CHAPTER IX.

When the sad tidings of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln were conveyed upon the wings of the telegraph to all parts of America on the morning of April 15, 1865, there was no place where it fell with such crushing weight as in the city of Springfield, where his trials and triumphs were personally known to all. This was Saturday morning. Only five days before, Monday morning, April tenth, the news had been received that the largest part of the rebel army, under General Lee, had surrendered to our own General Grant. On the reception of the news of that surrender in Springfield, flags leaped as if by magic from public buildings and private residences all over the city. An hour later, all business was suspended, and the people were assembled in and around the State House square, to congratulate each other on the glorious news. The excitement increased with the crowd, and found expression in hurrahs, songs and grotesque processions, and the church and fire bells all over the city rang out their merry peals. This was continued for hours, and until all classes, old and young, joined in the general jubilee. Flags, large and small were attached to houses, horses, vehicles, hats, coats, and every other place where a flag could be displayed. Business houses and private residences vied with each other in their display of patriotic emblems. A splendid flag was thrown to the breeze from the old home of President Lincoln.

In the afternoon a procession, civic and military, chiefly grotesque and ludicrous, paraded the streets. The principal object of interest was the old dark bay

horse that Mr. Lincoln had ridden many hundred miles on professional business and in his political campaigns. "Old Bob," or "Robin," was decorated with a rich blanket, red, white and blue, thickly studded with flags, and bearing the inscription, "Old Abe's Horse." He was soon robbed of his flags, they having been secured by the people as mementoes.

About half past six o'clock p. m. a salute of twenty guns was fired, followed by a fine display of fire-works. Many of the public and private residences were then illuminated. By eight o'clock an immense crowd of citizens had assembled in the State House and grounds surrounding it. Patriotic speeches were made by a number of prominent men, interspersed with music by a fine band. At a later hour the citizens dispersed to their homes; the noise died away, and the city was at rest. It was but a day or two until an order was issued by the Secretary of War for all recruiting and drafting to cease. This assured the people that the government regarded the war to be virtually at an end, and gave a new impetus to the rejoicing all over the land. This description of the way the people acted in Springfield will apply to hundreds and thousands of towns and cities all over our country. The people continued to meet each other, everywhere, with broad smiles and words of congratulation, up to Friday night, April 14.

We will return again to the citizens of Springfield, and describe their actions as an illustration of the sudden change in the feelings of the people all over the land, from almost a delirium of joy, to the lowest depths of sorrow.

On the fatal Saturday morning, April 15, the citizens of Springfield, half dressed, and, perhaps, yawning from the effects of a full night's sleep, as they sauntered out to their front yards and took up the morning Journal, saw nothing unusual in the paper at first, but on opening it and finding the rules reversed, displaying heavy dark lines between the columns, they

hastened to find the cause. ment to read, in substance:

It was the work of a mo

"President Lincoln shot by an assassin, in Ford's Theatre, last night! Secretary Seward, at the same time, stabbed, as he lay in bed, from the effect of wounds received by being thrown from his carriage a few days before!! Both thought to be in a dying condition!!! Vice President Johnson, Secretary Stanton and Lieut. General Grant were to have been assassinated also, but some of the conspirators failed to perform the parts assigned them!!!! General Grant saved by unexpectedly leaving the Capital!!!!!

By a common impulse, the people assembled about the State House square to talk of the awful tidings. The telegraph office was besieged for more news. It was ascertained at an early hour that the President was DEAD, and later in the day, that Secretary Seward would probably recover. After the first shock, all felt a desire to give some public expression to their feelings. Very soon the sad insignia of sorrow were displayed in profusion from the houses of the wealthy, and by all in proportion to their ability. The very poor in the outskirts of the city were equally anxious with their more favored fellow citizens, to testify their sorrow for the untimely death of him whom all loved. From the doors of many such were displayed a piece of any black goods they could obtain, if it was but a narrow strip and a few inches in length. These demonstrations were made, with very few exceptions, without any distinction, whatever, as to political preferences.

The crime was so diabolical, and so firmly had Abraham Lincoln entrenched himself in the hearts of t people, that many, for the time being were involuntarily disposed to question the wisdom and goodness of God in permitting the awful deed to be consummated. This was doubtless felt in many instances where it failed to find utterance in words; but, in some cases, it was outspoken. A clergyman of Springfield had

a niece residing in his family, who, as soon as she heard the news, ran to him, and, with tears streaming down her face, said, "O, uncle, it does seem to me that I can never love God any more." With the more

thoughtful, however, it created a feeling of inquiry as to why it was permitted, and with all such,as expressed by the mayor of Springfield to the City Council that morning, the inquiry was, "Lord, what wilt Thou have us to do."

A call was early issued by the Mayor, J. S. Vredenburg, for a meeting of the City Council at ten o'clock. A notice was also circulated, that a meeting of the citizens would be held in the State House yard at twelve o'clock, noon. When the City Council assembled, it passed resolutions to unite with the citizens in their public demonstration, and after appointing a committee to draft resolutions expressive of their feelings, adjourned until four o'clock p. m.

The meeting at the State House was called to order at noon, and after organizing, several of those who had long been intimately acquainted with the fallen chieftain made interesting remarks, calling up many reminiscences of his past life. Hon. John T. Stuart, as chairman of a committee appointed for that purpose, reported a series of resolutions, which were adopted as expressive of the feelings of the meeting. I find space for a single one of those resolutions :

Resolved, That inasmuch as this city has, for a long time, been the home of the President, in which he has graced with his kindness of heart and honesty of purpose, all the relations of life, it is appropriate that its "City of the Dead" should be the final resting place of all of him that is mortal, and to this end we respectfully request the appointment of a committee on the part of the City Council, to act in conjunction with the Governor of the State, with a view of bringing hither his remains for interment.

The City Council assembled, pursuant to adjournment, and adopted the resolution passed by the public assembly relative to the removal of the remains, and appointed the following committee, to proceed to Washington City, for the purpose of co-operating with Governor Oglesby-who was there at the time of the assassination-in bringing the remains of President Lincoln to Springfield: Hon. Jesse K. Dubois, Hon. Lyman Trumbull, Hon. John T. Stuart, Hon. Shelby M. Cullom, Ex-Governor Richard Yates, Gen. I. N. Haynie, Gen. John A. McClernand, Ex-Mayor J. S. Vredenburg and Mayor elect Thomas J. Dennis. Governor Oglesby was informed by telegraph of the action of the City Council. A series of resolutions, reported by Alderman Wohlgemuth, as chairman of the committee appointed for that purpose, were adopted as expressing the feelings of the members of the council. Within a week after the assassination, almost every society in Springfield, religious, political, benevolent and social, passed resolutions expressive of their sorrow for the death of Abraham Lincoln, and horror at the crime of his assassination.

On Sunday, the sixteenth, the people flocked to the churches, as though they were fleeing from some great calamity. Men who had not been seen in the house of God for months, were, on that day, among the earliest, and seemingly the most attentive and devotional worshippers. In some of the churches, the pulpits were draped in mourning, and the services partook of solemnities appropriate to a funeral occasion.

We will once more look upon the scenes being enacted at the capital of the nation. President Lincoln breathed his last at twenty-two minutes past seven o'clock, on the morning of April 15. At half past nine o'clock, the body was removed to the Executive Mansion, and on the afternoon of that day it was embalmed and otherwise prepared for sepulture, by