The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-16
WRITTEN 81 BRAND WHITLOCk AUTHOR OF
" 1.-THE TURN OF THE BALANCE"

told this dream OF his cabinet, and
then turned to business. Grant
was there, and every one was
happy because the war was over.
Lincoln was cheerful that day, and
would not allow his cabinet men,
bers to speak of rebels any
more. There are no more rebels"
he said: they are our fellow citi-
zens." That afternoon he drove
out with Mrs. Lincoln. The spring
had come; lilacs were in bloom,
the lilacs which Walt Whitman has
forever associated with the sweet
memory of him. Mrs. Lincoln and
he talked about the future, when
he would go back to Springfield
and practice law. And yet to his
wife this joy was ominous. She
remembered that he had been that
way just before Willie died. That
evening they went to FOrd's
theater to see Laura Keene play
in Our American Cousin" At 20
minutes after 10 there was a pistol
shot, struggle in the presidents
box, and then a woman shrieked:
"He has killed the president" A
man leaped from the box, caught
his spur in the flag which draped
it. then, rising on one knee and
brandishing dagger. he cried
out, "Sic Semper Tyrannis! Then
he stalked away, dragging an in
jured foot, tand all was horror and
confusion. They carried the presi-
dent to house across the street
and watched over him all the
night. The assassin's bullet had
passed through his brain; he was
never conscious any more, and the
next morning, at % minutes after
I o'clock, he died Stanton, at his
bedside, said, Now he belongs to
the ages"
The whole north had been fes-
TONED in flags to celebrated the
victory, but these were now COW
cred with black, and when men
met in the street, they stood
speechless. while tears ran down
their cheeks. They wrapped the
body of Lincoln in the flag and
bore it to the White House and
thence to the capitol. where it lay
in state.
The assassin was John Wilkes
Booth. a melodramatic actor. a ia
natlc in the southern cause. He es-
capped into Maryland and there, in
burning barn. he was shot by
soldier. After the funeral they took
the body of the president and bore
it homeward over the same route
he had taken in 1861 when he went
to Washington. In cities and in
capitals the train stopped and
thousands looked upon the face to
which at last had come a great
peace and in which for all there
was forgiveness. He was buried
May A. 1865. in Oak Ridge ceme-
terry at Springfield.
1t is good to, think that he had
a little rest. a little sense of peace
and triumph before he died. 1t is
good to think that he knew that.
at last, the people had begun to
understand hi mand to love him.
After he was dead, of course, they
understood him better and loved
him more, which is the worlds
way. And from that time to this.
the people in our country and in
all countries, have gone on under
standing him better, loving him
more. He has grown greater to
them all the time because they
have loved him more. for that is
they way of love. Once. in his
funny way. he said that God must
have loved the common people be-
cause He made SO many of them.
He was one of the common people
himself, and loved them, as he
loved all people, and gave his life
for them that they might have lib
erty. And that Is one reason why
we love him, because he showed in
his beautiful life how heroic the
common virtues can make man.