Abraham Lincoln had a heart that was full of mercy; he could not bear
to see even an animal suffer, and would not tolerate any wanton cruelty
to animals. There are numerous instances of his mercifulness, but the
following story will serve to show how kindly disposed the man was:
One day the major-general commanding the forces in and around Washington,
came to the office of Mr. Dana with a spy whom one of his men had
captured. Mr. Dana was assistant secretary of war. The officer informed
Mr. Dana that the spy had been tried by court-martial and had been
sentenced to death. He handed Mr. Dana the warrant for his execution,
which was to take place at six o’clock the following morning. The warrant
must be signed by the President, or in his absence by some officer with
authority to sign it. President Lincoln was absent from Washington at
that time and was not expected back before the afternoon of the next day.
It therefore became necessary for Mr. Dana to sign the warrant for the
execution of the spy, in accordance with the decision of the court. But
President Lincoln got home at two o’clock in the early morning and on
learning of the affair at once stopped the whole thing and thus spared
the man’s life. It may be here stated that the law of nations in regard
to the punishment of spies when captured is death.