The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-06-18
Anecdote Of Abraham Lin,oln.

FfSUh "iE Es1N AFi'sis8Ns s@7Rh2AA
Rev. W. NJ. Thayer Of Franklin, Mass.
author Of "The Pioneer Boy, or early life
Of President Lincoln, related the. following
anecdote at the recent Temperance .Conven-
ton IN BOSTON: ssD gdl 10 tscg4ns .sa
! have in my possession a letter from a
man who signs himselfa Jackson Demo
crat." and says that he never did agree
with the President in his politics, but he
was side by side with him from the the
time be was ten years OF age until he was
twenty-five and he says he has been with
him to log-rollings and house-raising, and
harvestings, and huskings, and parties,
where everybody used whisky as common
beverage, and he never saw, him touch a
d.op in his llfe. / have letter from an
other gentleman who served under Presi-
dent Lincoln in the Black Hawk War;, The
President was then captain. This gentle.
man was some half dozen years younger
than the President, but very intimate with
him. and the President manifested the inter
est Of an elder brother in him aud this gen
tleman says he never saw the President
touch any liquor but once; and this is the
story. s..s
After he was chosen captain, this gentle
man, who was one of the volunteers, met a
stranger, and told him that Abe Lincrln
was the strongest man in the county. The
man doubted it, because, he said, he had
seen some one who did thds and so. "Well''
said this gentleman, who was then a youth
about eighteen years of age,-just old
enough to volunteer and "Abe," as he
called him., was twenty three or twenty
FOUR "I'll bet you hat that Abe will
take forty gallon barrel Of whisky, and
raise it as you woulda gallon bottle and
drink out Of the bunghole.p Well, the man
didn't believe he could do it. and so they
bet. They went Immediately to the store,
wAbe" had not then left the grocery bust.
ness), and the young man told him what he
had done. "Abe" told HIM he didn't think
much Of betting, but he would help him
out of the scrape and so he took the bnng
out ofa forty gallon whisky barrel, raised it
mp, and took mouthful from the bung.-
Said the young man, "This is the first time
| ever saw you drink any liquor" Deliber
ately setting down the barrel, he spirited
out the whisky, and replied, 81 have mt
drunk that!' That was not the best oft.
This gentleman writes, that on that evening
"Abe," who exercised o broth srly care over
him, took him aside, and said, care you &C
customed to bet?" THAT was the first bet
have ever made in my life, and it was not
very bad one, under the circumstances. -
"Abe'' told him he thought all bets were
alike; that it was gambling, and gamblers
are the meanest of men, and be besought
him to pledge himself, that night, that he
would never bet again. He hesitated, but
on being pressed, and told his mother would
rejoice in such a pledge as that, he took his
friends hand, and pledged himself never to
bet again and he says he never has. HI
says that when he went home that night, me
sat down and wept over the lecture be had
received. "a rft l. ~ et ssr9uig
Now, here is an illustration Of a man VINO
has adhered to his principles under all cir
cumstances, even when every individual
around him was accustomed to drink. and
it is worthy example to hold up before
ourselves, that we may initiate the same.