Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1895 — AX ANECDOTE OF LINCOLN. [ARTICLE]

AX ANECDOTE OF LINCOLN.

Why He Granted a Pardon After Having at First Refused It. The Rev. Dr. P. D. Gurley was the minister in charge of the New York-ave. Presbyterian church, Washington, D. C., during Lincoln’s administration. Dr. Gurley was Lincoln’s pastor, and in many matters his confidential adviser, a post he was admirably fitted to fill, being a strong, robust, honest personality and a man of sweet disposition, great ability and excellent judgment.

During the meeting of the first general assembly of the Presbyterian church-after the war,- which convened in St. Louis, Dr. Gurley, who was a delegate, was, says D. H. Mitchell in the Independent, one day the guest of the Rev. Dr. Nicholls, in whose church the assembly met, and the following anecdote of Lincoln was related by Dr. Guriev at dinner in the presence of a number of friends, among whom was the writer: “Soon after the outbreak of hostilities a hot blooded fire eating young man, a son of members of Dr. Gurley's church, made his way through our lines and enlisted in the confederate army. The fortunes ol war threw him into our hands as a prisoner. It was deemed best to make an example of him, and he was consequently court-martialed and sentenced to be shot. Dr. Guriev interested himself in the young man’s behalf and secured a commutation of the sentence. A short time after the father of the boy came to Dr. Gurley and solicited his aid to obtain a pardon. Dr. G urley strongly advised against the effort. He pointed out thaa the young man’s life had been saved by the. President, and that it would be extremely unwise and imprudent to apply for a pardon so soon.g The father replied that he felt so himself, but that- his wife took on so about her son that he feared she would lose her mind if something was not done. ‘I must,’ said he, ‘make the attempt on his mother’s account. It is better to fail that not to try.’ Consequently Dr. Gurley signed the petition for a pardon and the father took it to President Lincoln.

“When the father made known his errand the President became very much excited and fiercely said: ‘I saved the life"of your son after he had been condemned to be shot, and now you come here so soon when you know 1 am overwhelmed with care and anxiety, asking for his pardon. You should have been content with what I have done. Go, and il you annoy me any more I shall feel it to be my duty to consider whether I ought not to recall what I have already done.’

“A few days after the President sent for the father, apologized for the way he had spoken to him, and, to his utter astonishment, handed him a pardon. “Not long after, and before knowing what had transpired, Dr. Gurley met the President. Having transacted his business he was about to go, when Mr. Lincoln said: “ 'By the way, Doctor, you signed the petition for Mr. ’s son’s pardon, didn’t you?’ “The Doctor replied that he had done so, but explained that he had advised against making the application at that time and that he was induced oto sign it only by the statement of the father that he feared his wife would lose her mind il something was not done to relieve her.

“The President then said: ‘Well, Mr. came to me with the petition. It mafle me very angry and! dismissed him roughly. Afterward elt so ashamed of mvself for hav - ing lost my temper that I made out a pardon for the man and gave it to him,’ “And then after a pause and with a broad smile, he added: “ ‘Ah, Doctor, these wives of ours have the inside track on us, don’t they?’ ”