The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-26
LINCOLN AS THE CIPHER
TELEGRAPH OPERATORS AT
THE WHITE HOUSE SAW HIM

All through the civil war three young
telegraph operators sat in tho Office of the
War Department day after day and night
after night putting tao secret dispatches
of the Government INTO the War Depart
ment cipher and transmitting them to tho
armies or receiving en- her dispatches from
the armies. and lrau,Iatng them. They
were really only boys-the youngest OF
them entered the service when he was on ly
i7-but they carried around with them the
secrets Of the nation.
That War Department telegraph office
became the focus OF Government attention
as tho war got hotter; and many of the Gov
ernment councils were held beside the keys.
1t came about, too. that Lincoln made
that room his constant resort. He was
there in all his spare moments waiting for
news; it was. more than any other place.
his loafing room. So it happened that the
three boys who worked the Government
cipher dispatches cav the personal and
intimate side Of Lincoln as no one but his
family and his secretaries saw it.
These three men are still living and are
all In New York They climbed to the
top Of the telegraph business before they
quit one Of them ia there yet. New York
drew them as il has u way Of drawing the
successful.
In the order Of their appointment TO the
cipher Office they are David Homer Bates,
who was assigned to the War Department IN
April. 1891 and who quit tho telegraph bust
ness as president of the Baltimore and Ohio
Telegraph Company; Charles A. Tinker, who
Joined the following year, and retired from
business as general superintendent OF the
eastern division OF the Western Union, and
Albert b. Chandler who entered the cipher
Office in 1868 and is now chairman OF the
board of directors Of the Postal company
On Lincoln's Birthday, this year. the
three men were all in Brooklyn Mr..
Bates and Mr.. Tinker spoke at banquet
Of the Lincoln Club. Of which the latter
was once the president, and Mr. Chandler
addressed the Union League Club. 1t was
the first intention to have them all at the
same club, but they accepted separate
invitations before it could be arranged
The silence which they kept so well in
the civil war can now honorably be broken;
the military secrets. by revealing which
at the right time any Of these young fell
lows had it IN his power to iniure the Union,
are secrets no longer. And 50 the three
are at liberty to tell about Grant and Stan
ton and most Of all about Lincoln as they
saw them in the councils of the civil war.
Mr. Bates was first in the field He was
II when the Government called him to
work the telegraph then a new adjunct
10 warfare, our civil war being the first in
which the telegraph was ever used.
Mr.. BATEs's FIRST VIEW OF THREE FAMOUS
MEN.
MY first meeting with Abraham lincoln
WINS in 1851. two weeks after Fort Sumter
was fred on says MIR. Bates. with three
o,her operators. David Strause. Richard
O'Bnen and Samuel NJ Brown, reported
, for duty to Col. Thomas A. Scott, general
, manager Of military railroads and tele-
graphs.
In Secretary Simon Camerons room,
we saw Mr. Lincoln and Gen. Winfield
Scott. Cameron was tall and slim. while
the old Mexican War hero was massive as
well as tall and in his uniform made
magnificent presence. He was the chief
object Of our curiosity.
"Mr. Iincolns homely frame was not at
first specially attractive to us. but it was
my good fortune during the succeeding
four years. and until the very night OF his
taking of 10y Booth. TO see Mr.. Lincoln
almost daily. II was his custom 10 visit
the telegraph Office morning. afternoon
and evening to receive the latest news from
tho front. He made the Telegraph Office
rendezvous, usually sitting at the desk of
Major Eckert, for whom he mad very high
regard
A great many anecdotes and stories
have been attributed to Lincoln It IL
certain that not all Of them we're his. 1t is
probable that most Of them were not. As
time passes it IS becoming more and more
difficult to determine which are genuine;
tat is TO say. which originated with Lin
coin or were repeated by him.
I1NcorS's HABIT OF STORY TELLING.
MIR Lincoln was once asked why he
told so many stories; he answered that he
did il because he could not help it. lie found
it impossible to refrain from emphasizing
a point by telling story. He said that the
case was like that OF the old colored man on
the plantation who neglected his regular
work in order to preach.
He did this SO often that mis- master fire.
quently admonished him and sometimes
punished him. but all to no effect Finally
his master called him 10 one side and began
10 berate him soundly. when the old man
said:
bat massa, Jest CANT help 1t; allus
has TO draw infrunces from Bible texts
when dey comes into my haid-don't you,
massa?
This reply interested his master, who
said:
-'Well. uncle, suspect that do some
thing Of the kind myself. but there ia one
text never could understand. and if you
draw a correct inference from it l will
change my orders and let you preach to
your hearts content
What's de text. NASSAU
49, The ass snufreth up the east wind :
Now, Uncle, what possible infrunce can
you draw from that text?
We'll. Massa. Use nebber heard dat
tex befo', but | spect de inference is she
gotter snufi long time befo' she git fat
Mr. Bates was especially impressed