of them We're to his wife.
At all events there were no armed
yards to be seen around the White
louise grounds that rainy night. Not
ven a solitary sentinel was posted to
lquire the purposes of whoever might
ONE or go to or from the headquarters
f the armies of the republic.
The house then occupied by the secre-
ary of state was on the eaeterly side
Lafaytte square standing by itself,
ne second house from the corner of
avenue. 1t was wide
without any basement story,
nd had a central hall. On the right of
his, at the main entrance, was an am
lie reception-room, into which serv-
Mt conducted us that evening. A bright
re of logs was blazing in the fire place.
I front of this was a business office
lble covered with green leather lit {