Year: 1865

o. Willie in the midst of our rejoicing
I over repeated victories, and III view OF
the prospects of the early return OF
peace, what a sad andsudden revulsion
ofifeeling throbs through our eptirc be-
ing, rs The announcement is made to us
that ABRAHAM LINCOLN has fallen by
I the bloady hand ofa lurking and ruth
less assassin. An enemy we never
dreamed of comes from his secret hi
! ding place, and strikes down the Chief
\ Magistrate af our struggling nation. -
Our beloved President has fallen by a
wicked and traitorous hand. f Wilhelm
the act of his super-abundant clemency
to the armies of the enemy, this terri
BILE and heart-rending news, falls upon
US like, bolts of thunder from clear
and sunny sky. We feel too deeply
now to speak out the emotions of our
heart. Michigan and the whole nation
are in tears over, this fearful tragedy.
1t will be becoming and proper that our
people should devote season to fast
ing and sorrow for this sad and unlock
ed for calamity, and Ionly abstain now
from fixing a day for that solemn OBJ
seryance in, the expectation that the
authorities at Washington will issue a
proclamation setting aside q portion of
time in which nation can express in
a suitable manner its sense of this lam
entable bereavement But in the mean
time we are impelled, by our deepest
and most profound emotions, to express
our sorrow at the fall of so wise, and
noble, and generous President as
Abraham Lincoln. n 1t speaks to us in
lapgaage unmistakable, and conclusive
Of the desperate and fierce spiritof this
gigantic rebellion 1T teaches us that
the serpent is not yet dead. Our wise
and patriotic, Secretary of State, the re-
10 owRed statesman of his time, has also
been assassinated in his own private
house, and his son, perhaps, by this
time has found q premature death by
this same iendishi spirit. Butf"5vault-
ing ambition has o'erleaped itself, and
fallen on the other sidopa This nations
calamity will unite. all loyal hearts with
an accord that cannot be broken, and
the enemy must and will be. pushed to
the wall. If it is necessary now, as in
former times, that one man should die
for the people, what death could have
occurred that will be more likely to re-
deem our nation from another compro-
mise with the fell spirit ofdespotism
and slavery? While we, mourn over
cur fallen chieftain, and condole with
his bereavcd family, let us swear never
to give up this contest till the hydra
headed monster is effectually destroyed,
and buried so deep that we shall not
fear any tnrther resurrection. Let us,
free and loyal men of Michigan, stand
firm in this hour of our country's peril,
and remain true to the institutions Of
our fathers, and the. spirit of gene
rous and universal freedom, and the
blood Of our beloved martyrs and the
death Of our noble and hcrdic soldiers
will nerve lis with more than mortal en-
ergy in the accomplishment of this great
work. Above all, let us look up through
the riffs in the clouds and recognize
the mighty hand ofDivine Providence,
who brings good out of evil, and pray
Him to sanctify this nations tragedy to
universal civil liberty.


Given under my hand and private seal


of the State at the city of Flint, this


fifteenth day of April, A. D., ono thou
sand eight hundred and siyty-fve.


~" Henry Fl. CRAPo.


BY the Governor. r.


i THOMAS j. CoBB Private S.c'y.