The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-25
ALWAYS STOOD IN
SHADOWOF DEATH
BUT PRESIDENT LINCOLN WOULD
NOT ACKNOWLEDGE IT-LAsT
STORY RELATED TO PARDONS.

The last story ever told by President
Lincoln was just before he left the
White House to go to the theater Gle
night he was killed. This is vouched
for by Thomas f. Pendel, who is
the oldest employee of the White House,
and who went with Mr.. Lincoln to his
carriage on the fatal night.
Il have every reason" said Mr.. PEN
del, for saying that the last pleasant
little story Mr.. Lincoln ever told was
right here in this house. As is gener-
ally known, Speaker Colfax and
Mr.. Ashmond of Massachusetts
were the last gentlemen to call
on the President prior to his de-
parture for the theater. When these
gentlemen called l carried their cards
to Mr.. Lincoln, and ] know that they
We're the last to see him.
However, not very long before they
came Mr.. Lincoln had received a visit
from Marshal Lamon, who was from
the Presidents home district. 1t was
Mr.. Lamon who had introduced me to
the President when l received my APP
pointment in November, 1864. Mr. La
mon wanted to talk to Mr.. Lincoln
about a pardon for an old friend, a SOL
der, who had been found guilty Of
some slight violation of army reguia-
tons. The case was thoroughly gone
over by the two, and, with pen in hand,
Mr.. Lincoln was in the act of signing
the paper which made the soldier d
free man, when he turned to Mr.. La
mon and said:
Lamon, do you know how the Pa
tagonians eat oysters?
No, I do not, Mr. Lincoln was the
reply.
We'll, Lamon, it is their habit to
open them as fast as they can throw
Of ba yRrin NJ no n
the pile of shells grow to be higher
than the house, why, they pick up
stakes and move. Now, Lamon, l feel
like beginning a new pile of pdrdOns,
and I guess this is a good one to be-
gin on.
1T wasn't long after this before the
other gentlemen came, and when they
had finished their call Mr. and Mrs
Lincoln came down and l went with
them to the carriage. That was the
last time | saw the good man alive"
Mr.. Pendel says that he had every
opportunity to study the President, for
he was in the room with him nearly
all the time, a veritable bodyguaid E.
Mr. Lincoln did not like the idea os be-
ing guarded, and made frequent objec-
tons to having some one. constantly
near him. On one occasion he said TO
Mr.. Pendel:
! "Pendel, I do not like to be guarded,
| but l have received a number of
threatening letters lately. l have no
fears, however. That fellow we saw
over at the War Department crouching
at the foot of the stairs, and who eyed
me suspiciously, answers perfectly the
description of a man l was warned to
look out for in a letter | received the
other day"
Mr.. Lincoln did not tell smutty
jokes" said Mr.. Pendel, "and l never
heard him utter word that could moi
have been spoken in the presence of a
woman or child. | dislike to read in
papers and hear people say that Mr..
Lincoln told those wind of jokes. He
/ was not a shouting Christian, but he
was n genuinely good man: as kind
and tender hearted as a child but fire.
quently given to moods of melancholy.
l think Mr.. Lincoln realized that ev.
cry moment of his life he stood in the
! shadow of death, though he did NOT
care to acknowledge i."-Washington
Star.