The Sun. — 1866-01-27 (London, England)

THE WIDOW OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.—The Washington correspondent of the Morning herald says : —"When Mrs. Lincoln left Washington she took with her to her prairie home the better part of the furniture, upholstery, and decorations of the White House. Immediately upon the death of the late President, Mrs. Lincoln shut herself up in the Executive mansion, refusing to leave her room, even to attend her husband's funeral. It was at once given out that she was very ill; that the murder of her husband had prostrated her ; indeed it was at one time reported that the most serious fears were entertained as to the result of her sickness. The obsequies were brought to their conclusion ; the assassin had been overtaken by the swift vengeance he had provoked ; the trial of the conspirators had begun—still Mrs. Lincoln remained in the White House. Meantime President John son, unwilling to intrude upon the retirement of a lady overwhelmed with a grief so appalling, kept "bachelor's hall ". on Pennyslvania Avenue, attended only by his friend, Preston King. Three months rolled away, and Mrs. Lincoln was induced to give up the Executive Mansion to its rightful occupant. She went to Springfield, Illinois. With her also went the bulk of the ornaments and furniture of the White House. These articles --among which were carpets, window-curtains, chandeliers, statuettes, when packed, 94 large dry goods boxes, and their removal to the railway station was effected by means of seven of Adams's great express vans. These facts were hushed up, as well as might be, and it was hoped that they would be forgotten. Congress met, and among the first bills introduced into the House was one offered by Mr. Wentworth, popularly known as long John Wentworth,' of Illinois, appropriating $lOO,OOO for the relief 'of Mrs. Lincoln—that, in the language of the bill, being the sum to which Abraham Lincoln would have been entitled' if he had served out his term. As soon as it was announced that such a bill had been offered and ordered to its second reading, a host of tradesmen, small or otherwise, gathered in the lobbies of the Capitol. These patriotic persons displayed an extraordinary interest in the passage of the bill. They proclaimed that it was but a ' proper mark of national gratitude.' In fact, so far did their loyal zeal carry them, that it attracted the attention of the honorable legislators themselves, the most of whom were for sometime at a loss to conceive why the 'lobby' should be so deeply concerned in the relief of Mrs. Lincoln. Awakened attention led to inquiry ; inquiry brought out all the facts. Wentworth, chancing to go into the lobby, overheard a patriotic shopkeeper enlarging upon the 'sacred duties of the American ap ne do p 01 ne t fon tqhuei r yw i vo rw. n Wedncthwilodrrt ehn foof ut nh de martyred Ll yn ac ol ilant, was interested in the fulfilment of these 'sacred duties' to an amount a little in excess of $7,000. This fact, with others, became known. When the bill came up for decision it received but one affirmative vote—that, it need hardly bo said, of Wentworth, the proposer, himself. bill which was simply an amendment of the other, and which gave to Mrs. Lincoln the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, was then offered and passd by an almost unanimous vote. But a small portion of this sum, however, will ever be enjoyed by the person for whose use it was appropriated by Congress ; for when the bills of New York tradesmen alone aro paid, there will be Jut an inconsiderable margin left. Mrs. Lincoln, iterefore, by her extraordinary misconception of the nature of her privieges in the White House—(l will use no stronger term)— has lust seventy-five thousand dollars; for the sum ori-1 . gmally named ($100,000) would, but for this misunderstanding, infallibly have been donated to her." IN