The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-02-09

business known with it's latest creden-
tails, but Secretary Stanton burst into
| q furious TRADE against his chief for
interposing in matters whereof his
knowledge was nil, stormed up and
! down his office for half an hour, and
metaphorically kicked his visitor out
with curt refusal. A second call at
the White House etched stern wrin-
kle over the presidents habitually kind
eyes, now, however, with little blaze
In them, as he received the report of
that sinister reception; but in mo-
ment he laughed. Snatching a pen he
wrote one short word, Must" under
| scored three times, and signed "A.
| Lincola" on the document enevelope.
Perhaps Mr.. Secretary will be a
| little more civil this time. Come back
again and let me know. I'll tell you a
story then, which Stanton knows all
| about" he said, with squeeze Of vice.
| like knuckles.
The secretary glanced at that one
word, and at once ironed all resentment
| from his face, which became one Of
fascinating complacency. He had come
down from his perch like Captain
SCOTS Coon" The necessary busi-
| ness was adjusted in 10 minutes. The
writer's relative, however, missed the
! Stanton story over which Mr.. Lincoln
| had chuckled as circumstances pre-
vented another interview with the
president.
The last living vision Of Abraham
Lincoln was the most vivid and thrill
Ing Of all. 1t is strangely link ed in
memory by a sinister 'trifle with that
final glimpse Of the murdered body as
1t lay in the capitol, around which
surged the threnody. "the noise of the
lamentation Of a mighty nation" which
| cried:
20. fallen at length, that tower Of
strength"
Which stood four square to all the
winds that blow"
The reelected president lowered be-
fore vast throng Of hushed and rev.
erent listeners in the delivery Of his
second inaugural, that masterpiece,
which in its exaltation was almost
lyrical, charged like the immortal
Gettysburg speech with the highest
tension Of human emotion. This was
the figure, as of some mighty arch
angel, trumpeting a message Of grief
dashed triumph which was heard
around the world, resonant above all
the clamor of that worlds events and
still ringing In the pages of history.
Who, then, would have thought OF
the arch-joker, who seven years be-
fore, at an Illinois barbecue, had rallied
friend In the writer's hearing with
John, here is the ugliest man in the
state, with the exception of myself and
my only advantage Is that I wear big
ger hatband." Yet these antipodes lay
in that strangely complex nature.
AS the rapt audience hung spell bound
on the rapt speaker and solemn words,
another face, a short distance away, and
not 80 yards from the president eX-
pressed a different kind of emotion.
Those wonderful words were making
the air one great electric throb; as they
FRs,V u. ,fatx
ance: "Fondly do we hope fervently de
we pray that this nightly scourge of
war may speedily pass away. Yet If
God wills that 1T will continue all
the wealth piled by the bondsman's
$50 years Of unrequited toll shall be
sunk, and until every drop Of blood
drawn by the lash shall be paid by
another drawn with the sword: as was
said 5000 years ago. so still it must be
said now, that the judgments Of the
Lord are true and righteous altogether"
That face was distorted with rage,
hate and fury, making the handsome
features almost demoniac as the man
muttered and scowled. 1t was the face
Of one whom the writer had seen few
weeks before in New York, playing
mark Anthony" with his two brothers,
at Winter Garden theater for the
Shakespearian fund benefit, and who
had wrung from the audience greater
plaudits than the others by the fiery
genius Of his acting. 1t was John
Wilkes Booth, who little less than six
weeks later was to Undue his assassin's
hand with the blood so sacred to the
nation, and go down in chronicle as
the most detestable criminal of the CEN
fury. Perhaps at that time the half
crazed fanatic was debating whether he
should not pistol the president from
that present coign Of vantage and make
his escape through dazed and dense