broken, though they must be made to feel the penalty of their crime. You, my friends, have traitors in your very midst, and treason needs rebuke and punishment here as well as elsewhere. It is not the men in the field who are the greatest traitors. It is the men who have encouraged them to imperil their lives, while they themselves have remained at home, expending their means and exerting all their power to overthrow the Government. Hence I say this: "the halter to intelligent, influential traitors." But to the honest boy, to the deluded man who has been deceived into the rebel ranks, I would extend leniency; I would say, return to your allegiance, renew your support to the Government, and become a good citizen; but the leaders I would hang. I hold, too, that wealthy traitors should be made to remunerate those men who have suffered as a consequence of their crime-Union men who have lost their property, who have been driven from their homes, beggars and wanderers among strangers. It is well to talk about these things here to-day, in addressing the well-informed persons who compose this audience. You can, to a very great extent, aid in moulding public opinion, and in giving it a proper direction. Let us commence the work. We have put down these traitors in arms, let us put them down in law, in public judgment, and in the morals of the world." In company with President Lincoln, Vice-President Johnson visited Richmond a few days after its fall; crowning, as it were, by their presence the military triumph of those democratic sentiments which the popular will had already maintained through the ballot-box. CHAPTER XX. THE REBELLION ENDED-LINCOLN ASSASSINATED-JOHNSON PRESIDENT. THE End of the Rebellion-Surrender of Lee-Lieut.-Gen. Grant's TermsLee's Acceptance-Great Rejoicing-Assassination of President LincolnEx-Governor Farwell's Precautions to Protect Vice-President JohnsonVisit to the Dying President-General Growth of Respect for Lincoln-The Cabinet Officially Notify Vice-President Johnson-His Inauguration as President of the U.S.-Address to the Cabinet-His Future Policy to be Based on His Past-Solemnity of the Occasion-Historical Resumé of the Action of the Constitution Convention in Creating the Office of Vice-President-Plans Proposed Deemed of No Importance-One of the Last Acts of the Convention-Wisdom of a Popular Selection of the Vice-President. THE grand climax of the Rebellion was reached on the 9th day of April, when General Lee with the Army of Northern Virginia, which had been the heroic bulwark of treason, surrendered to Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant. The insurmountable combinations of General Grant, powerfully aided by the activity of Sheridan in the immediate locality, and by Sherman and Thomas on the South and Southwest, had so completely throttled the rebels that fighting was rendered hopeless, as any attempt at escape was made impossible. Lee was therefore compelled to accept the generous terms offered by General Grant. The day, Palm Sunday, had a peculiar significance to the Christian world in being sacred to the glory of the Prince of Peace; and the terms of the Union General were commensurately magnanimous. The terms and acceptance are embraced in the following letters: "APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE, “General R. E. LEE, Commanding Confederate States Army : "In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th instant, I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on the following terms, to wit: "Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate; one copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officers as you may designate. "The officers to give their individual paroles not to take arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of his command. "The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. "This will not embrace the side arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. "This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside. Commanding United States Armies: "GENERAL,—I have received your letter of this date, containing the terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th inst., they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect. "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "R. LEE, General." The loyal States regarded this announcement as the close of actual hostilities, and the joy throughout the country was carnest, deep-felt and elevated by a spirit of magnanimity worthy of a great people. The prompt proclamation of "Thanks to Almighty God" and to General Grant and the armies under him, issued by the War Department, faintly indicated popular action. A sublime feeling of fraternity, after four years of war, possessed the people. In the midst of this universal rejoicing President Lincoln was shot by an assassin at a theatre in Washington, during the performance, on the night of the 14th of April, and died the next morning. Almost at the same moment the President received his death wound, the house of Secretary Seward was intruded into, the way into his chamber forced, and a desperate attempt made to assassinate him by an associate of the murderer of the President. From the evidence subsequently elicited, a conspiracy was brought to light which contemplated the assassination of Vice-President Johnson, the Secretary of War, Lieutenant-General Grant, the Chief Justice of the United States and probably other members of the Government. The evidence is clear that the train was laid by which the Vice-President was to have fallen at the same time with the President, an effort to kill both by poison at the time of the inauguration having failed. On the night of the assassination ex-Governor Farwell of Wisconsin, then of the United States Patent Office, was among the spectators in the theatre. Simultaneously with the consternation at the terrible deed, the remembrance of a reward offered in the Southern papers for the killing of the President,Vice-President and members of the Cabinet flashed to his mind. He immediately left the theatre and proceeded as rapidly as possible to the room of the Vice-President, in the Kirkwood House, at which hotel the Governor was also domiciled. Rapping in vain for entrance, he said in a loud voice," Governor Johnson, if you are in the room I must see you." He succeeded in arousing the Vice-President, and having gained admission, he locked and bolted the doors, rang for the servants, and conveyed the awful news, on realizing which Mr. Johnson evinced the greatest emotion. The sensibilites of both gentlemen became overpowered in the sudden contemplation of the fearful facts, and found expression only by a spontaneous warm embrace and a nervous grasping of the hands. Immediately on comprehending the immense consequences of the foul deed, the Vice-President exhibited great coolness and presence of mind in deliberating upon the best means for meeting the emergency. He expressed no apprehension for his own safety, but Governor Farwell promptly caused a guard to be placed at the door until the authorities took proper precautions of that nature. Meantime other friends, anxious for his safety, visited Mr. Johnson, while Governor Farwell went, at the Vice-President's request, to the house where the President was lying, and to Secretary Seward's, to obtain information of their condition. Returning, he, with Major O'Byrne, of the provost guard, accompanied the Vice-President to see Mr. Lincoln, who was still insensible. Governor Farwell expressed the highest admiration of the remarkable presence of mind and depth of thought evinced by the Vice-President, thus startled late at night from profound quiet with intelligence of such a harrowing and profoundly momentous character. The tremendous nature of the crime carried out in the assassination of the President, throws into comparative disability any attempt to chronicle it, at the same time that the demise of so prominent an official compels some respectful notice, however brief. The murder of President Lincoln was a terrible conclusion to the tragedy which had been enacting for four years. Undoubtedly the leading and most equally-balanced spirit defending the Republic, President Lincoln just lived long enough to see his labors measurably successful, their prolon gation guaranteed, and the Republic safe, when his useful life was cut short by the hand of an assassin. People who had differed from President Lincoln, politicians who had abused him, partisans who had denied his wisdom, doubted his motives and rebuked his efforts, were now lifted to the level of the nation's loss by the blow which struck him down. The high tone which had characterized his utterances since the surrender of General Lee, the thorough absence of the |