The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-08-10

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HER
MENrAi CONDITION AID pAs-
~ HABITS



\ writer from Springfield, IIis 10
the Cincinnati C9mmerciai, speaking
Of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. says:
Her general h,sll'', IS good for
one OF her age, i..a ,.e promises
fairly to reach tire, scarc and ten.
But her mental strangcness will prob
ably also last as long MS her body,
though there Is no indication Of its
ever assuming violent form. She
has Just let herself out from contin-
uous, self-inflicted confinement in
an upper room during six months
and more. Not even the kindest
sisterly entreaty could persuade her
feet TO cross the chamber threshold
till one morning early she descend
ed the stairs, attired in pink silk
and French laces, and scolded her
servant for not having breakfast
ready. "A pretty hotel, said she
scornfully, to keep guests waiting
for meals until after train time Of
course, the kitchen maid went near
ly daft herself at sight of this guest,
and went TO apprise her mistress
that Mrs. Lincoln had turned over a
new leaf; and sure enough, on re-
turning to the kitchen, the maid
found that this strange guest had
no thought Of taking the train on
an empty stomach, but had turned
the steak in the boiler, and was re-
moving the jackets from the boiled
potatoes with all the housewiiely
skill of her early days.
"She reconciles i'll health and
hearty eating by insisting, to the few
friends whom she admitted, that
malady was very peculiar one,
compelling her to consuming large
quantities of food. She would rise
from repast of roast beet, coffee,
&c, and very dejectedly inform her
attendant, or visitor, that in all hu-
man probability she would notseet the
light of another day; and often, in
literal veriiication of her prophecy,
she would close the window shut
ters, increase the opaqueness Of the
curtains by pinning up shawls or
quilts, and light plain tallow can
die. She rejects the use OF gas as Of
the devil. If asked to specify where
she felt bad in body, she would re-
ply, sometimes, I'm on fire, burning
up; just feel of me, and see how hot
ann At the same time her tenn
perature would appear perfectly
normal for lady above sixty years
OF age. AT other times she would
insist that she was ''being hacked to
pieces by knives : just feel that cash
in my shoulder; don't think | can
stand such wounding long, do you?'
Yet, tender and commiserating
friends assured her that there was
no trace of blood or scar.
"But she has not smiled over con-
graduation on Roberts honorable
account. She sighs and broods
upou his official holding as a new
family risk. She often sits and re-
peats Secretary of War? Secretary
Of War? Then he'll be shot, sure !
That's always the way in war
And when told of the shooting of
the President, she manifested no
surprise, but calmly, remarked, it is
said, i told you SO; good men have
TO be shot sometimes; don't you
know how the Jews killed Christ p
She has plenty of money, but it is
in the hands of banker, and is zeal
ously guarded by family friends,
that she may not have it to lose or
squander. She has with her a great
many relics of the White House,
which she always has placed in her
chamber, and carries with her al
ways about sixty large iron-bound
trunks, filed, with dresses which
she never wears"