Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-01-05

/ That tins story IS true, know, Tor
have every line of the autograph letter
on which it depends. That is he n'a
on which the future life of Mr.. Lineol
turned, Mr.. Herndon will some tim
show us. Had Ann lived to be his wife
it is the opinion of ali his Wester
| friends that he would never have sough
political life. His tastes We're quiet an.
domestic. But the trial unhinged him
made him for years reckless, despairiDg
atheistic. 1t was very gradually tina
he came to conquer the revolt of hi
Town soul. It was that work well don,
that fitted him to conquer other men
dare not pursue the subject fur
ther than to say that Mr.. HerndOn ha.
task before him which fer delicacy
and magnitude exceeds any of lich
have ever dreamed. MIR. Llncoln Jeff
no blood-relations, but his sons. None
of Ann Rutledge's survive her. The
unhappy Scotchman, who returned to
find her dead, saw every line of the lee
ture, which the Advertiser criticised,
before it was printed. I think few an
thors of modern times would have been
honorable enough to ask his consent,
since he was not to be named in it
but Mr.. Herndon read the manuscript
to me himself, and would never allow
me to speak of it until it had passed
that last revision
/ had not got far in Illinois before /
found that the life of Abraham Lincoln
was something very different from what
we at the East had imagined. / found
Hollands book lying in half the log
cabins, with the vexed disgust of read
ers penciled on the margin. "Gam-
mon!" was the most frequent comment
of those on the Sangamon Circuit
''Pious can't" was another. l had
trayersed the length and breadth of
the State before reached Springfield,
but the hope that anything might
hear there would change the new I'M
preston, hourly diminished, and when
at last laid my hand on Mr. Hern-
don's papers aud said, "Will the world
ever bear that you shall tell the whole
TRUTH" he answered, cit must be that
or nothing" "And what would Abra-
ham Lincoln himself have desired?' /
continued. His eyes closed, look of
strange tenderness stole over his face,
and he answered: 81 seem to see him,
and hear, just as / used to do, and he
says, Ego ahead, Bill" We must
trust Mr.. Herndon becaus3 40 a
ham Lincoln trusted hiT. There is
nothing in his history more toRcaiag
than their dealings with each other.
For more than twenty-five years they
were partners, but never kept a sepa-
rate account, held each others none VS.
as they held their own, and d yer H.s-
pected or experienced wrong, never b id
a misunderstanding or a giitva Ice.
When Mr.. Lincoln was about to leave
for Washington, he went to tht dizzy
little office which had sheltered his sad
dest hours. HeIsat down on the couch.
+" Bill" he said, "you and / lave
been together all these years, and ave
never passed word. Will you let my
name stay on the old sign till / come
back from Washington?" The tears
STATED to Mr.. Herndon's eyes. He put
out his hand" Mr.. Lincoln" said he,
I" will never have any other partner
while you live, +" and to the day of the
all the doings of tina firm
were in the name of Lincoln Il Hern-
don.
We must trust Mr.. Herndon also, be-
cause this nation owes him great debt
1t was he who first led Mr. Lincoln TO
anti-slavery convictions. Utterly re
fdsiDg office at the Presidents hands, he
kept the friends moral power 10 the
very last, God.grant he may live to
complete work which no one elae
would ever have the courage to under
take.
He is man OF genus, and we shall
have to be patient with his individual-
ties, as we are with those of Carlyle
The real difficulty in the lecture under
discussion is, that in his delicacy he
leaves the facts somewhat misty, his
mind being scarcely, willing
to let the daylight touch them. The
wilderness has educated him. The
wilderness must pronounce upon him.
1t was not our courts which taught him
law He showed me law paper one
day, with a curious twist about his
mouth. You would not think much
of that at the east. but it does our bust
ness here. . G II. ID.