CURTAIN


PERSONS OF THE PLAY

Abraham LincolnThe President.
Mrs. LincolnHis Wife.
Colonel NicolayHis Secretary.
EdwardThe Doorman.
Edwin M. StantonSecretary of War.
Gen. Geo. B. McClellanLincoln's Rival.
Captain VaughanOf the U. S. Army.
Betty WinterHis Sweetheart.
Thaddeus StevensLeader of Congress.
Henry RaymondEditor of the New York Times.
John R. GilmoreOf the New York Tribune.
Colonel JacquessA Methodist Clergyman.
Jefferson DavisPresident of the Confederacy.
Judah P. BenjaminHis Secretary of State.
Judge Robert OuldCommissioner of Exchange.
Robert E. LeeCommanding General.
A SisterWho begs for her brother's life.
A CongressmanWho demands a hearing.
A Little GirlFrom Virginia.
A MotherWith a baby.
A WomanWho has lost two sons.
A Telegraph OperatorIn the White House.
A DoormanAt Richmond.
Committeemen, Soldiers and Guards.

ACT I

Set Scene: The President's room in the White House, August 23, 1864. A flat desk left center. At right a long table and chairs. Doors open right and left. Large windows open center. Beside the center window stands an upright desk. In one corner a rack with map rollers and folios of maps on the floor and leaning against the wall.

At Rise: Colonel Nicolay, the President's Secretary, is seen writing before an enormous pile of mail. He reads a letter and throws it down in disgust. Reads another and hurls it into the waste basket. He rises—turns back to the desk and hurls an armful of the letters into the corner on the floor and removes enough letters to clear a space for his Chief to write.

[Edward enters dragging a mail bag.]

Nicolay