General Weitzel was removed. Upon him was thrown the blame of the President's "blunder." He was charged with the crime of pity and sympathy for "rebels" and "traitors." When Lincoln was dead, a high official in Washington said: "No man more than Mr. Lincoln condemned the course General Weitzel and his officers pursued in Richmond." In more ways than one General Weitzel had done that which was not pleasing in the sight of Mr. Stanton. Assistant Secretary of War Dana had let Stanton know post-haste that General Weitzel was distributing "victuals" to "rebels." Stanton wired to know of General Weitzel if he was "acting under authority in giving food supplies to the people of Richmond, and if so, whose?" General Weitzel answered, "Major-General Ord's orders approved by General Grant." Mr. Dana wrote Mr. Stanton, "Weitzel is to pay for rations by selling captured property." General Weitzel apologised for magnanimity by explaining that the instructions of General Ord, his superior, were "to sell all the tobacco I find here and feed those in distress. A great many persons, black and white, are on the point of starvation, and I have relieved the most pressing wants by the issue of a few abandoned rebel stores and some damaged stores of my own." "All receivers of rations must take the oath," Mr. Stanton wrote back. In Northern magazines left by Federal soldiers visiting negroes in Matoaca's yard, black Cato saw caricatures of Southern ladies mixing in with negroes and white roughs and toughs, begging food at Yankee bureaus. "Miss Mato'ca," he plead earnestly, "don' go whar dem folks is no mo'. It will disgrace de fam'ly." She had put pride and conscience in her pocket, drawn rations and brought home her pork and codfish. Revocation of permission for the reassembling of the Virginia Legislature was one of Mr. Lincoln's last, if not his last, act in the War Department. Stanton gave him no peace till it was written; he handed the paper to Mr. Stanton, saying: "There! I think that will suit you!" "No," said the Iron Chancellor of the Union. "It is not strong enough. It merely revokes your permission for the assembling of the rebel legislators. Some of these men will come to Richmond--are doubtless there now--in response to the call. You should prohibit the meeting." Which was done. Hence, the prohibitory order in the "Whig."