Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-10
Due RajGg anppttat.
Observation-Disclosures 10
A Remarkable Description Of Abra.
ham Lincoln,


A Remarkable Description of Abra
ham Lincoln.
The Hon. W. H. Herndon, of Spring
field, Ill, who was for tewnty years tn
law partner of Abraham Lincoln, re
Gently gave a lecture on the life an,
character of his illustrious companion
prefacing il with the following remarka
BILE personal description. Gfs
Abraham Lincoln was about Isl.
feet four inches high, and when he lef
the city was 6f;y-one years old, havinI
good health, and no gray hairs, or bu
few, in his head. He was thin, Uiry
sinewy, raw-boned, thin through tb,
breast to the back, and narrow across
the shoulders; standing, he leaned for
ward-was what might be called stoop
shouldered, inclning to the consumptive
by build His usual weight was about
one hundred and sixty pounds. dis or
~ NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. his structure and
function-worked slowly. His blood
had to run long defiance from his heart
to the extremities of his frame, and his
RAJ nerve force bad to travel through dry
ground long distance before his mus
cles were obedient to his Will. Ills
structure was loose and leathery; his
body was shrunk and shriveled, having
a1T dark skin, dark hair, looked woe-strnck
slowly, creakingly, as if il needed oiling
Physically, he was very powerful man,
Aa.~ lifting with ease four hundred or six
hundred pounds. al
"His mind was like his body-it work
ed slowly, but strongly. When he walk
al ed he moved cautiously butfmiy, bis long
arms, and hands on them like giants
hands, swung down by his side. He
walked with even tread; the inner sides
of his feet were parallel He put the
whole foot fiat down on the ground at
once, not landing on the heel; he like.
wise lifted his loot all at once, not rais-
ssi...a1 ing from the toes, and hence had no
spring to his walk He had the economy
of fall and lit of foot though he had
no spring or apparent ease of motion in
his tread He walked undulatory, mp
and down, catching and pocketiDg tire,
WEAKNESS, and pain all up and down
his person, preve nting them from loca-
- ting The first opinion of a stranger, or
Au man who did not observe closely, was
that bis walk implied shrewdness,
cunning, tricky man; bat his walk was
the walk Of caution and frmness In
sitting down in common chair he was
ts 80 no taller than ordinary men. His legs
and arms were abnormally long, and in
undue proportion to the rest of his body.
1t was only when he stood up that he
doomed above other men.
"Mr. Lincoln's head was long and tall
from the base of the brain and from the
eyebrows-the preceptive faculties His
head ran backwards, hes forehead rising
as it ran back at low angle, like Clay q,
and unlike Webster's, almost purpendic-
ular The size of the hat, measured on
z the hatler's block, was u his head be-
ing from ear to ear Cd inches, and from
the front 10 the hack of the brain s
inches. Thus measured it was not be-
low the medium size. His forehead
was narrow but high; his hair was
dark, almost black, aud lay floating
where his fingers or the wind left 1t, piled
up at random. His cheak-bones very
high, sharp and prominent; his eyebrows
heavy and Uniting out; his jaws were
long, up-curved, and heavy, his nose was
large, long, and blunt, having the tip
glowing in red, and little awry toward
the right eye; his chin was long, sharp,
II. and up-curyed his eyebrows cropped out;
like a huge rock on the brow Of hill;
bis face was long, sallow, cadavorous,
shrunk, shriveled, wrinkled, and dry,
having here and there hair on The sur
face; bis cheeks were leathery; his ears
we're large and ran out almost at right
lH angles from his head caused by heavy
hats, and partly by nature; bis lower lip
was thick, hanging, and undereurved,
while the chin reached for his lip upcury.
ed; his neck was neat and trim, bis head
being well balanced on it; there was the
lower mole on the right cheek, and
Adams apple on the throat
Thus stood, walked, acted, and look
ed Abraham Lincoln. He was not
pretty man by any means, nor was he an
ugly one He wss homely man, care
less of his looks, plain looking, and plain |
acting. He had no pomp, display, or
dignity, socaled. He appeared simple |
in his carriage and bearing. He was a
sad-looking man; his melancholy drip |
ped from him he walked His ap
parent gloom impressed his friends and
created a sympathy for him-oRe means
of his great success He was gloomy,
distracted and joyous / do not think
he knew what real Joy was for more than
twenty-three years. Mr.. Lincoln some
times walked our streets cheeriy good
humoredly, perhaps joyous, and then it
's was on meeting friend he cried, '"How
d'y," clasping one of his friends hands
in both of his, giving a good, hearty,
soul-welcome
Sometimes he might be seen vending
his way to his Office to the court room,
or railroad depot, with his baggage,
looking like rail in broadcloth. Of
winters morning be might be seen stalk.
ing and sitting it to the market house,
basket N arm, his old gray shawl wrap.
ped round his neck, his little Willie or
Tad running along at bis heels asking
thousand little quick questions, which
his father heard not-not then even
knowing that little Willie or Tad was
there, so absorbed was the father. When
he thus met friend he said that some
thing put him in mind of a story which
he heard in Indiana, and till it he would,
and there was no Alternative but to
listen.
Thus, say, stood, and walked, and
looked this singular man. He was old;
but when that grey eye and face, and
..r every feature, were lit up by the inward .
soul in fire of emotion, then it was thaw
all these apparetly ugly features sprang
into organs Of beauty, or sunk themselves
in q seas of inspiration that sometimes
flooded the face.