III. PRESIDENT

Mr. Lincoln arrived Saturday, February 23, 1861, quite early, and quartered at the Willard. He came in a strategic way to circumvent attack. Mrs. Lincoln arrived the same day in the evening with the three sons. The Lincoln retinue makes a long list. The first personal reference to Mrs. Lincoln is: "The peep afforded at Mrs. Lincoln in passing from the carriage to the hotel presented a comely, matronly, lady-like face, bearing an unmistakable air of goodness, strikingly the opposite of the ill-natured portraits of her by the pens of some of the sensation writers.""

That first day Mr. Lincoln had an indication of the labors that lie before. At eleven he with Mr. Seward called on President Buchanan, who after a chat, introduced them to the Cabinet. The Illinois delegation under the direction of Stephen A. Douglas called at two-thirty. Interviews there were with General Winfield Scott, Francis P. Blair, Sr. and Montgomery Blair. At seven he dined with Mr. Seward who lived at 1325 F street, present numbering. At nine at the hotel came the Peace Commission with Ex-President Tyler and Governor Chase of Ohio at the head. Followed a reception to the citizens; and to that, receiving the respects of the ladies who had assembled in the parlors. At ten came Mr. Buchanan's Cabinet to make a reciprocal call.

On Sunday, Mr. Lincoln, with Mr. Seward attended service at St. John's Church. Mr. Lincoln came unheralded and his presence was known only to a few. The Evening Star.

They sat in pew number one, right in front of the chancel. The rector, Rev. Smith Pyne, without intimation of the distinguished addition to the congregation preached and selected with special appropriateness. "Mr. Lincoln was dressed in plain black clothes, with black whiskers and hair well trimmed, and was pronounced by such as recognized him as a different man entirely from the hardlooking pictorial representations seen of him. Some of the ladies say he is almost good looking.""

The Mayor, James G. Berret, and the Boards of Aldermen and Common Council made a welcome to the President-elect, February 27.

The Mayor:

"Mr. Lincoln: As the President elect, under the Constitution of the United States, you are soon to stand in the august presence of a great nation of freemen, and to enter upon the discharge of the duties of the highest trust known to our form of government, and under circumstances menacing the peace and permanency of the Republic, which have no parallel in the history of our country. It is our earnest wish that you may be able, as we have no doubt that you will, to perform the duties in such a manner as shall restore power and harmony to our now distracted country, and finally bring the old ship into a harbor of safety and prosperity, thereby deservedly securing the universal plaudits of the whole world. I avail myself, sir, of this occasion to say that the citizens of Washington, true to the instincts of constitutional liberty, will ever be found faithful to all the obligations of patriotism, and as their chief magistrate, and in accordance with the honored usage, I bid you welcome to the seat of government."

Mr. Lincoln:

"Mr. Mayor: I thank you, and through you the municipal authorities of this city who accompany you, for this welcome. And as it is the first time in my life,

since the present phase of politics has presented itself in this country, that I have said anything publicly within a region of the country where the institution of slavery exists, I will take this occasion to say that I think very much of the ill feeling that existed and still exists between the people in the section from whence I came and the people here is dependent upon a misunderstanding of one another. I therefore avail myself of this opportunity to assure you, Mr. Mayor, and all the gentlemen present, that I have not now, and never have had, any disposition to treat you in any respect otherwise than as my own neighbors. I have not now any purpose to withhold from you any of the benefits of the Constitution, under any circumstances, that I would not feel myself constrained to withhold from my own neighbors; and I hope, in a word that when we shall become better acquainted -and I say it with great confidence-we shall like each other better. I thank you for the kindness of this reception."

Talk of assassination was rife and on the day preceding the inauguration Mr. Lincoln said: "Don't let your wife come to my inauguration. It is best for our women to remain indoors on that day, as the bullets may be flying." The advice was given to John R. Briggs, the husband of the famous authoress, Susan Edson Briggs, "Olivia.'

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The reporter of the Star had a comprehensive vision and saw closely and distantly and a great deal more than the other reporters; and like the merry Yorick was "a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." He saw the crowd, each of which, waiting for a chance to let the guest of parlor number six see his writings which advised his availability and ability to serve the government behind a desk. The sight of the hungry ought to have stirred the sympathies of the reporter yet it did not;

1 Washington Times, February 9, 1902.

he only took advantage of the sight to display humorous style. He noticed that the applicants dejected countenances jerked their testimonials into t pockets when told it is too late today and in w equivalent to those of this slangful day, to take the It is a fact that Mr. Lincoln in this pre-inaugura time was warded from the office seekers very suc fully.

The reporter says not only the usual but an unu number of crazy people came to the Lincoln inaugura Not every one cares to read of the misfortunes of t whose machinery in the head is broken; and to the who may, only one case is recorded and that in reporter's own words:

"The 'Other' Inaugural Address. About half an before the procession reached the Capitol yesterd little man in large red whiskers and dressed in tr stained attire, who had been lounging about the of the crowd for some time, mounted into one o tall trees in front of the east portico, and select strong and convenient branch, he perched himself it, and drawing a package of manuscript from his p began with many oratorical flourishes to delive address to the crowd below. His eccentric and what perilous gyrations attracted the attention several thousand spectators there assembled, all of › awaited to see him tumble headlong. What his s amounted to no one could tell, beyond the fact t appeared to be a discursive homily upon the vices times.""

The reporter saw Mr. Buchanan's private ca' a closed one, draw up to the hotel entrance. the movements, he guessed there was a parley; th. Lincoln made known his preference for an open ca

Thomas B. Durkin in the Evening Star, April 16, 1921, ; recollection of the orator in the tree.