Year: 1865

Reported Attempt to Poison Pr esident Lin.


coin and Secretary StantOn-Plan for


Shooting Andrew Johnson.


The Washington correspondent of the Pitts
burgh Chronicle writes as follows in a recent
letter:


l have talked with an intelligent colored
woman who says ''she was in the crowd at
Secretary Stantons door on the evening of the
assassination-that she was in charge of sew
eral children; and to prevent their being hurt,
placed them in the angle formed by the steps
and wall of the house, that she and they
were almost behind Mr.. Stanton while he stood
on the steps speaking to the people; that man
in heavy, dark coat, with his hat drawn over
his face, edged his way in among the children,
and kept moving his head from side to side as
If trying to get good look at Mr.. Stanton,
and she thought he had a pistol in it. She be-
came alarmed and spoke aloud to a colored
man near, asking him to come and stand be.
tween her and this man, for he had pistol.
The colOred man came and took the position
she desired, and the other moved off. The story
was hard to believe, but her daughter stated
that she came home that evening quite excited,
saying sthere was a 'specious character in the
crowd. and she thought he wanted to shoot
Mr.. Stanton" I have reason to believe that
Mr.. Stanton knew Of this, and expected to the
last that she would be examined before the
Commission.


On a visit 70 Mrs. Lincoln, the day she left
for Chicago, said to her that had always ex.
pected slavery would poison Mr.. Lincoln as
1t did Presidents Harrison and Taylor. The
idea appeared new to her. and recalled the fact
that her husba nd had been very ill, for several
days, from the effects of dose of blue pills
taken shortly before his second inauguration.
She said he was not well, and appearing to re-
quire his usual medicine, blue pills, she sent
to the drug store in which Harold WAS en-
ployed last and got q dose and gave them to
him at night before going to bed, and that next
morning his pallor terrified her.


''His face" said she, pointing to the bed
beside which she sat, "was white as that pillow
IL there
her hand on the pillow-sswhite, and such a
deadly white; as he tried to rise he sank back
again, quite oyercome!'


She described his anxietyitO be up, there was
so much to do and her persistence and his op-
pressiye languor in keeping him in bed for
several days: said he and she both thought it so
strange that the pills should affect him in that
way; they never had done so before, and both
concluded they would get no more medicine
there, as the attendant evidently did not
understand making up prescriptions. Coul d
this have been the time spoken of in that letter
produced on the trial, in which it is said the
cup had failed oncel


time with her husband in Georgia while Gen.
Mitchell was in command. She had told me
OF pretended Union woman, in a small town
where they were stationed, who kept board
ing house for Union officers; of the large num-
Der of invalids among these boarders, and her
especially remarking the excessive and pecu.
liar pallor of these invalids; soon the number
OF deaths attracted attention, and an inyestiga.
hon was ordered of the charge that this female
fiend had been poisoning her boarders. While
the case was pending some order changed the
troops occupying the town. and my informant
never learned how the matter ended, but her
description Of the pallor Of the victims so coin.
cides with Mrs. Lincoln's account Of our mar.
tyr's appearance after the taking of the blue
pills, that it has occurred to me those monsters
may have some peculiar method of poisoning
Moreover, it is highly probable that our politi.
cal assassinations are not yet over.


A conversation was overheard the latter part
of last month. on dark night, between a knot
of men, who distinctly detailed q plan for
shooting President johnson ON the Fourth
The speakers were o station themselves at
different points in the crowd, and while he
should be speaking at Gettysburg, at signal,
fire simultaneously. This con versation was
promptly reported to Col Baker by Judge Day,
who told me of the fact.