"TO JOHN W. FORNEY: * * * * "Glory to God. "JOHN COVODE."
He spelled God with a little g, Philadelphia with an F, but he got there just the same.
My days in the Capitol at that time were usually spent in the gallery of the Senate, where were to be seen and heard the great leaders on both sides. Some of the Southern Senators were making their farewell speeches, the words of which I, in my youthful innocence, tried vainly to reconcile with their action, as well as with the proceedings of a peace Congress, which was being held at Willard's old hall on F street.
The evenings of these days I devoted to the observation of the operations of the Southern conspirators at the hotel, and watched with concern the preparations for the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln, who had secretly arrived in the city.
In the course of my amateur work among the Southern leaders, it so happened that Mr. Covode and Senator Johnson had been brought together, and they became mutually interested in my services.
One day Mr. Covode said to me: "See here, young feller, you might do some good for the government in this way. I've talked with Johnson about you, and he says he'll help to get you fixed up by the War Department."
When I expressed a willingness to do anything, the old man said, in his blunt, outspoken way:
"Hold on now till I tell you about this thing first." Then proceeding to explain in his homely, honest words:
"There is a lot of money appropriated for secret service, and if you get onto that your pay will be mighty good; but," he added, "it's damned dangerous; for as sure as them fellers ketch you once they will hang you, that's sure as your born."
When I observed that I wasn't born to be hanged, he said further, as he fumbled over some papers in his hand:
"I don't know about that either, because Scott writes me a letter here that says, 'you are smart enough, but you have,'" reading from the letter to refresh his memory, "'unbounded but not well directed energy'." Which I didn't know whether to consider complimentary or otherwise.
It was arranged that we should visit the Secretary of War together, to consult in regard to this future service. We called on General Cameron, the Secretary, one morning, to whom I was introduced by Mr. Covode, who explained to the Secretary in a few words, in an undertone, what he deemed to be my qualifications and advantages for employment in the secret service.