Show c ts C I I If I II f fI f I L iI I iII iII t I I j t I j j 4 r gr j ABRAHAM LINCOLN rII c f NEW NE V STORIES OF 01 LINCOLN LINCOL The Presidents Changed Plans for forthe forthe forthe the Tight Night He Was Shot His Meeting With W th the Tall Soldier It is a fact known to only a few tew peo people people people that on the night of assas assa assassination in Fords theatre Washington by Johp John Booth he had an in Itt informal informal formal engagement gement eng to attend the Na NIL National N theatre and ami an was expected there up to within two hours of the perform performance ance Mr Robert L Fraser a prom prominent prominent prominent insurance man of Charleston W Va was then an office boy at nt the Na National National and carried the note of in il invitation invitation to the White House receiving In reply what was probably one of the thelast thelast thelast last if not the very last note ever writ written written written ten by b the martyred president He gives the following account of the mat matter matter matter ter Susan and Katie Denin were vere then playing at the National in Aladdin and The Seven Sisters Which of the two was as oh on that night nig t Mr Fraser does not remember C rj D U Hess and Len Grover were managing the theatre and the office force foice consisted of Major Burke now one of the Wild West show Orton H Hess and young Fraser who was 13 years old as ns office boy It was understood by the man management management management that the president was to at attend atT attend tend the evening performance of April 14 1865 1805 In fact Mr Lincoln had in informally informally formally spoken of coming so special decorations of greens and flags were put up Late that afternoon n in oder that there might be no slip sUp C D Hess sent young Fraser with a formal invitation and note of reminder to the president The Th boy bop was glad of the chance to go goto goto goto to the White House as he ho had struck up a 8 friendship with Tad Lincoln and hoped to run across him there Tad was vas not around however so Fraser de delivered delivered delivered livered his note and waited for an an answer answer ewer which came back to him in a few minutes In Mr own hand handwriting handwriting writing It was then nearly 6 Upon his return to the theatre with the note Fraser found Mr Hess super superintending superintending superintending intending arid aid part in the of 0 trimming g the interior He H took the U notA nOt went wrent onto Into his hi private office anti and m in ma ina n na a moment came out with an expression of disappointment in his face toys Boys he said the president says he cant come tonight Mrs Lincoln has already made an engagement for r herself and him to te go to Fords and he know anything about it until too toolate toolate toolate late He says that he will vilI come very soon and see the show though Might a as well quit this work then thenaid said aid one of the other men menNo menNo menNo No replied the manager Its just t possible he might come in after the act tonight Anyway hell hen be here with within in a night ni ht or two for when a he means it With TUh that he climbed up on a step stepladder stepladder stepladder ladder and set to fixing a wreath wrea th over overa a bust of the president when John Wilkes Booth came me in Booth says Mr Fraser looked as a if he had been drink drinking lug ing and seemed excited He le went up to the manager with whom he was on terms of quite intimate friendship and said Hello Hess Hello John replied the manager Is the president coming here to tonight tonight tonight night asked the actor after looking around at the work of decoration He spoke with evident excitement uW We W did expect him but I just had a note not from him saying that he had to togo go lQ to Fords instead replied Hess Heas HeasTo To Fords eft eb said Booth in a calmer tone Weir what whar I un understood understood They expect him there t Yes but hes agreed to come here pretty soon and maybe mabe hell heli split his evening and come around later Well Im rm going to leave the city pretty soon said Booth Have a drink with me before b fore 1 I go goAs goAs 0 As Hess was busy Booth sent the of office office fice flee boy out for glasses of whisky and both the men drank Booth evaded the questions as to where he was going goin when hen he left the city merely saying h Jt he any job there and he guessed guess d hed move on Mr Fraser tells the story of the of the evening in that theatre as as follows We had a good house and the per ner went off oft as usual until the end of ot the first act Then we who were behind the scenes heard a great shout ing and tumult outside in the street A moment later C D Hess went out In jn front font of the curtain and announced that there had been a serious hitch hit h In the performance e which made it impossible Impossible sible to go on with the play and that the audience could get its money bacK bacz at the box office He want to tell t li the news for fear of a panic in the the theare are from the rush to get g t outside which he be knew would wo follow He was very v vet PT pale when he came caine back bock He said saidU U Dont let It out in front fr nt but has killed the tim president By UBy that time however we heard the news from the Nearly all the people were out of the house before it known and there was no disturbance Boy as I was I was vas startled and saddened by the news Then another thought thou ht shot into my mind The note I had brought I ran r ran n into the managers office which I was w sure I would find empty and fairly dove Int late the he scrap basket For two or three minutes I dove there like a dog a woodchuck First I found a bit of envelope then a fragment df br f the note and finally a ragged bit with signature to it The Th note ha h ti I 1 been torn up but I was wah satisfied with what I had got and heaped back the miscellaneous scraps into the basket I had hardly time to get out when both b th Ute tile Besses came In i in a hurry and searched the whole hOle W place PIa for that th at note The idea had struck them too but a tl little too late During that hat evening I suppose half the force for e of ot the place la had hada a try Y for tor that F J 1 tnt m J gj th in the streets r acle e and ICU t rip lip and abd crowds At one time I stopped under undera a street lamp mp and pulled out my pre precious precious cious clous scrap of paper to look at it Sud Suddenly Suddenly J denly a hand went over it If and voice a behind me said 01 Where did you get that sonny I Its mine I cried Let go goIm gorm goI I Im rm not going to steal it from you said the man but Ill tell you what Til ru Tildo rudo do Ill give you 20 for it l That was so large Jarge a sum to me that I at first he was fooling me but when he be handed over two 10 bills I i gave him the autograph and A went ent a away ay in a sort of daze I have ve never been I able to find out who the man was but buthe i he lie got a It bargain out of me If I had hadI I that little scrap of paper now money Doney could not buy it So far as I can cn find out that note was the last thing the president ever wrote I have read all the literature on the subject of the events of that day that I could lay my hands on and ad have found no mention of any later writing by him himS himi S i t Chance Acquaintance With Lincoln By 1330 Mahlon Private In Co B Penn Vo While the regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers was passing I through Washington in review in Jan January January January uary 1862 among the thousands who lined Pennsylvania Penns avenue was a small group of unusually unu large Jarge men surround surrounding ing one who wh towered above all of them This man was gaunt gnu and pale pele with a serious caste ste of countenance and stoop stooping stoopIng ing shoulders He ware wre a high silk hat 1 and a black frock coat which fitted him indifferently As An I 1 marched past the group this man maL extended a long arm and railed called out Rub Bub Bub Captain Arthur of my company B saw that the tall man miLn was addressing me rne and without Wiling tiling me who he was yas told me to leave the th tank rank and go fp him His personality was a source of interested conjecture to me That he was wae president never entered my h head ad With a friendly smile he tO took k my mf hand and said Excuse my rudel it was jeal jealousy jealousy jealousy on my part that made me call you out to atte 5 e you up How tall are you Yon and what is la I YO your age a ag and andr weight I tJ I r rn 6 feet if said stUd OlIn in my my 17 11 year d weight eight 15 i 5 pounds T I l he h p du d blak covered Yered memorandum m boo bo th the figures figure in It Perhaps it struck him him jhen that I did not J know him He in introduced introduced himself i his most mo st charac characteristic teri way W WI I I am pM l Abe v and ani continued This my m on n is Vi nie e Pres President PresIdent ident H in inThe The other gentlemen of tHe party were General Gen eral Cameron Came cam eon on and Governor G 0 Curtin CUI n pf f Pennsylvania n t Lin Lincoln coIn coln noted in his bis book the height hei ht of e ct r us and added add d up UI the 1 E figures reIl r y i uIt It will wOl be b b a 8 g 1 1 be before before before fore as small a 8 pa ty t as this can oon show as ci big a total of inches Here flere is ib the entry as 88 he put Jut ut it down in his hii hI book ook Mahlon Mahion B Bd Pa Volunteers p 6 ft it 6 in Abraham Lincoln 6 ft fL 4 in iI Hannibal 1 6 ft 2 in General Cameron 6 ft 1 in inov nov Gov Curtin of Pennsyl Pennsylvania vania 6 ft 2 in 31 ft 4 in inIn inIn inIn In the conversation that followed President Lincoln gave me quite a little advice Indicating what my habits in life should be and even evert my ray diet I Ir remember r that he hi h advised v me roe against pie and nd warned me against liquors Wing lying down tl un to sleep he told me ne D that I should reSt Jet r J the fhe head a lower lOw than th lf ch eh a 1 gt dt t to expand nd and added a aI 4 I am afraid you wont stand the I service As 6 I was w taking my leave I happened 1 to think t of the Ib orders about abut stragglers j i and aid asked as Mr Lincoln to give me a ams 1 so 50 the patrolmen rather gather ms me into the Ue guard gard house He Heat tat j at once onca pulled pulle out his memorandum I Dook Ook again tore out o t a blank sheet and turning his back bk to the boisterous wind wrote these thee words Pass Pas the he soldier on 01 his hi way to to camp campB By B request quest r of ABE ABI A LINCOLN LI COLN Afterward I Was wounded in battle batte ply m knapsack k was captured and the memento jy which I had treasured in it was vas lost L When the president bade good god bye he h e put Pt his hands ands h over my shoulders and I said id with the kindliest tone toner Good Goo bye my son God Gd bless you Come soon sn and dine with wih me Some Som time later I went to Washing Washington ton with Sergeant Fritz of Co B to exchange clothes cothes Drawn by b me which Wore weve too short for me and remember remembering remembering ing the ro presidents invitation l 1 went to th the White Hous J taking my com corn companion panion l Ifon along We found Mr Lincoln writing at a table tale lie e recalled me inc at once gave ve us a showed us ua us around arun the te building and ad presented u ii s to the invited guts ts of the day cay When he invited me t dine there I lost courage cur aUd made moe u uw ut my mind to de decline dine cline Mr Mi 11 Lincoln insisted j iste and said seid seidI saidI Sid I will give ye you a s at t on my right hond hand band as 4 my particular guest I con confessed conre confessed re that I was wa and ashamed to sit with wih such elegantly dressed com corn company pany pan in my shabby clothes when the thE president P re 8 characteristically Charac lY replied not the clothing that makes the thenan nan my son sn its Is the t th heart I think of aman man dressed drese in n blue for love Jove lof of hip hi country than f r those gay gy visit visitors ors OiS r whose chief business in these try trying trying tryIng ing times Ures is simply to tl Ires res for recep receptions lions I however declined stating I would enjoy my bean bea soup soun and hard har tack better than Ih the reception dinner r The president pre took both hoth hands in his and me a parting fY blessing and dismissed me If t you lie around Washington in the me th callagain call n I ii It was iy always my at regret l k i In tn life nt I did lL not dine with wih th T t i |