The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-04-13
A VALUABLE SOUVENIR.
A Sketch OF Abrah M Lincoln, Written
by Himself.

/
by Himself.
From the Bloomington Oily Pantagraph.
An interesting and valuable manu-
script of President Lincoln is In the
possession of Mr.. Jesse W. Fell, Oh
Norman, The circumstances under
which it was written were these: 1t was
suggested to Mr.. Lincoln in the latter
part of 1850, by Mr.. Fell and others,
that he might become an available Re-
publican candidate for the Presidency
in 1860, but it was long while before
Lincoln would believe that he could
become prominently before the conven-
ton, inasmuch as Seward, Cameron,
| Banks and others, vino had been
prominent party leaders, were all
mentioned IN connection with the Office
Mr.. Fell wished to present Lincoln s
name III Pennsylvania, IN the event
of Cameron's withdraw, and requested
| Mr.. Lincoln to write a brief sketch OF
who he was, SO that aD accurate state
ment of his points as a candidate might
be placed before the people of that
State. 1t was not until after re-
peated solicitations that Lincoln re-
| sponded to the request, and when he
did in December, 1860, he sent to Mr..
Fell the manuscript re ferred to, which
is brief statement of his ancestory
and his early life, and a characteristic
OF his personal appearance.
Mr. Fell sent the document to Hon
Joseph j. Lewis, of Pennsylvania, late
Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
who, from it, prepared a sketch of Mr..
Lincoln's life and services and his
strong points as candidate for Presi.
dent. The article thus prepared, ap-
pearcd, originally In the North Ameri-
can, of Philadelphia, we believe, in
January, 1860, and was the most aecu-
rate ana comprehensive paper on the
subject that appeared. It was immedi
ately copied into all the leading jour
nails OF Pennsylvania and other eastern
either generally copied it, or obtained
their leading facts and arguments from
it. The manuscript has been II Mr.
Lewis possession until lately, when
he returned it to Nlr. Fell
OF course it was never imagined
by the writer that the paper
would ever either be published or be
seen by any person except Mr.. Fell. Il
was evidently written otf.hand, as it has
frequent interllneation and erasures
The language is therefore, his own nat
ural expressions, such rs he would Use
to a friend in private conversation
For instance, he says his parents ''were
both born in Virginia of undistinguish
ed families, second families perhaps
| should say" Further on he says
that his father moved to Spencer county,
Indiana, IN Lincoln's eighth year, where
he grew up. There were some schools, sc
called but no qualification was requir
and cipherin' to the Rule of Three. Il
a straggler, supposed to understand
Latin, happened to soiourn in the
neighborhood ne was looked upon as
a wizard
He goes on to say that he was raised
to farm work, which he continued unit
he was twenty two. His last year il
Illinois lie spent in Macon county
then he was at New Salem now MenarC
county,, Gas sort Of clerk in store
He then refers to the Black Hawk war
and to his election to the Legislature
and to Congress, winding up with tht
following sentence: eff any persona
description of me is thought desirable
it may be said-I am, in height, six fee
four inches, nearly; lean in flesh
weighing on an average $50 pounds
dark complexion, with coarse blacl
hair, and grey eyes; no other marks o
brands recollected.
| The manuscript has been neatl,
framed, and for day or two past ha
been Old exhibition. 1t is one of tn,
most valuable souvenirs Of Mr.. Lincoll
in existence, and the only thing of thu
kind he ever wrote.