Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-03-29
REV ANECDOTES OF LINCOLN.

i =
| uteS much pleasant gossip OF personal
nature as to the home and Office life of
Mr.. Lincoln, and adds several new anec-
| dotes to the large stock already in the
hands Of the public. Mr.. Brooks knew
Lincoln In 1856, and followed him
through the political campaign of that
year. He went to Washington In 1862
and. renewed the old acquaintance. Up
to the day of the Presidents death Mr.
Brooks had the privilege of his intimate
acquaintance, and, he talks as the inti-
mate friend Of the most momentous Pc
Rod in the Presidents life.
Speaking of the care which Mr.. Lin
coin bestowed upon his messages and
letters, Mr.. Brooks says the same care
was given to his speeches. He seemed
afraid Of being betrayed into using un-
dignifed expressions when called out
without due preparation. In the follow
ing anecdote Mr.. Lincoln states his own
case and makes it clear
Once, being notified that he was to be
serenaded Just after some notable mill
taTy or political event, he asked me to
come to dinner, SO as to be on hand and
see the fun afterward," as he said He
excused himself as room as we had dined,
and, while the bands were playing, the
crowds cheering, and the rockets burst
ing outside the house, he made his reap
pearance in the parlor with q roll of
manuscript in his hand. Perhaps MOTTO
ing 3 look of surprise ON my face be said
Il know what you are thinking about.
You think it mighty queer that an old
stump-speaker like myself should not be
able to address a crowd like this Outside
without written speech. But you must
remember am, in certain way, talking
70 the country, and I have to be very
careful. Now, the last time made an
of-hand speech, in answer to serenade,
/ used the phrase, as applied to the reb-
els, turned tail and ram Some very
nice Boston folks, am gTieved to hear,
were very much outraged by that phrase,
which they thought improper, SO 1 re-
olved to make no more impromptu
speeches if could help it. Subsequent
", learned that it was Senator Sumner
who had given voice to the complaint of
the mice Boston folks" and with consid-
erable emphasis.
But the story as to the speech itself
and of how Little Tad waved the wrong
flag is as good as the "turned tail and
ran" business. We have, with the glimpse
Of the crowd outside, this little peep be-
hind the scenes:
Hearing the speech from the inside of
the White House was like seeing play
from behind the scenes. The immense
concourse In front of the house was illu-
minated by fireworks. The air was rent
with the noise of cheering music, and
exploding rockets and bombs. Just as
we went up stairs, an unusual yell, min
gled with laughter and cheers, caused
the President to pause and ask what that
might be. Little Tad, then about eleven
years old, delirous with excitement, had
seized a-captured rebel flag which had
been given him, and leaning as far out
of the window as possible, was waving
it with might and main, to the wonder
and delight of the crowd beneath. At
that moment old Edward, the faithful
door-keeper, in great CONSERVATION, seiz-
ed the lad by the ampler portion Of his
small trousers and plucked him from the
window sill. HoWling with anger he
fed to his father, who had scarcely COM
posed his laughing features when he ad-
vanced to the large, open window over
the main entrance, When Lincoln be-
gan to read his speech, he held candle
in his left hand and his manuscript in
his right hand, but, speedily becoming
embarrassed with the difficulty of man
aging the candle and the speech, he made
q eomical motion with his left foot and
elbow, which construed to mean that I
should hold his candle for him, which
did. As he read, he dropped his slips
Of manuscript on the floor, and Tad, sour
rying about, gathered them up as they
drifted away, ike big butterflies from
the Presidents hand. After the speech
tremendously. the President. who CON
tinued to stand at the window, said, adj
dressing his candle-bearer: 'sThat was
a pretty fair speech, L think, bnt You
threw some light on il.
Many persons have spoken of Mr.. Lin
coins shreWdness and cunning, of his
honesty and kindness of heart, and have
illustrated these traits of character by
anecdotes; but no one has illustrated in
better way than Mr.. Brooks the ele-'
ment Of simplicity IN the mans charac-
ter which SO many Of his friends have
said was almost childlike:
Unless very much preoccupied, ne new
.er heard any reference to anything that
be did not understand without asking
further information. "What do you sup
pose makes that tree grow in that way ?"
he would ask, and he was not satisfied
until he had found out, Or he would
take one of his boys toys to pieces, find
out how it was made, and put it together
again. 'oTad, !" as his youngest boy was
called, on more than one occasion had
cause TO bewail, loudly, his fathers Gu
riosity. One day we were looking at
photograph of the President, taken in
sitting position, with the legs crossed.
Enceln's attention was attracted to the
foot Of the leg which was crossed above
the other, and he said, Now, l can un-
derstand Why that foot should be so
enormous lisa big foot, anyway, and
It is near the focus of the instrument.
But Why is the outline of it 30 indistinet
and blurred / am conf e. did not
move it.o studied it for moment, and
told him that probably the throbbing
of the large arteries inside of the bend
of the knee caused an. almost impercep-
tible motion. The President, very much
interested in the discovery, as he called
II. Immediately took the position of the
figure in the picture, and, narrowly
watching his foot, exclaimed, EThat's III
thatsitf Now, that's very curious, isn't
itFi Similarly, when somebody told
him ofthe Somewhat fantastic derivation
81 q word. he said. Now, that is very
queer, and | shall never say capricious
again without thinking Of the skipping
Of a goat"
Lincoln particularly liked joke at the
expense of the dignity Of some high civil
or military official. One day, not long
before his second Inauguration, he asked
me If had heard about Stanton's meet
ing picket on Broad river, South Caro-
ma, and then told this story: General
Foster, then at Port Royal, escorted the
Secretary mp the river, taking a quarter.
maste-'s tug. Reaching the outer lines
on the river, picket roared from the
bank, What have you got on board that
tugr The severe and dignifed answer
Yves, The Secretary of War and Major
General Foster Instantly the picket
] rnanad hack. lWe'Ye got Maior-G Generals