The National tribune., 1900-05-31


Paul's, and for the, same reason-becaust
he felt that he was speaking on subjec
which must be made clear to the loves
intellect. though it Should fail to captivatt
the highest. But we say of Lincoln's
writing, that for all true, manly purposes
there are passages IN his state papers tha
could not be better put; they are absolutely
perfect. They are brief. condensed, in
tense, and with power of insight ant
expression which make them worthy t
be inscribed in letters of gold"
HIS PRACTICAL KINDNEsS-G ETTING
OUT OF BED TO WRITE A PARDON.
Among the innumerab'3 stories of Mr.
Lincoln's kindness of heart Is one narrated
by Vice-President Wheeler, of young
man, soldier in an Illinois regiment, who
had been convicted by military court OF
sleeping at his post-a grave offenSe, and
punishable with DEATH to which he had
been sentenced. ''He was but 10 years OF
age, and the only son of a widowed mother
He had suffered greatly with homesick-
ness, and, overpowered at night with cold
He had always been an honest. faithful
temperate soldier His comrades tele-
graphed his mother of his fate. She al
once went to Lincoln's old friend, Orlando
Kellogg, whose kind heart promptly re.
sponded to her request, and he left fol
in that city at midnight. The boy was to
be executed on the afternoon of the next
day. Kellogg came at once to my board
ing-house, knowing that he could not pass
the military guard about the White House
at that hour. l had the pass of Gen.
Heintzelman, then commanding the de-
fenses of Washington. This was neces-
sity to me, as l was often called at every
hour of the night to some city hospital to
visit the suffering and dying. Dressing
myself hastily, went with Kellogg to the
White House, easily passed the guard, and
reached the door-keeper. whom / knew
well, and briefly telling Kellogg's errand,
sleeping ng-room-which he did. Arousing
Mr.. Lincoln, Kellogg in few words made
known the emergency. Without stopping
to dress, the President went to a nearby
room and awakened a messenger. Then
sitting down, still in undress, he wrote to
the officer commanding at Yorktown to
suspend the execution of the boy until
further orders. The telegram was sent at
once to the War Department, with directions
to the messenger to remain until an answer
was received. Getting uneasy at the
seeming delay, Mr. Lincoln dressed. went
to the Department and remained until the
receipt of his telegram was acknowledged.
voice he said: Now you just telegraph
that mother that her boy is safe, and will
go home and go to bed. | guess we shall
all sleep better for this nights work The
poor boy was pardoned, restored to his
company, and a short time afterward was
killed while fighting bravely in battle"
A PLACE FOR GOOD LITTLE BOY.
Hon. A. H. Rice, of Massachusetts,, tells
how he and Senator Wilson We're once
kept waiting by the President, while a
little boy of 10 or IL years, who wanted to
be appointed page In the House of Rep
was given an audience.
''The boy soon told his, story" says Mr..
Rice. at was, in substance, that he had
as page in the House of Representatives,
and he wished the President to give him
such an appointment. To this the Presi-
dent replied that such appointments were
not at his disposal, and that application
must be made to the Door-keeper of the
House at the Capitol. But, sir said the
lad, still undaunted, I am good boy, and
have letter from my mother, and one
from the Supervisors Of my town, and
one from my Sunday-school teacher, and
they all told me that could earn enough in
one session OF Congress TO keep my mother
and the rest of us comfortable all the re-
mainder of the year. The President took
the lads papers, and ram his eye over them
with that penetrating and absorbing look
so familiar TO all who knew him, and then
took his pen and wrote upon the back of one
Of them: If Captain Goodnow can give a
place to this good little boy, | shall be
gratified,' and signed it "A. Lincoln The
boys face became radiant with hope, and
he walked out Of the room with step as
light as though all the angels were whisper
ing their congratulations. Only after the
ad had gone did the President seem to
realize that a Senator and another person
had been for some time waiting to see him."
A PARDON, WITH A STORY THROWN IN.
Gen. Fisk, attending the reception at the
White House, on one occasion saw, waiting
n the ante-room, poor old man from
Tennessee. Sitting down beside him, he
inquired his errand, and learned that he
lad been waiting three or four days to get
IN audience, and that on his seeing Mr..
lincoln probably depended the life Of his
son, who was under sentence of death for
iome military offense. Gen. Fisk wrote
lis case in outline on a card, and sent it in,
With a special request that the President |
would see the man. In moment the |
,rder came; and past Senators, Governors, |
and Generals, waiting impatiently, the |
Did man went into the Presidents presence. |
he showed Mr.. Lincoln his papers, and he, |
)n taking them, said he would look into the |
,ase and give him the result on the follow
ng day. The old man, in an agony of !
looked up into the Presidents |
face, and exclaimed: 80
morrow may be too late My son is under
'entence Of DEATH The decision ought to
De made now!"and the streaming tears told |
low much he was moved. Come" said |
Mr.. Lincoln, wait bit, and Pll tell you a
story" and then he told the old man Gen.
F'isk's story about the swearing mule
lriver, as follows: "The General had |
)egun his military life as a Colonel, and,
when he raised his regiment in Missouri,
ie proposed to his men that he should do
Ill the swearing for the regiment. They
and for months no instance was
,nown of the violation OF the promise.
The Colonel had teamster named John
Todd, who, as roads were not always the
,est, had some difficulty in commanding
lis temper and his tongue. John happen
d to be driving mule-team through a
cries of mud-holes little worse than
Isual, when, unable to restrain himself
my longer, he burst forth into volley of
nergetic oatbs. The Colonel took notice
{ the offense, and brought John to account.
JOHN said he, didn't you promise to let
ne do all the swearing OF the regimentY
Yes, l did, Colonel he replied, but the
act was, the swearing had to be done then,
r not at all, and you weren't there to do it,
As he told the story, tie old man forgot
is boy, and both the President and his
steiner had a hearty laugh together at
8 conclusion. Then Mr.. Lincoln wrote a
sw words, which the old man read, and in
'hich he found new OCCASION for tears; but
tears, Uaro ta.lrc ~ inv for the u-nrds l