Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-25
MIR. LINC0LMS EARLYLIFE..
Interesting RemfnIscences-AV visit 20
One of His Humble Friends
[correspondsaoe of the Chicago Republican

"
Correspondents of the Chicago Republican
HAVANA; MASON Co, III, Dec.H.
Happening to be in the eastern portion
of this county a few days ago, L called to
see a Mrs. Wilcox, formerly Mrs. Arm
strong. Years ago, when this goodly
State of ours was comparatively new,
there came to the little village of Sdem,
Menard county, a tall, plain, and rather
awkward young man, to help in the mill,
tend store, and make hinselfsgenerally
useful. After serving in this capacity for
some time, and making friends of all who
came in contact with him, at mill or gro
Gerry, he was appointed County Surveyor,
and went to live with a farmer named.
Armstrong, residing in the neighborho6d.
This Mrs. Wilcox. whom /. went to see
was the wife of this Armstrong, and the
slender, r~aw-boned shop-tender and sur
vevor was Abraham Lincoln. ,is 15itG
1.-THE first timefI eve saw him" said
Mrs. w, al went trading, l old Arm
strong as soon as l got home that there
was a new clerk at the store and L liked
him first-rate, he was so p~leasantoand'
kind. A few days aftervard Armstrong
went to the mill, and when he came heme
he told me he had seen the new clerk l
Dragged about so much, snd he liked him
too. They had got to lifting in the milk
a parcel of them, and the clerk QUILTED
every man there
"Well, he lived with you, did he not
afterward2nnd IL ~, sg. I'd
AYES; as soon as he got to surveying, he
came to our house and made it his home.
l made two pair of deer skin brooches for
him-shirts, too. Armstrong used to carry
chain for him. The were great eronies.
would go too. He was poor, and had no
horse; we had several and he always rode
one of our creatures. Sometimes they
would be gone a week at a time to Jack
sonville, Springfield, or somewhere else.
They lied about him when he was nomi-
mated for President said he used to drink,
but he never did. 1 never saw nor heard
of his drinking. The young folks thought
him kind of queer. When they was a frOlic
or any doings among them, he would al
ways go, but daneedor cut up. He
amused himself playing with the children
or telling some funny stories to the old
folks. Yes, he stayed us till we moved to
Missouri, and I never saw him angry the
whole time. He used to say he would
never marry until he could support a wife
comfortably. 90 T. p.
"Welived in Missouri five years, and when
we came back he had gone to Springfield.
1 went down there trading pretty soon,
and was standing in a store door looking
at the folks when / saw him coming down
the street. A lady was with him, his wife,
and every body was bowling and shaking
hands with him. 1 stood up straight in
| the door, a little back like, thinking may
be he would not see me, with his wife and
all the people around 1 never could put
on any airs, and he knew it. He saw me-.
though, before he got to me, and came up
laughing and shaking hands, real glad to
see me asked after Armstrong and all the
rest, just as if he was one of tie family.
l tell you, Mr.. F., he was a kind, good
hearted man, and a true gentleman, He
defended my son her son was tried for
homicide and acquitted, and after the
trial, when ! told him 1 had no money to
pay him, he laughed at me, and told me
whenever I was in trouble to come to him.
Everybody told me l wa foolish to write
to him about my son, who was sick in the
army, that he had enough else to attend to-
now, beside looking afterime and my
family. But when a Geographic dispatch,
discharging my son, and q letter to me,
too, came, they found out that he had not
forgotten his old home down in Menard."