The Washington herald., 1915-04-13
By WINFIELD M. THOMPSON.

A few days before his death Lincoln
related to his wife and few friends the
story of Il strange dream that had dis
turbed him the night before.
In his dream, he said. he went from
room to room in the White House. and
everywhere heard sounds OF ''pitiful sob
bling" though no living being was in
sight until | arrived at tn" Last
Room. Before me was a catafaluue. on
which rested Il corpse. Around it We're
stationed soldiers. There was "A thrOng
of people, some gazing mOurnfully upon
the corpse. whose face was covered,
others weeping pitifully.
"'Who is dead in the White House.
demanded of one of the soldiers.
The President WAS his answer. lie
was killed by an assassin Then came
loud burst of grief from the crowd
which woke me from my dream
On the afternoon of Friday. April H..
a few hours before he fell under the as
sassin's bullet. Lincoln held his last cab
met meeting. 1t was remarkab BILE for two
thngs-thc depth of charity and love
displayed by Lincoln in a discussion on
the return to the Union of the seeded
States. and Il curious vein of mysticism
the President displayed in d, sCriJing Il
premonitory dream he had had the night
before.
AppomattoX. was invited to attend the
meeting and did so. Grant was anxious
about Sherman. who was confronted BY
the army of Gen. Joseph 4. Johnston In
the vicinity of Goldsboro. y. g. and cN
pressed n desire for news from him.
The President responded by saying that
he thought that all was well with Sher-
mana dream had caused him to feel so.
He then described the dream.
y-I,f 10 1Iin 90 - "A
deep impression on most of the men
about him. He had never seemed more
hopeful or serene.
When. the next day, the sad duty de-
volved on stanton to report to our Min
lister in England the death of the Presi-
dent. he wrote thus of Lincoln, at that
Cabinet meeting. while the memory of
it was still strong and fresh.
He was more cheerful and happy than
l had ever seen him, rejoiccd at the near
prospect of firm and durabl" peace at
home and abroad, manifested in marked
degree the kindness and humanity of his
disposition and the tender and forgiving
spirit that so cminCntly distinguished
him.
Secretary Stanton aftcTward told
Charles Dickens Cwho preserved the ac-
count in one OF his letters that the Pres
ident's manner throughout the meeting
was grave anu Cdlil Win Il uISh'IN
none had ever noted in him before, but
that after first speaking OF his dream, he
sat with his chin sunk in his breast"
until aroused by a question as TO the
character of the dream.
Possibly the most exact description Of
the incident, and certainly the most mat
ter of fact. was that written by SeCre-
tary of the Navy Gideon Welles. as fol-
lows:
Tho President remarked that news
would come soon and come favorahlE, he
had no doubt. for he had last night his
usual dream. which had preceded nearly
every great event of tn" war. ! in
quired the particulars Of this remarka BILE
dream. lie said il was in my element
it related to the water: that ne seemed
to he in singular and indcscr!bahic Ne'-
sell but always the same and that h"
was moving with great rapidity toward
dark and indefinite shore: that h" had
had this singular dream preceding the
firing on sumter. the battles of Bull Run,
Antietam. Gettysburg, stone River 'Mur-
freesboroJ. VicksburG. Wilmington. etc.
Cen Grant remarked with some en-
phasis and asperity that Stone River was
no victory-that a few such victories
would have ruined the country. and that
he knew of no important results from it.
THE President said that perhaps h"
should not altogether agree with him.
but. whatever might be the facts, his
singular dream preceded that fight. Vic
tory did not always follow his dream.
hut the event and results were important
He had no doubt that a battle had taken
place or was about being fought and