The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-01-05
A Pcn-PIcture Of Abranam Lin.
coin.

The Hon. w. II. Herndon, Of Spring
field illinois, who was for twenty years
the law partner of Abraham Lincoln, re.
Gently gavo lecture on the life and char
acter of his illustrious companion, prefac-
ing 1t with the following remarkable per-
sonal description -
Abraham Lincoln was about six feet
four inches high, and when he left the
city was fifty-one years old, having good
health and no grey hairs, or but few in
his head. He was thin, wiry, sinewy,
rawboned, thin through the breast, to the
back, and narrow across the shoulders !;
standing, he leaned forward was what
may be called etoop.shouldared, inclining
to the consumptive by build. His usual
weight was about one hundred and sixty
pounds. His organization-rathcr his
structure and function-worked slowly
His blood had 10 run long distance from
his heart TO the extremities Of his frame,
and his nerve force had to travel through
| dry ground long distance before his
muscles were obedient to his will His
structure was loose and leathery; his
body was loose and shriyeled, having dark
skin, dark hair. looking woestruck The
whole man, body and mind, worked slow
| ~, creakingly, as if it needed oiling.-
physically, he was a very powerful man
lifting with ease from four to six hundred
pounds.
His mind was like his body; ii yorLed
slowly, but strongly. When he walked
he moved cautiously but firmly, his long
arms, aud hands on them like giants
hands, swung down by his side. He
walked with even tread the inner sides
| of his feet were parelleled. He put the
whole foot fiat down on the ground at
once, not landing on the heel; he like
wise lifted his foot at once, not rising
from the toes, and hence had no spring to
his walk. He had the economy Of fall
and lift Of foot, though he had no spring
or apparent ease of motion in his tread
lie walked undulatory, up and down,
catching aad pocketihg tire, weariness
and pain all up and down his person, pre-
venting them from locating. The first
opinion Of stranger, or a man who did
not watch and observe very closely, was
was that his walk implied shrewdness,
cunning, tricky man; but bis walk was
that Of caution and frmness. In sitting
on a common chair be vas no taller than
ordinary men. His legs and arms we're
abnormaily, unnaturally long, and in un-
due proportion to tho rest of his body
II was only when he stood up that he
loomed above other men. His head was
long and tall from the base of the brain
aud from the eyebrows-the perspective
faculties. His head ran back at
low angle, like Clay's, aud unlike Web
ster's almost perpendicular. The size of
the hat, measured on the hatter's block,
was seven and half, his head being from
ear to ear six and half inches, and from
the front 10 the back Of the brain eight
inches Thus measured il was not below
the medium size. His forehead was mar
row but high, his hair was dark, almost
black, and lay floating where his fingers
or the wind had left it piled up at ran
dom. His cheek bones were high, sharp
and prominent His eyebrows heavy
aud jutted out; his jaws were long, up
curved and heavy; his nose was large,
long and blunt, having the tip glowing in
rod, and littlo ayry toward the right
eye; his chin was long, sharp and up
urved; his eyebrows were cropped out
like huge rock on the brow of hill /;
his face was long, sallow, cadaverous,
shrunk, shriveled, wrinkled and dry, hay
ing here aud there hair on the surface !;
his cheeks were lcathery; his cars were
large and ran out almost at right angles
from his head, caused by heavy hats and
patty by nature; his lower lip was thick,
hanging and under-curved, while his
chin reached for the lip up-curved; his
neck was neat aud trim, his head being
well-balanced on it there was the love
mole on his right cheek and Adams
apple on the throat Thus stood, walked,
acted, and looked Abraham Lincoln
He was not pretty man, by any means,
nor was be an ugly one. He was a
homely man, careless of his looks, plain
looking, and plain acting. lie had no
pomp, display, or dignity-so called
He appeared simple in his carriage and
bearing. lie was sad looking man his
melancholy dripped from him as he walk
cd. His apparent gloom impressed his
friends and created a sympathy for him
-one means of his success. He was
gloomy, abstracted, and joyous, rather hu-
morous, by turns. do not think he
knew what real JOY was for more than
twenty-three years. Mr.. Lincoln some
times walked our streets cheerily, good
humoredly, perhaps joyously, and then it
was, on meeting friend, he cried, elbow
d'y," clasping one of his friends hands
in both of his, giving good, hearty soul
welcome. Sometimes be might be seen,
vending his way to his Office, to the court
room, or to the railroad depot, with his
baggage, looking like rail in broad
cloth. Qfa winters morning he might
have been seen stalking and sitting it to-
ward the market house, basket on his
arm, bis old gray shawl wrapped around
his neck, his little Willie or Tad running
along at his heels, asking thousand
little quick questions, which his father
heard pot--not even knowing that little
Willie or Tad was there, SO distracted
was the father. When be has met al
friend he said that something put him in
mind of story which he heard in Indi-
ana. and tell it he would, and there was
no alternative but to listen. Thus, Isay
atond ard xualkad ond Innkad th;c cino,,