Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-07-27
/" Tad /" Lincsln.
BIZ JOHN Hay.

MosT IF those who read the dispatch
announcing the death of Thomas Todd
Lincoln will never think of the we'll
grown young gentleman who died on Sat.
urday at Chicago The name of "Tad !"
"a pet name given by himself with his
first stammering utterances and adopted
by his fond parents and the world-re
calls the trickey little sprite who gave to
that sad aud solemn White House Of the
great war the only comic relief it knew.
The years that have followed, spent in
study and travel, produced an entirely diff
ferent person. The Tad Lincoln Of our
history ceased to exist long ago. The
modest ard cordial young fellow who
passed through New York few weeks
ago with his mother will never be known
outside of the circle of his mourning
friends But Little Tad" will be re-
membeeed as long as any live who bore q
personal share in the great movement
whose center for four years was at Wash
ington.
IL. was SO full of life and vigor-so
bubbling over with health and high spirits,
that he kept the house alive with his
pranks and his fantastic enterprises. He
was always chartered ibertine," and
after the death of his brother Willie, q
prematurely serious and studious child,
and the departure of Robert for college,
he installed himself as the absolute tyrant
of the Executive Mansion. He was idol
lied by both his father and mother, petted
and INDUCED by his teachers, and tawned
upon and carcssed by the nolsome horde
of Off ,e-seekers that infest the ante-rooms
of the White House. He had
very bad opinion of books, and no opinion
of decipline, and thought very little Of
any tutor who would not assist him in
yokiug his kids to a chair, or in driving
his dogs tandem over the south lawn. He
was as shrewd as he was lawless, and al
ways knew whether he could make tutor
serviceable or not. If he found one with
obstinate ideas of the superiority of gram
mar to kite flying as an intellectual en-
ployment, he soon found means of getting
rid of him He had so much to do that
hs felt he could not waste time in learning
to spell Early in the morning you could
hear his shrill pipe resounding through
the dreary corridors of the Executive res
.dsnce The day passed in rapid sue
cession of plots and connections, and
when the President laid down his weary
pen toward midnight, he generally found
his infant goblin asleep under his table or
roasting his curly head by the open fire.
place; and the tall chief would pick up
the child and trudge off to bed with the
drowsy little burden on his shoulder,
STOPPING under the doors and dodging the
chandeliers. The President took infinite
comfort in the childs rude health, fresh
fun, and uncomfortable boisterousness.
He was pleased to see him growing up in
ignorance of books, but with singularly
accurate ideas of practical matters. He
was fearless rider, while yet 30 small
that his legs stuck out horizontally from
the saddle. He had that power of tanning
and attaching animals to himself, which
seems the special gift of kindly and un-
lettered nature "Let him run" the easy
going President would say, she has time
enough yet to learn his letters and get
pokey. Bob was just such rascal, and
now he is very decent boy"
1t was evident that, with all his insub-
ordination and reckless mischief, the
spoiled child was at heart of truthful and
generous nature. He treated fatterers and
office seekers with curious GOODNESS and
contempt, but he often espoused the cause
of some poor widow or tattered soldier
whom he found waiting in the ante rooms
and it was most amusing to see the hearty
little fellow dragging his shabby protegei
into the Executive presence, ordering the
ushers out of the way, and demanding
immediate action from headquarters. Tht
President rarely refused grace of thil
kind, and the demands were not so fre
quent as to lose the charm of novelty.
One of the tricks into which his idlenes
and his enterprise together drove him, wa
the occasion of much laugh liter to th'
judicious, and much horror to the respec
table in Washington. He invested, on,
morning, all his pocket money in buying
the stock in trade of an old woman wht
,~1A khn ~ \
made the government carpenters give hin
board and some trestles, which he Sc
up in the imposing porte-cochere of thu
W hite House, and on this rude cOunte
displayed his wares. Every office seeke
who entered the house that mornius
brought toothsome luncheon of the keel
little merchant, and when an hour afte
the opening of the booth q membe
of rhe household discovered tn
young pastryman the admired center of
group OF grinning servants and toadies, h
had filled his pockets and his hat witt
currency, the spoil Of the American pub
lie. The juvenile operator made livel,
work of his ill-gotten gains, however, ant
before night was penniless again.
Although still mere child at the deat1
of his falher. this terrible shock great,
sobered and steadied him. His brothe
Robert at once took charge of his educa
ton, and he made rapid progress up tt
the time of his sailing for Europe with hi
mother He has ever since remained witt
her, displaying thoughtful devotion ant
tenderness beyond his years, and strangel,
at variance with the mischievous thought
lessnes of his childhood. He came bacl
short while ago, greatly improved by hi
residence abroad, but always the sam
cordial, frank, warm hearted boy. In hi
loss the already fearfully bereaved famil
will suffer new and deep affliction, an
the world, which never did and never vii
know him, will not withhold tribute Q
regret for the child whose. gayety an
affection cheered more than anything els
the worn and weary heart of the grea
President throunh tho toilaor,na uaora q