The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1860-08-29

Honest Abc's Early III tory--A Letter
from Cha. lcs Hanks.

from lila. teo 4AANA1s
rp,roR OF THE MAcsEr:- DEAR Sin: In
The last weeks issue Of me Cspnicr, no
,iced a letter signed John IIanks,n nhichl
i 50 extraordinary ID many ~ ~ features,
,ha, feel called upaa ~ pay i brief no
iice.
John Hanks Il ms younger bro her, aad
Al. Lincoln j. my cousin. have hnownl
both John and Abe from their earliest child
hood. Since brother Join has csnimitiec|
himself 10 the Decatur polis'cans @ho = Us
:nr him as tool 10 speculate 10 CERTAIN oid
ra;ls Cha, know cousin A be never mAse,)
| have great fears that brother Johr, like
Abe. has fallen into bad hands, ard that a
man by nature made for good man, bu'
Who always needed protecting oonnsel"rs,
nav be by his bad associates entirely tuinet.
I have known the entire history Of bo'h
brother J,hn and cousin abe and a'' that
STUFF in the letter published 20 ihe Chfp-i-
Gle is stuff, miserable s.ul, and although
poor brosher John's name j. signed y ~
know that he even vet do~s not know whar
i in il. much less did he ever write II
10 Ire work Of men unsc upu'ous IN NE
means thai they may ure u gullng honest
people.
In Johu's letter find a long md pathetic
allusion 10 cousin Abe's early and hard 'sie.
That msy be polis,csl, bot there j. li''lc o' =
true. Ia Abe's young days he was simply Z
wild h,rum sctrum boy, AMI lanplng ans
wrestling were his only accomqhshmen t--
His Isz;ness was The cause u many mos'sl
es,;uns to me; Tor as I was az Older %.
than eiher be or John, osten had q q
Abe's work Al uncle's when The family wer'
al sick with The asue IRON eating waitr
melons. and Abe would be rolicking aroun
the county neglecting them. ln those ea''!
DAYS we all saw hard times; YET youn
man who was energetic and industrious cuul
dress himself comforlabs and have rlsnl
Of plain, good food 70 eat. ! have often iel
ashamed Of cousin A be iD seeing him w
grown man, gsdding around The counir
barefoot, with his toes ouirsacous'y sprA'
died ont bv The TuJ; and instead Of readin
his books, as brother John. through The w
catur politicians, 90 poe,icaily tells rs,
would be rowdying round with pack
wild voung men. well remember whs
ne wen, cvuriing one 81 u ir WarnicA
daughters. il this county. his boots were
miserably lad that hls feetwere ifosleo' y
and he hsd 20 lay up AZ Msjss Warn'ck's
two weeks, md have the old lady nurse 81
doctor his Ieei.
am fully persuaded tla, brother John
taking the strange course that he j. NJ
pursuing for tho purpose 81 making Iit
money out or a rail speculation, sud 4
could for one moment think that the Dec
tur shsrpers in whose hands he has plac
himself would not cheat him out Of eve
cent OF the money, I would not spoil
speculation BY telling the facts.
The facts in regard 10 those rails
these: The little farm that John and a
made tho rails to fence contained ten acr
Abou, Eve years aler this lt,e farm
fenced, the entire fence was burned ur,
my certsia knowledge, for hauled The =
to fence Il the second time; Lewis b. w
who now resides in this county, wiines
the Ore that burned the rails and he u
ling 10 make affidavit Of this fact.
lived within two miles and . half Of
Lincoln farm from the time y vas iirst sell