The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-07-25

OF 1t true. In Abe's young days be was
simply a wild hGrIm scdrum boy, and.
Jumping and wrestling we're his only ae-
ComplishmOnts. His lsziness was the
cause OF many notifications to me; for aS
| was an older boy than either Abe or John,
] often had to do Abe's work at uncle's,
when the family were oil sick with the ague
from eating watermelsns, and Abe would
be rollicking around the country neglecting
them. In those early days we all saw hard
times; yet young man who was energetic
and industrious could dress himself comfort.
ably, and have plenty Of plain, good food to
eat / have often felt ashamed OF cousin
Abe in seeing him a full grown man, CAD.
ding around the country barefoot, with his
toes outrageously spraddled out BY the mud;
and instead of his reading his books, as his
brother John, through the Decatur politi-
clan SO POLITICALLY tells US, he would be
rowdying around with pack of wild young
men. we'll remember when he went
courting one of Major Warnick's daughters,
in this county, his boots were so miserably
bad that his feet were frosted, and he had
to lay up at Major Warnick's for two weeks,
and have the old lady nurse and doctor his
feet.
! am fully persuaded that brother John is
taking the strange course that he is now
pursuing for the purpose of making little
money out OF a rail speculation, and IL
could for one moment think that the Deca-
tur sharpers, in whose hands he has placed
himself, would not cheat him out of every
cent Of the money. would not spoil the
speculation by telling the facts.
The facts in regard to those rails are
these: The little farm that John and Abe
made the rails to fence contained ten acres.
About fve years after this little farm was
fenced, the entire fence was burned up, to
my certain knowledge, for l hauled the rails
to fence it the second time; Lewis H. w ard,
who now resides in this country, witnessed
the fire that burned the rails, and he is willing
to make affidavit Of this fact.
lived within two miles and half OF this
Lincoln farm from the time it wss first set.
tied up to 1857, and during these early
times our farmers were subject to being vis
tied by devastating fires, and knoW that the
fence around the Lincoln farm was consum
ed at least three times. And I knew that
after the Lincoln family had left the farm,
that the fence was again burned, and that
Shelf Whitley and Daniel McDaniels made
the rolls and refenced it.
think, and am almost certain that the
rails that are now being worshipped all over
the North as Lincoln rails, were m ade by poor
Bill Strickland, who is now poor, blind,
helpless and in the Macon county poor
house. And if these philanthropic Repub-
licnns would allow me 10 make them one
suggestion, it would be to help poor Bill
Strickland, who really did make the rails,
and who is as honest as Abe or anybody else
that ever mauled rail, instead OF spending
their money over his rails.
AS to cousin Abe being the "Honest Abe
politician" that is new title for him
When he first came to Illinois, knew that
he was strong Democrat. I always
thought that he turned Wing afterwards be-
cause he had settled in Whig district
And when heard him in 1856, in the court
house OF Decatur, m Ike n speech, in which
he asserted that he would continue to "agi-
tate the aubject Of negro slavery so long as
was heard the crack of the lash upon the
yellow girls back" did not feel like he
was either very honest or very patriotic, for
| suppose that he said that for the purpose
of catching Abolition votes.
know that cousin Abe cared nothing
about cutting the throat OF the old Wing ,rtv
the very moment hat he supposed he could
make anything by building up new party.
And never supposed that he cared one
cent as to what the principles of the new
party shculd be, only SO it was fixed that he
could get office.
| Now, as to cousin Abe's rnnnna fl ,tboat
that amounts to just this. Some young Iel-
lows had cut raft to run down from Jim.
town, and Abe, for the fun Of the thing,
went along, instead of staying at home and
attending to his own work, that was need
ing him very much. THIS is the extent o.
his tlntboating.
II cousin Abe can honestly get good
Office, want to see him do So; but these
abominable lies that are being told on him
by politicians who pretend to be his friends,
repel as family insult.
In my own homely way l have told the
above as it occurred, for the benefit OF my
honest neighbors and acquaintances, and
wish you to publish it just as it is. may
trouble you again.
CHARLES HANKS.