Show WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 7 an with mr lin coin that liht have baked HIB lite had president lincoln kept ail engagement ga lie made with me lie might perhaps be living still said mr kandall of kaw york formerly of st louis the oilier evening sir li andall is alic father of mrs garrison and the conversation took place on the piazza of glicr residence litre when urged to tell the story of how this could be ho mentioned that during the latter part of the winter 1865 he knowing the state of affairs in the part of missouri within the rebel lines and in alic adjacent states where kirby smith with men was only held in check and kept from making raids by men of the union army and being aware aliat kirby smith antl his men having had no pay or clothing issued to tanh for six months were greatly dissatisfied with jeff davis and the confederate government and were maddened by the knowledge of the necessities of their wives children mothers and sisters who were ac chally barefooted as well as otherwise scantily clothed thought that he would try by peaceable beaus to rid that part of the country of smith and hia men and prevent their making any more raids this he sought to do by gelling permission for union men to buy their cotton which he knew was for sale and permitting alio destitute southerners to buy the necessities of life in return lie opened negotiations with president lincoln a washington through dick 1 ancs who at one time was governor of illinois and represented to him tho wise policy of adopting the plan lie proposed for he said there were no other confederates in arms in that part 0 alie and be felt convinced the plan he urged would effectually dispose of smith and his men and that money to buy the necessaries procured by alie sale of cotton and the opportunity given to purchase such supplies would lic thought convert some of them into good union it would induce all to cease raiding and if you do bot buy their cotton mr randall plead they will burn it as soon as they see federal troops approaching to seize it it is ready alike for sale or for the torch lie went to sec lincoln anally and succeeded in convincing him of the wisdom of the proposed plan and secured the necessary permit to stock a boat with and to send it and purchasers of cotton to proper points on the mississippi whence negotiations might be opened for the purchase of the cotton so much needed in northern factories and for the ecale of food and clothing to the starving ragged confederates all seemed likely to go well alio boat was duly hutc d up aud stocked at great expense and started on her trip but unfortunate were made by the naval olli cers commanding our squadron on the mississippi and by rimy officers guarding posts on land and the vessel was not allowed to proceed finall after many attempts to set matters right mr randall determined to go to washington again see mr lincoln stanton and and scud alie boat w hichi had already cost a large sum to its destination president lincoln first made an appointment to sec mr randall atalic while house on friday evening april 1 lah and the latter was about to take a train from new york lie had gone lo 10 washington to keep the engagement when lio received a telegram saying that the president preferred to postpone the conversation butil saturday evening because lie wished to have lime when it took place to talk at length with mr randall and on friday he wished to go sec laura in our american cousin so mr randall started from new york on friday night to keep the engagement ga for dav evening and on reaching baltimore next morning was amazed to find liis train under arrest the order having been issued to allow no trains to leave the city in any direction and was appalled to learn that alie cause of tins was llie assassination of president lincoln in washington the previous night |