The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-11-29
SELECT LITERATURE.
A PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES
WHO WAS ALL HEART.
Tie Ascent of the Mountain on which Eo2h's ARK
Restel-The Mesa CountrY-k City Miracu-
lousy Wrought by Wind, Rain and Dust.

It was characteristic of the boy that hi
first essays, i'll composition, were agains
cruelty to animals. His mates were i'll tn
habit of catching the lan,l-terrapins Or tor
toises, and putting live Goals upon thei
backs, which greatly annoyed young Ahra
ham. All who knew him in boyhood or il
later life bear witness that his tenderncs
was equal to his calm courage and his IRE
mendous physical strength.
At New Orleans, in 1880, Lincoln first saw
negroes chained, lnaltreated, and whipped
Il made deep impression Oh his human
mind; and years after, he often declared tina
witnessing this cruelty first induced him Il
think slavery wrong.
ANY poor person in distress for want o
legal aid could always lind jealous frien,
in Lincoln. On one occasion a poor old ne
gro woman came to him and Mr Herndon
complaining that her son had been impriS
oned at New Orleans for simply going i'll Ii
ignorance ashore, thereby breaking a dis;
graceful law which then existed forbidden:
free men of color from other States to ente
Louisiana. Having been condemned to pa,
a fine, the poor man was about t" be sole
for slave. Mes>rs. Lincoln and Herndon
finding law of no avail, ransomed the pris
oner out Of their own pockets.
Mr.. Lincoln was Of so gentle Il disposition
that he seldom refused to sign pardon
and a weeping widow or orphan could al
ways induce him 10 pardon the worst male
factors. The manner in which he would
mingle his humorous t,lnces not only wit!
serious business. hut with almost tragic in
cidents, was very peculiar. Once poor ole
man from Tennessee called to beg for the
life of his son who was under sentence o
death for desertion He showed his papers
and the President, taking them kindly, said
he would examine them and answer the
applicant the next day. The old man in N
agony, with tears streaming, cried: " To
morrow will be too late. My son is under
sentence of death. 1t must be done now, ol
not at ALL" The President looked sympa
thetically in the old mans face, took him
by the hands and pcnsirely said; " That putt
me in mind Of a little story. Vail II hit
I'll tell it; Oncc General Fisk, of Missouri
was a colonel, and he despised swearing
When he raised lis regiment in Missouri he
proposed to his men that he should DO nj
the profanity in it. They agreed, and for :;
long time not Il solitary swear was heard
among them: hut there was an old team.
stcr named John Todd, who, one day. wLrI
driving his mules over Il very bad read, and
finding them unusually Obstinate, could not
restrain himself, and burst into Il tremendous
display of ground and lofty swearing. Thi.
was overheard by the Colonel, who ut once
brought John to book. Didn't You prom,
ise he said, Indignantly, that I was to Il,
all the swearing Of the regiment2?' 'frs,
did, Colonel, he replied, bat the truth is
the swearing. had to he done hen, or not at
all, and you weren't there to do it, Well,
continued Mr.. Lincoln, as he took up a pen
sit seems that this pardon has to he done
now, or not at all, like Todd's swearing, and
for fear Of = mistake - he added, with :
kindly twinkle i'll his eye, " guess We'll dc
it at once" Saying this, he wrote a few
lines, which caused the old nan to shed
more tears when he read them, for it con.
tanned the pardon Of his son.
Holland tells me HAT il lrrtrr 10 him g.;
friend Of iilc president wrote: = called OF
him in the earlier part of the war. He haC
just written :: pardon for 4 young man WHO
had been sentenced to be shot for sleeI,in.
ut his post as sentinel" lie remarked Il,
Ac read it to ne: g | could not 1l,ia!, o.. 90
ing into eternity with .nc blood Of that paoI
young man on my sl>irts.' Then he added
at is not to be wondered 1T, that a hoy
raised on farm, probably III the habit o
going to bed at dark, should, when required
to watch, fall aSieer. ana cannot consent
TO shoot him for such an act This story
has touching continuation in the fact thai
the dead body of the youth was found among
the slain on the field Of Frederick; Shurg
wearing next his heart y photograph Of the
great President, bcneath which was writ
ten, ';God bless President Lincoln. Ono,
when general went to Washington to urge
the execution of twcnty-tour deserterS, be
lieving that the army was in danger from
the frequency Of deSertion, President lin
coin replied: General, tIc.e are already
too :aany weeping widows in the Cnitet
States. For Gods sake don't ask me to al,
7
Mr.. Lincoln was very ingenious in find
ing reasons for being mercifn! IN one oc
casion, a yaIii,s soidios who had shown him
self very brave in war, and had been Sc
vcrrly wounded, after Il tim" deserted. He
ing recapturrd, he was under sea.o,ire o
death, and the p,'....;,toh was, Of course, pcti
toned for his pardon. The President mus"t
Solcmnly, until a happy thought strucl
him "Did you say lie Was once badly
wounded? >" he asked Of the applicant fol
the pardon. ",.r was" .'Then, ;ts the
Scripture says, in the shedding Of blood is
the remission of sins guess We'll have t
let him off this time"
w i'''SN Sl Ii.'' '''. '"''' " '-''4'''"' Nv Wv
always simply and truly a good man. III
was good father to lis children, and ;
good President to he people, whom h lovc'
as if they had been his children.
His inaugural address, short i,,t re
markable fer vgol AND very concihator,
spirit, " contained these inera orable words
with malice toward no one, with Chart.
for all, with tirmness in the right - Uo'
gives us to do the rsh,. let us strive on t
finish tie work we are in, to bind up tn
nations wounds to care for him who shall
have borne the battle, and for his widoy
and his orphans; to do all which may achiey
and cherish just and lasting Sa'',-s anon
ourselves ard viii. All nations"