St. Landry democrat., 1879-10-25
One OF LiaaCOHn'S Stories.
Chicago 1'iines.l

There was a certain Missouri regi-
ment commanded by Gen. Fisk. 1t
was largely composed of those chaps
picked up on the leyee of st. Louis ;
rough, uncouth, ready for almost any
thing, in a word, but good hearted fel
lows. Gen. Fisk was pious and good
man. He found he was the colonel of
the profancst regiment in the whole
army. After he had been with them
long enough to find them out, and they
to find him out, he called them together
once and said: Now, want to make
one proposition to you. One of the
first orders that General Washington
issued to his army WAS one against pro-
family. Now, don't intend to issue
any order OF that kind, but intend to
let you vote about it. an the colonel
Of this regiment, and am going to do
all the swearing for it.
Now, will you agree by n vote that
you will not swear, but will leave me TO
do all the swearing" The boys voted
that they would do it. and there was a
diminution in the swearing Of that
regiment for some time. But one night
there was n Kentucky mule driver
and I can tell sou a Kentucky mule
driver can swear some. His six mule
team got stalled just as he was confng
up with the generals tents and head
quarters articles, and the stream OF
profanity that poured out of tho mouth
Of that Kentucky mule-drivcr really
freighted and bur.1ened the air. After
it was all over Fisk called him to his
tent. lie said to the soldier, Don't
yuu know that it was agreed by vote
of the regiment that was to do all the
swearing OF the regimente' Yes
said the man. "Well, here you are
swearing loud enough to he heard
through all the surrounding campe."
"That's all right, colonel; that's all
right" said the man. 81 know we
voted that way, but the swearing had
to be done then and you were not
there One day in the lecture room
in Washington city, among the winters
of 1854 and 1866, Col. Fisk told that
story in little lecture. Abraham Lin
coin was sitting, on one OF the front
seats with his fiand clasped over his
knee, enjoying it very much, and
laughed at it as he would at any good
anecdote. 1t happened that there
came to him an unfortunate old lady,
who said she must talk with tile presi-
dent. She told him her son in the
East. Finn, who had gone into the
Union army, when coming near bis
home. had gone off to visit his mother.
IL perhaps, his sweetheart, aud the
army, instead OF marching on in the
direction be thought it would, took
another route, and he was gone three OF
four weeks.
He was finally arrested as deserter,
convicted and sentenced to be executed.
There had been a good deal of that
sort of thing. There must he no more
of this weak-hearted p9licy. She told
her story, and Lincoln says: There
is 4 good deal i'll this; give me the pit
pers you have; / sympathNe with. you,
and will take the papers and ask the
secretary of war, Et.nton, to look into
it, and we will see What No gan. do for
You" "But,'' says she, the execution
takes place next Friday, and you must
give me the pardon now Why
said Lincoln, THAT reminds me OF g
little story and then he went on and
told her tile wilqle story, and the poor
woman stood there while be told the
story | have been telling you. after
en;osing the story as Lincoln did, he
picked up 81, old, yellow envelope and
wrote on it 81 Jet John Thomss be par
doned,' and sent 1t to the w2rH depart
ment, and the mother was happy.