GENERAL FISK'S SWEARING STORY.
Reading edition
"General Fisk, attending the reception at the White House, on one occasion saw, waiting in the ante-room, a poor old man from Tennessee. Sitting down beside him, he inquired his errand, and learned that he had been waiting three or four days to get an audience, he said that on seeing Mr. Lincoln probably depended the life of his son, who was under sentence of death for some military offense.
"General Fisk wrote his case in outline on a card, and sent it in, with a special request that the President would see the man. In a moment the order came; and past senators, governors and generals, waiting impatiently, the old man went into the President's presence.
"He showed Mr. Lincoln his papers, and he, on taking them, said he would look into the case and give him the result on the following day.
"'To-morrow may be too late! My son is under sentence of death! The decision ought to be made now!' and the streaming tears told how much he was moved.
"'Come,' said Mr. Lincoln, 'wait a bit, and I'll tell you a story;' and then he told the old man General Fisk's story about the swearing driver, as follows:
"'The General had begun his military life as a Colonel, and, as he was a religious man, he proposed to his men that he should do all the swearing of the regiment. They assented; and for months no instance was known of the violation of this promise. The Colonel had a teamster named John Todd, who, as roads were not always the best, had some difficulty in commanding his temper and his tongue. John happened to be driving a mule-team through a series of mud holes a little worse than usual, when, unable to restrain himself any longer, he burst forth into a volley of energetic oaths. The Colonel took notice of the offense, and brought John to an account."
"'John,' said he, 'didn't you promise to let me do all the swearing of the regiment?'
"'Yes I did, Colonel,' he replied, 'but the fact was the swearing had to be done then or not at all, and you were not there to do it.'
"As he told the story, the old man forgot his boy, and both the President and his listener had a hearty laugh together at its conclusion. Then he wrote a few words which the old man read, and in which he found new occasion for tears; but these tears were tears of joy, for the words saved the life of his son."