Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-06-25
.6beDouble:
Tragedy
OF President lincoln and the Man
Who Had Saved His Life
BY WILLARD MALTBIE
by American Press Assoc
citation. 1911.

ever lived who was connected with
more romanceS. But in them all there
is something sad. 1t was Il period OF
war in which these events of which he
was the central figure occurred, and
only a very few of the romaaces ex
tracted from war have happy terminal
lions. No one can look upon the pOr
trait of Abraham Lincoln without see
ing there the soemnity of those four
years when the boys of 81 to TO were
being moved down like wheat, when
l. every family in the north and In the
south were mourners.
There is one event in the life OF
President Lincoln which, If certain
efforts that were made had been I'M
successful, would have left nonexist
ent his leadership in the great struggle
and he would have gone down IL
history simply as the man whose cleo
ton brought it on. True, it wouH
have been adorned with the crown Of
martyrdom, but at the beginning in
stead of the end of his career.
This is the story of his escape from
kndJ SdIlAGA dblSAhPL ~ oooHoAhtAbO hAAP
which was failure:
It was in the spring of 1861, when
secession sympathiZers were plotting
against the lines of communication
leading from the national capital, that
a man, middle aged, muscular and
with a determined though tranquil
face, appeared in PerrymansVille.
Md. He was a Pinkerton detective
and had been sent there to discover
plots to damage railroad property.
When Mr.. Lincoln went to Washing
ton for his first Inauguration, having
passed through New York, he went
southwark on the Pennsylvania and
Baltimore and Ohio railroads. Allan
Pinkerton, chief of Chicago detec-
tive bureau, learned through a master
machinist Of the latter road that a
number of secessionists had bound
themselves by an oath to assassinate
Mr.. Lincoln while journeying to the
capital There was but little time to
act, for the president elect was about
to leave his home. When the assassi'
nation plan was conceived it was not
known by the conspirators by what
route Mr.. Lincoln would go to the cap
ital. They were therefore obliged tS
arrange for an attack upon him at sew
eral different points. The Perrymans
vile branch of the organization pre-
tended to be cavalry company. Web
ster, who, though of quiet exterior,
knew how to sham very deep feeling
against the Yankee government, at
once enrolled himself in this cavalry
company.
But getting into the company was
far from getting its plans, and unfor-
tunately there was very little time to
discover them. Webster relied on his
pretended hatred of the government to
secure his initiation into the inner cir
Gle. His ruse succeeded. He was in
vited to go to the house of the captain
of the company, but not to say word
about the invitation. In a room every
window of which was protected
against hearing and seeing from the
outside he met men from the central
point Of the conspiracy, Baltimore, and
was received as one of the planners
Of the work to be done.
Seated about table, the party dis
cussed different methods of assasst-
mating the president elect. Webster,
being new man and of a reserved
disposition, listened to the others, only
occasionally pointing out some weak
spot in a proposition or suggesting
way to obviate 1t. Before the confer
ence broke up it had been decided to
shoot Mr.. Lincoln at the depot as he
was passing through Baltimore on the
23d of March.
Webster now had the plans In bis
possession. Taking himself away
from the so called cavalry company.
he went where he could safely commu,
nicate with his chief. Allan Pinkerton.
On the night Of the 21st of February
Pinkerton met Mr.. Lincoln at the Con
tinental hotel at Philadelphia and re-
vealed the plot.
The question now arose how, having
the plan, to defeat it. A ruse was
adopted. Instead of going on to Wash
ington direct Mr. Lincoln was taken
northwest TO Harrisburg. But it was
no easy job to turn the GaZe of mil
lions of people from the most proml-
nent figure in the land with hosts OF
newspaper correspondents watching
his every movement. The telegraph
wires leading out Of Harrisburg were
secretly grounded. thus cutting off that
city from the rest Of the world.
Mr.. Lincoln now being able to travel
without news o: his passage being tel
egraphed from every station. Il private
train was made up at Harrisburg. and
the president elect-it is said that he
was disguised-w taken back TO Phil.
adelphia and at midnight Of the 2..d
instead of the Odd as had been ar
ranged. was rushed through Baltimore
and early the next morning arrived
safe IN Washington.
This brief statement Of the plan to
assassinate the president elect and its
defeat Is essential to the story-a story
Of Abraham Lincoln as the central fig.
ure and Timothy Webster, whose
quick work was instrumental in saw
Ing him for the great work he was to
accomplish 1t would have been well
had the president kept Webster by
him until his task having been I'm
tshed. he should return to the less dan