The Press., 1911-03-15

southern sympathizers in Washington. When the two reached the environs of the capital. Webster. meeting one whom he knew to be Union man, sent word by him to the picket guard that he wished them to arrest both him and his companion. This was done. but as soon as they were sepa- rated Webster was released and went to the White House. There he was at once admitted to Mir. Lincoln and. taking of his coat and vest. ripped open the lining and produced the dis. patches They and those found on the Engiishman were of vital importance. Possibly the latter were the more i'm pOrtant. since they revealed that the president was living in a city where numbers of the enemy's sympathizers were plotting for the capture of the capital.
 Webster, though he did not serve MT. Lincoln personally. accomplished a great work for him as president. The spy played a double game. He would 10 south as a southern man and enter the service of the government for the purpose of giving them information of the designs of the Federal govern ment. There he pretended to be a Federal spy when he was really Con federate spy. He was from the first a Pinkerton detective. and when Pinker. ton organized the military secret serv' ice bureau of the United States gov ernment Webster entered that service and worked for the pay he received in it. Ordinarily 1t is hard to tell which side a spy playing this double game is really working for. But Webster in the beginning saved the life of the president elect and con tinued to take him important informa ton, while he had only to give the Confederacy information that was un true or would not avail 1t. .,
 This being a story of MT. Lincoln rather than Webster. the many re- markable romances in the life of the latter during his term of service must be passed over without even cata- logue of them. Finally, though sui fering from rheumatism. he started south in company with a Miss Lewis. who was in his confidence. The trip was to be his last incursion into the south Unfortunately he was laid up Q long while In Richmond with rheu- matism. Miss Lewis nursed him During this time nothing was heard from him at Washington. and the president and others who knew of his mission became anxious about him It was determined to send the mem bers of the secret service force south to look for him.
 The two men went to Richmond They learned that Webster was lying i'll at a hotel and blundered by going directly to see him without communi eating with him. In his room they found a Confederate and were rash enough to hand him a letter from AL Ian Pinkerton which. they said, came from a friend of his in Baltimore. They came again and unfortunately met an officer from the provost mar shal's office This meeting led to their examination. They were identified by a person who knew them, and all was lost.
 When the news came to General Mo Clellan's headquarters that the two men had been arrested as spies and had implicated Webster. Allan Pinker, ton hurried to Washington to see MT. Lincoln and discover if anything could be done to save them. Siugularly enough. Webster had saved Lincoln's life. and now Lincoln was called upon to save Webster's life.
 Mir. Lincoln called special meeting of the cabinet to devise. means to save the spies lives. Nothing could be done except to communicate through the secretary of war calling the atten- ton of the authorities at Richmond to the fact that the United States gov Confederate spies and had never tried or sentenced to death any one caught carrying information. The message closed with threat of lnaugurating different code in future if the spies were executed
 Neither the fact pointed out nor the threat availed. Webster was hanged. Miss Lewis was imprisoned for year. and the two men who caused the tragedy were imprisoned for twenty two months. It Is not probable that they would have escaped had they not implicated Webster. But 1t must be remembered that they had only indi rectly been spies.
 The last event of similarity between Mr. Lincoln and Webster occurred three years later. when MT. Lincoln was again the object of the assassin's bullet The double tragedy contains two singular condolences. Both died for the cause. though neither of them as a soldier. and both died tragic deaths. one being hanged for a spy, the ther murdered.