The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-12


which every lady of feeling and spirit would
| resent and must say, your statements
! being true to me it is strange-nav. passing
strange that the lady to whom these letters
were addressed, who, you know as well as |
| do, possesses exquisite sensibility, spirit and
high sense of honor, not only did not resent
the first insult of that sort, but patiently and
! silently submitted to the repetition of it from
month to month and from year to year. And
! what q cOld-hearted man he must have been
who for many years thus treated the wife of
his bosom, whom he had solemnly promised
| to love and cherish
Your statements also contain most cruel
and fear malignant attack upon his heart
| stricken widow, as one for whom her husband
entertained no love, no affection.
Sir, was it not enough that she should be
overwhelmed and stricken TO the earth by the
dreadful ldow which has fallen upon her in
the cruel death of her husband, but Won must
come on the scene and mingle your poisoned
chalice into that cup of woe which She must
drink even to the dregs
This is not ALL but the necessary tendency
of your statements is to put public brand
upon the boys Of that great and good man, to
whom you are under so many and great
obligations, as the sons OF man who never
loved their mother
Such is the character of the martyred Pre-
sdent which must necessarily be drawn from
the statements made concerning him, and
given to the public by his intimate friend and
law partner for twenty years.
A law office is 10y no means the best field for
Judging the characters of each other by those
who are brought in contact there. No, sir.
1t is in the family circle the man exhibits him
self as he really is-his bearing towards his
wife; his treatment of his children and depen-
dents his free and easy conversations with
those who are admitted to that circle. There
are to be found the best tests by which mans
character and feelings are to be determined,
and no one enjoys better opportunities to be
enabled to put a proper estimate upon the
members of it than the pastor who is respected
and esteemed by them-who has buried their
dead and baptized their living; who, in seasons
of sorrow, has administered to them those
consultations which the Gospel of the Son of
God can alone communicate; who is viewed
by certain of them as the honored instrument
in bringing them from darkness to ight-from
the degradation of sin and misery to faith III
Jesus and the hope of glory; who by them is
held to have been "true to them ever in Joy
and sorrow, and, as a consequence, is adj
mitted to their full confidence, and even in
their secular affairs, when thought necessary,
is asked for his advice and counsel. This is the
man who provided he possesses understand
ing and judgment above all others, is prepared
to put a true estimate upon the characters of
each of the members of such a family.
All the surviving members of it, am as
sured, will testify that such was the position
occupied by your humble servant in the family
of Abraham LincOln-to say nothing of his
calls upon myself and our pleasant converse
tions in drives over the prairies. During seven
years when he and myself were at home,
scarcely two weeks ever passed during which
l did not spend a pleasant evening in the
midst of that family circle; and my intercourse
with himself there convinced me that Abraham
| l,,4.
| nently an upright man-ever ready, so far as in
| his power, to render unto all their Just dues
and that he was utterly incapable Of with
| holding from the bride he led to the altar
| that which was her due, by giving her a heart
| dead and buried in the grave of another, but
| that, in the deep and honest sincerity of his
| soul, he gave her heart overtlowing with
| love and affection; and my intercourse with
| him and his family left the abiding impression
| upon my mind, by his demeanOr towards her,
| that he was to the wife of his bosom a most
| faithful, loving, and affectiOnate husband, who
! would on no occasion have insulted her by
! sending her letter closing with ''YoIr friend,
| Abraham Lincoln" l do most solemnly tes-
| tify that during my Oft-repeated visits | never
! saw frOwn upon his brow or heard him utter
| a harsh or unllind word to his lady, or any of
her children, but seemed overlooking with
| geniality, good-humor, and kindness-clear
proofs of his love and affection.
| This, then, for the present, is the vindica-
tiOn Of the character of the martyred Presi-
dent from the foul aspersions you, sir, have
cast upon it; and by the person whose high
honor it was to place before Mr.. Lincoln argu-
ments designed to prove the Divine authority
and inspiration of the Scriptures, accompanied
| by the arguments of intidel obiectors in their
! own language. To the arguments on both
| sides Mr.. Lincoln gave a most patient, impair
| tial and searching investigation. To use his
| own language, he examined the arguments
| as a lawyer who is anxious to reach the
| truth investigates testimony. The result was
| the announcement by himself that the argu-
ment in favor of the Divine authority and
inspiration of the Scriptures was unanswer-
| able.
! / could say much more on this subject, but,
| as you are the person addressed, for the pre-
sent l decline. This muck, however: The
| preparation Of that work cost me long and
| arduOus mental labor, and if no other effect
was ever produced by it than the influence it
exerted upon the mind of that man whose name
thrills the heart of every patriotic American,
| thank God that | was induced to undertake
the work. Immediately after the above
avowal, Mr.. Lincoln placed himself and family
under my pastoral care, and when at home he
was a regular attendant on my ministry.
was always treated by him with high conside,
ration and he conferred upon me and mine
disinterested acts of kindness.
To say nothing of higher motives, l would
feel was making a most unworthy return fol-
his many llindnesses did l remain silent on
the present OCCASION; more especially as the
statement already referred to, made by you il
your Gam Rutledge" romance, followed by
the letter from yourselt-to which this is
I Al lf,fg,v l.,.A