The Nevada Democrat. [volume] (Nevada, Calif.) 1854-1863, 1860-09-12
WHOLE NO. 362.
The Early Life or Abe LEneoIn--yghma one
OF his Cousins says Of him-~Efosv Abe went
aCourting-Who Split tgae Rails.

The Early Life OF Abe LTncoln--vhaa one
ofhis Cousins says of hina-- How Abe went
Courting-Who split the Rails.
fFrcm the nscatar (lfs sagnesl
Editor Of ths Magnet Dear Ssr In the last
weeks issue OF the Chronicle noticed a letter
signed "John Hanks. which is so extraordinary
/ in many Of Its features that feel called upon
to give il brief notice.
John Hanks Is my younger brother, and Abe
Lincoln is my cousin. / have known both John
and Abe from their earliest childhood. Since
brother John has committed himself to the De-
catur politician. who is using him as q tool to
speculate ia certun old rails (that know cous-
in Abe never made.) have great fears that
brother John, like cousin Abe, has fallen into
bad hands. and that man by nature made for
a good man, but who always needed protecting
counselors. may be by bis bad associations en-
tirely ruined. | have known the entire history
OF both brother John and cousin Abe, and all
that stuff in the letter published in the Chroni-
Gle Is stuff miserable stuff aud although poor
brother Johns name Is signed to It, know that
he even yet does not know what is In it; much
less did he ever write 1t. II is the work of men
unscrupoous in the means they may use in gull
ling honest people.
In Johns letter find a long and pathetic
ausion to cousin Abe's early and hard life.
That may be poetical. but there is but little Of
1t true. In Abe's younger days he was a wild
were his only accomplishments. His laziness
was the cause Of mauy notifications 10 me
for as | was an older boy than either Abe or
John, l had TO do Abeis work at uncle's when
the family were all sick with the ague from eat
ing watermelons. and Abe would be rolicking
around the country neglecting them. I0 those
early days we all saw hard times; yet young
man who was energetic and industrious could
dress himself comfortably, and have plenty of
plain good food 10 eat / have often felt
ASHAMED of cousin Abe in seeing him q full
grown man. gadding around the country bare
foot, with his toes outrageousy epraddled out
by the mud aud instead of reading his books
as brother John, though the Decatur politician
so POLITICALLY tells US. hc would be rowdying
around with pack of wild young men. we'll
remember when be went courting one of Major
Warnick's daughters 10 this county, his boots
we're so miserably bad that bis feet we're frost
bitten aud he had to lay up at Major Warnick's
for two weeks, and have the old lady nurse aud
doctor bis feet
| am fully persuaded that brother John Is
taking the strange course he Is now pursuing
for the purpose OF making money out of q rail
speculation, andi / could for one moment think
that the Decatur 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 facis
The facts in regard to those rails are these
The little farm that John aud Abe made the
rails to fence contained ten acres About I've
years after this little farm was fenced, the en-
tire fence was burned up, to my certain knowl-
edge, for hauled the rails to fence it a second
time. Lewis ii Ward. who now resides in thia
county, 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 1t was FIRST settled
up TO 1857, aud during these early times our
l.n. Ill.
tating fires, and know that the fence around
the Lincoln farm was consumed at least three
times Aud know that after the Lincoln FAM
!y had left the farm, that the fence was again
burned, and that Shelf. Whitley aud Daniel
Mechanics made the rails and refenced IL.
think, and am almost certain, that the
rails that are now being worshipped all over
the North AS Lincoln rails were made by poor
Bill Strickland who Is now poor, blind helpless
and ln the Macon county poor house. And if
these pbilanthropic Republicans would allow
inc to make them one suggestion, Ii 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 maued rail, instead OF
spending their money over his rails.
As to cousin Abe being the "Honest Abe poll
itician,' that is a new title for him. When he
first came to Illinois know that he was a
strong Democrat. always thought that he
turned Wbig afterwards because he had settled
in Wing District And when heard him Ia
1856, 10 the Court house at Decatur, make a
speech, IN which be asserted that be would con-
tinue to "agtate the subject of negro slavery
SO long as was heard the crack of the lash upen
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 or
catching Abolition votes.
know that cousin Abe cared nothing about
killing or cutting the throat OF the old WhIg
party the very moment that 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
should be, only 80 II was fixed that he could get
Office.
Now, as to cousin Abe's running 1atboats,
that amounts to just this: Some young fellows
bad cut q raft TO run down from Jimtown, and
Abe, for the fun of the thing went along, in
stead Of staying at home aud attending 60 his
own work. that was needing him very much.
That Ia the extent OF his fatboating.
II cousin Abe can honestly get good Office,
want to see him do so but these abomna-
bic lies that are being told on him by politicians
who pretend to be his friends, repel as a fam
lily insult
In my own homely way have told the above
as II occurred for the benefit Of my honest
neghbors and acqaaintanees, aud wish you 70
publish it just as it is. | may trouble you
again. CHARLES HANKS.