Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-17

barred back, struck down New Eng
lands senator for daring to speak
lifted the torch of rebellion, slaughter
ed in cold blood its thousands, anC
starved our helpless prisoners. 1t!
end is not martyrdom, but dishonor.
Bishop Simpson said:
Let every man who was a member
of congress and aided this rebellion bt
brought to speedy punishment. Le
every officer educated at public ex-
pense, who turned his sword agains
his country, be doomed to a traitors
DEATH"
With the last note Of this wild mu-
sic lingering in the old Commoner's
soul, he sat as If dreaming, laughed
cynically, turned to the brown woman
and said:
my speeches have not been lost af'
ter all! Prepare dinner for six. Ny
cabi~et will meet here tonight"
While the press was re-echoine
these sermons, gathering strength as
they were caught and repeated IT
every town, village, and hamlet In the
north, the funeral procession started
westward. 1t passed in grandeur
through the great cities on Its journey
Of one thousand six hundred miles tc
the tomb. BY day, by night, by dawn
emn torches, millions Of silent mer
and women looked on his dead face
Around the person of this tall, lonely
man, rugged, yet full Of sombre dignity
and spiritual beauty, the thoughts
hopes, dreams, and ideals Of the people
had gathered in four years Of agony
and death, until they had come to fee
their own hearts beat in his breas,
and their own life throb in his lie''
The assassin's bullet had crashed into
their own brains, and torn their souls
and bodies asunder.
The masses were swept from theil
moorings, and reason destroyed. AL
historic perspective was lost. Oul
first assassination, there was no pre-
cedent for comparison. 1t had beer
over two hundred years in the worlds
history since the last murder or
great ruler, when William of Orangs
fell.
On the day set for the public funer-
sal, twen'y million people bowed at the
same hour.
When the procession reached New
York the streets were lined with 6
million people. Not a sound could be
heard save the tramp Of soldiers fee,
and the muffied cry Of the dirge
Though on every foot of earth stood
human being, the silence Of the deser,
and of Death! The Nations living he
roes rode in that procession, and pass
ed without a sign from the people.
Four years ago he drove dowr
Broadway as presideIt-elect, unnoticeo
and with soldiers in disguise attend
ing him lest the mob should stone
him.
Today, at the mention Of his name
Ahn rh Uninae
in prayer wavered and broke into ST.
lence. while strong men among the
crowd burst into sobs. Flags flew al
half-mast from their steeples, and theil
bells tolled in grief.
Every house that flew but yesterday
it's banner of victory was shrouded In
mourning. The flags and pennants OF
a thousand ships in the harbor droopeo
at half-mast. and from every staff ir
the city streamed across the sky the
black miss of Grape like strange
meteors in the troubled heavens.
For three days every theatre, school
court. bank, shop, and mill was closed
And with muttered curses men look
cd southwark.
Across Broadway the cortege passed
under a huge transparency on whicf
appeared the words:
"a Nation Bowed in Grief
Will Rise in Might to Exterminate
The Leaders of this Accused Rebel
lon."
Farther along swung the black-d
d banner:
Justice to Traitors
Is
Mercy to the People,"
Another tapped its grim message:
"The Barbarism Of Slavery.
Can Barbarism Go Further"
Across the Ninth regiment armony
in gigantic letters, were the words:
A Time For Weeping
But Vengeance Is Not Sleeping!"
When the procession reached Buffa
10. the house of Millard Fillmore wa!
mobbed because the ex-preSident
stricken on a bed of illness, had neg
lected to drape his house in mourning
The procession passed to Springhelt
through miles of bowed heads duml
with grief. The plough stopped in tn,
furrow, the smith dropped his ham
mer the carpenter his plane, the mer
chant closed his door the clink of coil
ceased. and over all hung broodinl
silence with low -muttered curses
fierce and incoherent.
No man who walked the earth eve
passed to his tomb through such
storm of human tears. The pageant
of Alexander, Caesar, and Wellington
were tinsel to this. Nor did the spiri
of Napoleon. the Corsican lieutenan
of artillery who once presided over
congress of kings whom he had con
quered, looked down on its like ever
in France.
And now that it's pomp was done AM
it's memory but bitterness and ashes
but one man knew exactly what n
wanted and what he meant to dc
Others were stunned by the blow
But the cold eyes Of the Great Com
moner. leader of leaders sparkled, AM
his grim lips smiled. From him no
word of praise of fawning sorrow TO
the dead. Whatever he might be, n
was not a liar: when he hated, n
hated.
The dropping flags. the city's blacl
shrouds. professions, torches, silen
seas of faces and barred heads. tn
dirges and the bells, the dim-li
churches. wailing organs, fierce invec
tives from the altar, and the perfum
of flowers piled in heaps by silen
| he artS-to all these was he heir.
And more-the fierce unwritten, un
spoken, and unspeakable horrors o
war itself, it's passions its cruelties
its hideous crimes and sufferings, tn
wailing of it's women, the graves
it's me"-all these now were his.
The new president bowed to tn
storm. In one breath he promised I
fulfill the plans of Lincoln. In tn
| next. he too, breathed threats Of ven
gGance.
The edict went forth for the arres
of General Lee.
Would Grant, the commanding gen
eral of the army. dare protest? Their
| were those who said that If Lee wer
arrested and Grants plighted word a
Appomattox smirched, the silent sol
dier would not only protest, but dray
| his sword. if need be, to defend hi
honor and the honor of the Natior
Yet-would he dare? 1t remained t
be seen.
The jails were now packed wit
southern men, taken unarmed fror
their homes The old Capitol Priso
| was full. and every cell of every CRATE
building in the city, and they wer
| filling the rooms of the Capitol itself.
Margaret, hurrying from the marke
in the early morning with her flowers
was startled to find her mother bowe
/ IN oppuiSh over nara graDh in tn