A Lincoln story helped a Confederate spy escape

 

Charles A. Dana, who was Assistant Secretary of War under Mr. Stanton, told this story. 

The head of the Confederate Secret Service, Jacob Thompson, had given the Union government considerable trouble from his base in Canada. Toward the end of the war, Dana received information that Thompson was about to escape to Liverpool, England.

Dana went to Stanton, who listened to the information and gave his opinion. However, Stanton referred his assistant to Mr. Lincoln for the final decision. Dana described the exchange:

“The President was at the White House, business hours were over, Lincoln was washing his hands. ‘Hallo, Dana,’ said he, as I opened the door, ‘what is it now?’ ‘Well, sir,’ I said, ‘the Provost Marshal of Portland reports that Jacob Thompson is to be in town tonight, and inquires what orders we have to give.’ ‘What does Stanton say?’ Lincoln asked. ‘Arrest him,’ I replied. ‘Well,’ he continued, drawling his words, ‘I rather guess not. When you have an elephant on your hands, and he wants to run away, better let him run.’”

When Stanton heard about Lincoln's recommendation, he went to see the president and urged Lincoln to have Thompson arrested as a traitor.

“By permitting him to escape the penalties of treason,” persisted the War Secretary, “you sanction it." 

"Well,” replied Mr. Lincoln, “let me tell you a story. There was an Irish soldier here last summer, who wanted something to drink stronger than water, and stopped at a drug-shop, where he espied a soda-fountain. ‘Mr. Doctor,’ said he, ‘give me, plase, a glass of soda-wather, an’ if yez can put in a few drops of whiskey unbeknown to any one, I’ll be obleeged.’ Now,” continued Mr. Lincoln, “if ‘Jake’ Thompson is permitted to go through Maine unbeknown to any one, what’s the harm? So don’t have him arrested.”

Thompson "escaped" to England, but ironically, he spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name of the accusation that he'd helped plan Lincoln's assassination.

This was another tale from Abe Lincoln, storyteller.

Mac

 

Works Cited

[1] McClure, Alexander K. (1901). Lincoln's Yarns and Stories. Chicago, IL: The John C. Winston Company.