Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-06-14

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and came to spend year with her broth
er. She was very fair, and soon was
the reigning belle. No sooner did Lin
coin know her than he felt his heart
change. The other affair, according to
the Edwardses, according to Stuart, ac-
cording to Herndon, according to Lin
cold and everybody else, was "policy
match" but this was love. For awhile
he evidently tried hard to go on as be-
fore, but his feelings we're too strong to
be concealed. Mr.. Edwards endeavored
to reconcile matters by getting his sister
to marry Speed; but the rebellious beau
ty refused Speed incontinently Gas she
did Douglas too) and married Mr.. Schuy
Ter Strong. Poor Lincoln never whis-
pered word of his passion to her his
high sense of honor prevented that, and
perhaps she would not have listened to
him if it had been otherwise. AT length
after long reflection, in great agony of
spirit, Mr.. Lincoln concluded that duty
required him TO make a candid state
ment of his feelings to the lady who was
entitled to his hand. He wrote her a
letter, and told her gently but plainly
that he did not love her. He asked
Speed to deliver it but Speed advised
him to burn it. :" If you think you have
will and manhood enough to go and see
her, and speak to her what you say in
that letter, you may do that" Lincoln
went to see her forthwith, and reported
to Speed. He said, that, VIII en- he made
his somewhat startling communication,
she rose and said, "The deceiver shall
be deceived; woe is me I" alluding to a
young man she had fooled. Mary told
him she knew the reason of his change
of heart, and released him from his en-
gagement. Some parting endearments
took place between them, and then. as
the natural result of those endearments,
reconciliation.
We quote again from Mrs. Edwards: :
"Lincoln and Mary we're engaged ev-
erythiDg was ready and prepared for the
marriage, even to the supper Mr.. Lin
coin failed to meet his engagement
Cause, insanity In his lunacy he de-
clared he hated Mary and loved Miss
Edwards. This is true, yet it was not
his real feelings. A crazy man hates
those he loves when at himself Often,
| often, is this the case. The world had it
that Mr.. Lincoln backed out, and this
placed Mary in a peculiar situation =
and to set herself right and free Mr..
Lincoln's mind, she wrote letter to Mr..
Lincoln, stating that she would release
him from his engagement The
whole of the year was crazy SPELL
Miss Edwards was at our house, say
year. | asked Miss Edwards If Mr..
Lincoln ever mentioned the subject of
his love to her. son my word, he new
er mentioned such subject to me; he
never even stopped to pay me a compli-
ment."
In the language of Mr.. Edwards,
Lincoln went as crazy as loon," and
was taken to Kentucky by Speed, who
kept him until he recovered. He did
not attend the Legislature in 1912 for
this reason. Mr.. Herndon devoutly be-
lieves that Mr.. Lincoln's insanity grew
out OF a most extraordinary complica-
tion OF feelings, aversion to the mar
riage proposed, counter-attachment to
Miss Edwards, and new access of un-
speakable tenderness for the memory of
Ann Rutledge,-the old love struggling
with new one, and each sending to his
heart sacrifcial pang as he thought of
his solemn engagement to marry a third
person. At all events, Mr.. Lincoln's
derangment was nea rly, if not quite
complete. We had to remove razors
from his room," says Speed, take away
all knives, and other dangerous things.
1t was terrible" And now Speed de-
termined to do for him what Bowling
Green had done on similar occasion at
New Salem. Having sold out his store
on the first of January, 1871, he took
Mr.. Lincoln with him to his home in
Kentucky, and kept him there during
most of the summer and fall, or until he
seemed sufficiently restored to be given
his liberty again at Springfield, when he
was brought back to his old quarters
During this period, he was at times
very melancholy" and, by his own ad-
mission, "almost contemplated self-de-
struction." 1t was about this time that
he wrote some gloomy lines under the
head of suicide" which were published
in the Sangamon Journal. Mr.. Hern-
don remembered something about them !:
but when he went to look for them in the
Office file of the journal, he found them
neatly cut out" supposed to have been
done" says he "by Lincoln" Among
other things, he told Speed, referring
prohohlx- h.