voluminous testimony of those three trials, to find some legal loophole of escape. There was none, because the iron Secretary Stanton and his equally iron Judge-Advocate-General, Joseph Holt, had drawn up those papers. Lincoln at last jerked off his "specs," and said, "Now, Henderson, what's the use of killing this man? There will come no good in it of discipline to the armies of the United States, as Stanton says, because in a few days there will be no armies of the United States. They all will have melted back into the walks of civic life. This man is a good deal better man for us above ground, than under ground. There has been too much spilling of blood; we must begin to save some of it now. You go back and tell Stanton that he must open this case." When Mr. Henderson reported this to Mr. Stanton, there was an explosion at the War Office. The air was blue and sulphurous from the fierce unevangelical terms Mr. Stanton was using, as he said, "You go back and tell Abraham Lincoln that I will not open that case, even for him as President." Mr. Henderson reported this at the White House. And then Lincoln, the man with the sad, haunting, melancholy, patient face that face in which Mrs. Mary Shipton Andrews says there seemed to be the "suffering of all the sins of the world"-went to the corner of the room and took down the old gray shawl, and threw it over his shoulders. Oh, the poetry and romance of that old gray shawl of Abraham Lincoln! How often during those four years had he thrown it over his shoulders, and carefully closed the door of the White House after him at midnight, when all supposed him asleep, and walked down that lonely path to the War Office to get the latest news from you, members of the Grand Army of the Republic at the front, or to see if here was not some case where, by writing that magic word "pardon," he could bring gladness to some poor, suffering wife and children; he always said he slept better if he could do that. He hung up the old, gray shawl upon arriving at the War Office, on the top of a particularly high door, where he always hung it. When Mr. Stanton returned to the room, he caught sight of the old gray shawl, and knew what THE WASHINGTON COMMEMORATION 1 T Washington, the nation's capital, the day was fittingly observed, although the President, Vice-President, and many other of the prominent figures in the life of the Capital were upon the programmes of celebrations in other parts of the country. In the House of Representatives, on Thursday, February 11, the Hon. Henry Sherman Boutell of Illinois delivered a memorial address, while on the Centenary Day itself, Mr. Boutell read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address from the Speaker's chair; Representative Frank M. Nye delivering an address on Lincoln. The Senate passed a joint Resolution declaring the Centenary Day a special legal holiday in the District of Columbia, and in the Territories of Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii, and authorizing the President to issue a Proclamation to this effect. At all of the schools of the city, commemorative exercises took place; and celebrations were held by the United States Historical Society, the Grand Army of the Republic, and other organizations. One of the most notable observances of the day was the morning celebration at Howard University, a University for colored students. Here Hon. James R. Garfield, Secretary of the Interior, presided, representing the Government, as patron ex-officio of the Board. The speakers of the day were Hon. Joseph G. Cannon, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Gen. J. Warren Kiefer. Speaker Cannon was received with a tremendous hand-clapping and cheering, which persisted throughout his inspiring speech. The demonstration ended with what is known to the students as the "Howard clap"-a rhythmical hand-clapping which ends with a shout. Gen. Kiefer made the time interesting with personal recollections of the days of the Civil War. One of the features of the meeting was the presentation |