"I thought the Seward yell could not be surpassed," said one of the spectators, "but the Lincoln boys were clearly ahead, and feeling their victory, as there was a lull in the storm, they took deep breaths all round, and gave a concentrated shriek that was positively awful, and accompanied it with stamping that made every plank and pillar in the building quiver." As the storm subsided, the balloting began, the

three ballots taken resulting as follows:

This brought Lincoln within one and a half votes of the nomination. The dramatic scene accompanying and following this ballot was thus described by Murat Halstead, of the Cincinnati Commercial:

"While this ballot was taken amid excitement that tested the nerves, the fatal defection from Seward in New England still further appeared--four votes going over from Seward to Lincoln in Massachusetts. The latter received four additional votes from Pennsylvania and fifteen additional votes from Ohio. It was whispered about: 'Lincoln's the coming man-will be nominated this ballot.' When the roll of the states and territories had been called, I had ceased to give attention to any votes but those of Lincoln, and had his vote added up as it was given. The number of votes necessary to a choice was 233, and I saw under my pencil, as the Lincoln column was completed, the figures. 231%-one vote and a half to give him the nomination. In a moment the fact was whispered about. A hundred pencils had told the same story. The news went over the house wonderfully, and there was a pause. There are always men anxious to distinguish themselves on such occasions. There is nothing that politicians like better than a crisis. I looked up to see who would be the man to give the decisive vote. In about ten ticks of a watch Cartter, of Ohio, was up. I had imagined that Ohio would be slippery enough for the crisis, and sure enough! Every eye was on Cartter,

and everybody understood the matter, as all knew what he was about to do. He is a large man, with rather striking features, a shock of bristling black hair, large and shining eyes, and is terribly marked with small-pox. He has also an impediment in his speech, which amounts to a stutter, and his selection as Chairman of the Ohio delegation was, considering its condition, altogether appropriate. He had been quite noisy during the sessions of the convention, but had never commanded, when mounting his chair, such attention as now. He said: I rise (eh), Mr. Chairman (eh), to announce the change of

ANDREW G. CURTIN.

four votes from Ohio from Mr. Chase to Mr. Lincoln.' The deed was done. There was a moment's silence. The nerves of the thousands which, through the hours of suspense, had been subjected to terrible tension, relaxed, and, as deep breaths of relief were taken, there was a noise in the wigwam like the rush of a great wind in the van of a storm, and in another breath the wind was there. There were thousands cheering with the energy of insanity.

"A man who had

been on the roof, and was engaged in communicating the ballotings to the mighty mass of outsiders, now demanded by gestures at the skylight over the stage, to know what had happened. One of the secretaries, with a tally-sheet in his hands, shouted: 'Fire the salute! Abe Lincoln is nominated! As the cheering in the wigwam subsided we could hear that outside, where the news of the nomination had just been announced. And the roar, like the breaking up of the fountains of the deep. that was heard, gave a new impulse to the enthusiasm inside. Then the thunder of the salute rose above the