The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-04-03


twenty years Mr., Lincoln's law-partner,
has fresh interest:
abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin
county, Kentucky, February II, 1909.
He moved to Indiana in 1916; came to
Illinois in March, 1880 to old Sagamon
county in 1881 settling in New Salem !;
and from this last place to this city 10
April, 1887, coming as rude, odd, un-
cultivated boy, without polish or educa
ton, and having no friend. He was
about six feet four inches high, and when
he left the city was fifty one years old,
having good health, and 10 gray hairs,
or bus few, in his head, He was thin,
wiry, sinewy. raw-boned; thin through
the chest to the back, and narrow across
the shoulders, standing, he leaned for
ward-was what may be called stoop
shouldered, inclining to the consuuptive
By build His usual weight was about
hundred and sixty pounds His organ
ization-ralher bis structure aud function
worked slowly His blood had to run
long distance from his heart to the ex-
tremites of his frame. aud his nerve
force had to travel through dry ground
long distance before his muscles were
obedieDt to his will His structure was
loose and leathery; his body was shrunk
and shrivelled, having dark skin, dark
hair, boxing woe-struck The whole man,
body and mind, worked slowly, creak
n 1iu nc if n naadpd ni1iDo
physically he was powerful man,
lifting with ease four hundred or six hun
dred pounds. His mind was ike bis
body, it worked slowly but strongly,
When be walked he moved cautiously
but firmly, his long arms. aud hands Cd
them hanging 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 fat foot
down on the ground at once, not landing
on the heel he likewise lifted his foot all
at once, not rising from the toes, and
hence had no spring to his walk. He
had the economy of fall and lift of the
foot, though he had no spring or apparent
ease of motion 10 his tread. He walked
unduatory, up and down, catching apo
pocketing tire, weariness, and pain all W
and down his person, preventing them
from locating. The first opinion of a
stranger, or a man WHO did not observe
closely. was that bis walk implied shrewd
ness, cunning-a tricky man-bus his
walk was the walk. Of caution. and firm
ness. In sitting down on common
chair he was no taller than ordinary men
His legs aud arms we're abuormally long.
and 10 undue proportion TO the balance OF
his body. 1t was only when be stood up
that he loomed above other men.
"Mr. Lincoln's head was long and tall
from The base Of the brain, and from the
eyebrows-the perceptlve faculties. His
head ran backward, bis forehead rising,
as it ran back at low angle ike Clay's,
and unlike Webster's almost perpendicu
lar The size of the hat, measured on
the hatter's block, was seven aud one
ieuth, his head being from ear to ear six
and oue.half inches, and from tie front
to the back of the brain eight inches.
Thus measured it was not below the me-
dium size. His forehead was narrow but
high his hair was dark, almost black.
and lay floating where his fingers OF the
wind left it, piled up at random. His
cheek-b bones we're high, sharp and promi-
nent. His eyebrows heavy and juttlng
out; his jaws were long, up curved and
heavy his nose was large, long and blunt,
having the tip glowing in red, and a little
awry towards the right eye; bis chin was
long,sharp and up-curved; his eyebrows
cropped out, like huge rock on the brow
of hill, his face was long. sallow ,shrunk
shrivelled, wriukled, aud dry having here
and there hair on the esurface; his checks
were lesthsry; his ears were large and
ran out almost at right angles from his
head, caused by heavy hats, aud partly By
nature; his lower lip was thick, hanging,
aud uoder- curved, while his chin reached
for the lip up-eurved; /; his neck was neat
and trim, his head being well balanced
on it; there was lone mole on the righ,
cheek, and Adams apple on his throat
Thus stood, walked, acted and looked
Abraham Lincoln. He was not pretty
man By any means, DOR was he an ugly
one He was homely man, careless OF
bis looks. plain looking aud p'aln-actiug.
He had DO pomp, display, or digu;ty-so
called. He appeared simple in bis car
riage and bearing. He was sad looking
man his melancholy dripped from him
as he walked. His apparent gloom i'm
pressed his friends and created asympsthy
for hin-One means Of his great success.
He was gloomy, distracted, and joyous,
rather humorous, by turns. | do not
think ne new what real JOY was for more
than twenty-thrse years.
"Mr. Lincoln sometimes walked our
streets cheerly, good hnmoredly, perhaps