Indiana American., 1867-01-04
THE LINCOLN LOVE ROMANCE.
Some Additional Facts JUbut Ann Rut-
Iedae-The Relations Of Abraham Lin.
coin and Vim. n. HerhdDn.

coin and Vim. n. Herhdpn.
[spring ghsld (In.) Cor. Boston Advrrtissrl
Toe impatient 10 wait for the slow and
faithfu work which Is the only work that
Mr.. H.rndon can do, Springfield demand
ed, NJ msanwhile, course Of five lectures.
TLere are two millions OF people in the
State Of Illinois, and a large portion Of
them know in some fashion all the fhotI
these five lectures. treat. IL was MIR
Herndcn's business to put these facts into
an order which woul1 force them to illus
trate each other. The lectures do mol
constitute the Life he is 10 publish; they
are only studies toward it. The lecture
which the Advertiser has criticised, is,
believe, the fourth of the Ave, and supple.
a necessary link in the history. 1t could
no more be left out Of d true life Ce Lin
Petrarch's love for Laura, or Sbelley's di
yorce from his FIRST wife, could be onitted
in the L ,Jgraphies of those poets, and still
| leave them Ineligible. For thirty years
after the period it describes, his terrible
sorrow continued to move him at times out
Of himself, and il is the only explanation
Of many significant facts The poem
which is inseparably connected with hi,
memory became precious to him simply
for Ann Rutledges sake
There is the story, and Mr.. Herndon
nearly twelve yesrsMr. Lincoln's junior
has no more to do with 1t than | have a,
| tell it. Ann Rutledge was a lady-on'
of the very few who had penetrated tr
Illinois as early as 1888. OF a family ed
ucated and aristocratic, but broken down
she was beirothed, before Mr.. Lincoln ev
er saw her, 10 Scotch merchant. Ir
those days Illinois was as far faom New
York as Kamschatka now is. They wer,
soon to be married when the Scotchmar
went for business purposes to that city
For months nothing was heard Of him; i
was supposed that he was dead or had
wickedly. deserted Ann. The truth was
that ne lay i'll Of delirious fever at a small
wayside town. In this state Of things
while AIMS mind was tortured by sus
pense and disappointment, Mr.. Lincoln
went to her fathers house to board. In
time sort of provisional engagement en-
sued There were circumstances in both
lives which depressed and panied; they
learned TO hold each other very dear. Up
on this state Of things broke the rumor Of
tho recovered Scoichman's return. The
delicate nature Of the woman broke undei
il. Betrothed to two--both Of whom she
loved--she had no choice but to die; she
she did not live to see him enter New Sa.
lems~. How be who bad been absent loved
her let the sequel show. lie bought the
farm for her sake, and lives there, still q
bachelor II was his quiyering hand thai
pointed. out to Mr.. lIerndon the spot
where Ann Rutledge died.
That this story is true, know, for ]
have read every line Of the autograph let
iers on which il depends. That il Is th'
'rah, on which the future life Of Mr. Lin
coin turned. Mr.. Hcrndon will some tim,
show u.s. Had Ann lived to be his wife
liz Is the opinion Of all his Western friend,
that he would never have sought poIitica
life. His tastes wore quiet aud domestic
But this trial unhinged him, made hin
for years reckless, despairing, aiheistic
1t was very gradually that be came to con
quer the revolt of his own soul. 1t was
that work we'll done which fitted him 4
conquer other men. / dare not pursue
the subject farther than TO say, that Mr.
IIerndon has task before him which fo
delicaey and magnitude exceeds any o
which | have ever dreamed Mr. Lin
coin left no blood relations but his sous
None Ann Rutledge' ssuryive her. Th'
unhappy Scotchmnn who returned to fine
her dcad, saw every line OF the lecture
which the Advertiser criticised, before i
was printed. think few authors of mod
crn times would have been honorable
enough to ask his consent, since he wa
not TO be named in il, but MIR. Ilerndor
read tho manuscript TO mo himself, an,
would never allow me TO speak Of it till i
had passed that last revision.
had not got far In Illinois, before
found that the life Of Abraham Lincor
was something very different from wha
we at the East had imagined. | foun,
Hollands book lying in half the log cab
ins, with the vexed disgust Of readers pen
ciled on the margin. "Gammon, wa
the most frequent comment Of those OF
the Sangamon Circuit. "Pious cant,
was another. had travorsed the .lengtl
and breadth OF thcStnto before reaches
Springfield, but the hope that any thing
might hear there. would change tAc new
impression, hourly diminished, aud whel
at last laid my hand upon Mr.. Hern
don's papers and said, "Will tho worlt
ever bear that you shall tell the who'll
truth?' he ANSWERED, "It must have tha
or nothing. "And what would Abraham
Lincoln himself.haye desired?" | contin
ued. His eyes closed, alookgof Tenderness
stole over his face, and he answered, :"
seem to see him and hear him just as
used to do, aud he says, Go ahead, Billy
We must trust Mr.. Herndon, becaus
Abraham Lincoln trusted him. There i
nothing in history more touching thar
their dealings with each other. For NOR
than twenty-five years they were partners
but never kept separate account he'll
each others money as they held their own
and never suspected or experienced wrong
never had a misunderstanding nor griey
ance. When Mr.. Lincoln was about t
leave for Washington, he went to the din
Lgy little law Office which bad shelters
his saddest hours. He sat down on tn
couch. Billy" said he. "you and hay
been together all these years, and hav
never passed a word, Will you let m
name stay on the old sign till l come bac
from Washington?' The tears started I
Mr.. Herndon's eyes. He put out hi
hand-"Mr. Lincoln" said he, IL wi
never have any other partner while 20
live" and to the day of the assassination
Ill H. 1o;nce of tho fr,, xvoro in IN