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Show LAST JOKE TOLD BY LINCOLN. Related the Story to Marshal Lamon an Hour Before He Was Shot. (Washington Star.) The last story.'jever told by President : Lincoln was . jusU before he left the : WhHe House -to so to the theatre the-night the-night he was killed. This is vouched for by Thomas F. Pendel, Who is the oldest' employe of the White House, and who went with Mr. Lincoln to his carriage on the fatal nieht. "I have every reason," said Mr. Pen-del, Pen-del, "for saying that the last pleasant little story Mr. Lincoln ever told was right here in this house. As is generally known. Speaker Colfax and Mr. Ash-mond Ash-mond of Massachusetts were the last gentlemen gen-tlemen to call on the president prior to his departure for the theatre. When these gentlemen called I carried their cards to Mr. Lineoln, and I know that they were the last to see him. "However, not very Jong before they came Mr. Lincoln, had received a visit from Marshal Lamon, who -.was from the president's home district. It was Mr. Lamon who had introduced me to the president when I received' my appointment appoint-ment in November,. 1864. Mr. Lamon wanted to talk to . Mr. Lincoln about-a pardon for an old friend, a soldier, who had been found guilty of some slight violation of army regulations. The case was thoroughly gone over by the to, and, with pen in hand, Mr. Lincoln was in the act of signing, the paper which made the soldier a free man, when he turned to Mr. Lamon and said: " 'Lamon, do you know how the Pata-gonians Pata-gonians eat oysters?' "'No, I do not,' Mr. Lincoln,' was the reply. " 'Well, Lamon, it is their habit to open them as fast ' as they can, throw the shells out of the' window, and when the pile of shells grows to be higher than the house, why, they ' pick tip stakes and move. Now, Lamon, I feel like beginning begin-ning a new pile of pardons, and I guess this is a good one to begin on.' "It wasn't long after this before the other gentlemen came, and when they had finished their call Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln Lin-coln came down and I went with them to the carriage. That was the last time I saw the good man alive." Mr. Pendel says. that he had every opportunity op-portunity to study the president, for he was in the room with him nearly all the time, a veritable bodyguard. Mr. Lincoln Lin-coln did not like the idea of being guarded, guard-ed, and made frequent objections to having hav-ing some one constantly, near him. On one occasion he said to Mr. Pendel: "Pendel, I do not like to be guarded, but I have received a number of threatening threat-ening letters-, lately.' i have no fears, however.. That fellow, we-saw over at the war . department crouching, at the foot of the. stairs and who eyed me suspiciously, sus-piciously, answers .perfectly the description descrip-tion of a man 1 was warned to -look out for in a letter I received the other day." "Mr. Liricoln did not tell smutty -jokeS.'' said Mr. Pendel, "and I never heard him utter a .word that could not have been spoken in' the' presence of a. woman' or child. I. dislike to read, in- papers and hear people .say that' Mr. Lincoln told that kind of "jokes. He was .hot a shouting shout-ing Christian, but he "was? ' a, genuinely good man; as -kind and tender-hearted as a child, but 'frequently given, to moods of melancholy. - I think Mr: Lincoln, realized that every moment of his life he stood in the shadow of death, thoQgh" he did not care to acknowledge it." |
