Hendricks In The War

An Indianapolis orrespondent ol The Cincinnati Enguirer wrltes: Probably the most thrilling expórtenos of the lato vice president earue when his life was threatened by r tremendoua mob at the meeting in memoriam immediately following the deatfa of Lincoln at the hands of the assassin Booth. This meeting was held umler the trees in the state-hou.se yard April 15, 18G5. Morton was govirnor and Hendricks. and McDonald sen Uors, and tlio latter were invited bv the former to b3 present. Maj. J. W. Gordon, of this city, was a conspieuous figuro on that occasion, and to-day ho eontributed his reeollections of that memorable event. Says the major: "The bar had just held a moeting, at Whlch there had been a full attendance of the membors, and several speeches had been delivered- one of them by Mr. Hendricks. At the close of the meeting a messenger from Gov. Morton informcd us of his desira that weshould repair to til oiiuv. Many ui m, m.d amongothers, Messrs. Hendricks, McDonald, and myself, at once repaired to the state house'and to the office of his excellency. Aftor waiting there a few minutes, during which the assassination was the subject of conversation, we were asked to accompanv the governor to a stand whieh had been erected at the southeast end of tho state-house, and around which a vast crowd of excited men had assembled. ïhe stand fronted to the west, wheru the great body of the poople present stood, but they were packed around it, and in the rear of tbe stand, about half way between it and Tenncssoe street, were drawn up in line, at rest upon their arms, threoregiments of soldiers. These were onder command of (ïen. Stevens, of Michigan. The governor, I remember, insisted that we shoukl go upon the stand, and wedid. It was crowdcd. Among thoso wlio were on it (as I remetnber) besides oompany wer Gov. Wright, Judge David McDonald, Gen. Stevcno. JKov. au-. Bui-pf. ' I lm fínnf I 'I.,.! .1 '. . ... .1 . t T i . tne nrst (Jhnstian ehurch. I mighw perhaps, recall others, but, without Trying, do not. A rcsolntion had been prepared to be presented to the people and discussed by the speakers, and among the earliest proceedings of the meetinoit was introduced and read to the crowd? "I thinkGov. Morton spoke first, and, as he always did, with ability, but now with more feeling than I over saw liim manifest eithev beforo after. It seems to me lhat Gov. Wright spoke next, but I am not oertain that he did. Mr. Hendricks spoke next after, or, it inay be, next before Gov. Wright. 1 had heard his speech at the bar meeting a short time before, and remembered it word for word. Indeed, I can recall the most of it yct. He had not gone far in it, however, until the vast crowd, that could not have numberecl less tlian ten or twelve thousand men. began to be moved by tlio most intense and fearful excitement 1 ever witnessed in a great ldy of liten, and voxes were heard in many quartera crving out: 'Hang liim!' 'Kill him!' 'Hang the d-d traitor!' 'Jiill the d -d traitor!' At first I did not understand what or who they ineant, but the passion of the mnltitude rose higher and higher, unti every face in it seemed to glow with the Iiercenes3 of absoluto l'icnv, and I no ticed all pressing Uward the stand, anc soon learned trom their ovvn lips dis tinctly who tliey wantcd to liang anc: kill. Mr. Hendricks was tlis object o their fury, and, as thev pressed iiercely toward him they ried iu the wildest fury: 'Don't let the d- d traitor speak! Don't hear him!1 "Pull him down! 'Hang the d- d traitor, Tom Hendricks!' and so on for quantity. Mr. Hendricks had stopped trying to speak soon after the uproar began and stood decorously and ealmly facing tho storm. I had uoticed before he was stopped that he was repeating in words the sueech ho had made an hoiir before in the bai meeting, and mm that he stopped in the ïuiddle of a sentenee, and remember thai I knew al the timo the next word which would follow the laat whioli ba lim] spoken. But he liad too much sense to try to go on in the face of the tornado of clamor for his death that was sweeping around him; and so stood bolt upright, facing it without winoing or trembling. As soon as the object of the tumult became manifest, Gov. Morton rushed to the front of the stand, and addressed the inad members who composed it- half commanding, half besecchinothem for the sake of the dead presidant" for tho sake of their country, for the honor of their state and city, and at last for his own sake, inasmueli a.s Mr. Hendricks was there by his invitation as one of the senators of the United State-, and under his protection, to be still and hear him. "I ciuinot teil liow long this struo-gle went on before the governor succeeded, by the weight of his words and eharacter- his transcendent earnestness and commanding presenco - in quieting the storm and produelng stillness; but it seemed then, and see'ms now, that the struggle must havo lasted fifteen or twenty minutes. During üov. Morton's superhuman effoYt to qniet the crowd I noticed (ien. Stevens slip quietly from the stand, and in a moment more distinctly heanl his conimand iixing bayonets. The clangor of arms mav have aided the governor, butl hardly think it did. It diil not scem so then; but, had he failed, 1 tloubt not baronets would have sueeeednd. During all the time I gave as mach attention as I eould, and well remember that ncither tremor nor pallor indicated the slightest fear on tiis part, although all present must have been impressed with a very prófound aipre nension tuut lus Mc was 111 grcat and inimediate danger. The only chango in his features that I thought then amfstill think I noticod, durjng the long oontest, was a very slight falling in of his check, and I vomcmb.ir to havo thought thenit was duo to the natura] cali the blood at the great vital oentera to sustain t tem in tho terrible moment. "But whal most dieplayod his courage and sclf-posscssion was to follovv. It was tliis: He resumed his speech without ropeatlng ;i single word, .starting off witn the 11, -xt word that would have followed had thero been no interruption at all, and going on to the end as he had dom: at the coiirt-house, but addinga word to his former speech, made necessary by the rcsolutioii, whieh pledged the crowd to give to Mr. Lincoln s successor the samo sujport thoy had givcn to hini. With referencé to this, and what 1 think had been said by some speaker befüio liini, lic closèd by saying: 'And I, too, will support his successor just as far as I can, always eaving my eonscionco void of oftenso.' In regard to whieh Mr. Ebcu Kimball, in closing a S])ceeli to a great meeting held in the circle a few days later, said: 'And death, death, death to all traitors with or without consci enees.' "At the close of tlie meeting in the i itate-h'öHie y:ml the crowd still hxiag I about the slum), and when Mr. Hendricks was ready t go I said to him: 'You we in moro (langer now than before - have you nrmsr' 'No,' said he, I nevei1 carry theni.' 'Thenv' said I, 'taku mv left arm wiih your right one, and we'll g off together. 1 nave an excellent pistol, well loaded, indno man shall hnrt you white I live. I will kill any man who attempts t.' And so we went out. of the late-house yard at the northeast corner cate, and cast on Market street through the eircle to his office, whiob was tlion in the iEtna building, on Pennsylvania street. I don't think Mr. Hendricks ever forgot or ceased to remembcr w!th grntitude my offer and escort to hjü office. His courage was like Othello'a sword- of 'the ice brook's temper.' "