, 1881-07-03
L1NCOLN'S LOVE.

i =
Mary Owens, Narrated BIZ Her Son
Extracts from Li1coI1.'s Letters.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, June 29.-To the Editor
Of the st. Joseph Gazette: In the Guzcttc of
! yesterday appears all article copied from
Chicago paper entitled abraham LincoIn's
Love-" i'll which occur some errors that AM
tempted to try to correct The article IT,
ferred to pnrports to be an Interview with
". &. Greene, with whom / am well ac-
Quainted, in which i history Of Mr. Lin
coins courtship with Mary Owens
is given. The Mary Owens referred
to i'll the interview, and who,
i'll 1910, married Jesse Vineyard. was my
mother, and, while | am not at all certain
that it is best for me to say anything, yet as
the language attributed to her is such that
no woman Of my mothers education could
have used, and as there is evidently mis-
take with reference to her engagement with
the ex-Presiuent, have concluded to send
You this communication for publication. I
sain persuaded that the correspondent OF 4
Chicago paper has not correctly reported Lis
interview with Greene, so far as correctly
expressing the replies made by Mary Owens
to Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Greene is
gentleman Of excellent sense and judg-
ment, and I know his appreciation
Of my mother and her attaiunents.
to be such that he would not
have attributed to her language even border
ing on iEilteracy. III communication to
biographer OF Mr., Lincoln, when descrip-
tion Of Mary Owens was sought for publica-
tion, Afr. Greene says of her; "She was tall,
weighed I'll pounds, and had large blue eyes,
with tho finest trimmings I ever saw. She
was joyi1l, social, loved wit and humor. had
4 liberal education, ;uld was considered
wealthy. am getting old; have seen too
much trouble to give llfe-lke picture Of
poets or romance-writers have ever, given us
q picture of /: heroine SO beautiful rs good
description of Miss Owens III 1854; would be.''
Another member Of Mr. Greene's family,
writing to the same biographef, Speaks Of her
rs livery intellectual-the most intellectual
woman he ever saw"
/ will be pardoned for having referred to
these opinions to show that whatever Mary
Owens. who died in 1871. said to Lincoln, she
probably addressed him III good English, and
Mr. Greene is doubtless Incorrectly reported |
i'll this particular.
But the real purpose Of this communica-
tioal is to correct tile mistake III the article to
which reference has been made, SO far as it |
reates to the engagement OF AIr. Lincoln. I |
often heard my mother speak, before her |
death, of her acquaintance With this man who |
subsequently becnnle so distinguished. She |
always spoke Of him as Il man Of the kintlest |
said that size learned uI'un one occasion, when |
Dir. Lincoln was crossing prairie, he came |
to whtre 4 hog yta; lnred down. lie had on |
his best suit Of clothes, and resolved at first |
that he would pass by without helping the
gone little ways he looked back, and the
poor creature. seemed to say: s'Tt1erc now,
my last hope is gone" lie could steel lis |
!eart no longer, but got down and released |
the tlou1lderlng anillal from its difficulty,
and then went on his way with soled hands
and clothes She also spoke OF him as man
If fine common SENSE But, though, she ad-
nlred the man for bis many sterling quail
les of head and heart, yet in person and gait
he nicer and more delicate attentions Of man
o woman lie was SO defective, that she could
not love him.
It was in lssG, while Mary Owens was yis-
lols, that Mr.: Lincoln became acquainted
Sitl her, and finally i'll 1877 he offered her
lis hand and heart in marriage. lie pre-
entetl his suit with frankiless and ca1,dor
a WITH 5;ncefy ef ;, OF rpo that Wfrs
making this proposal, and after all intima-
ion that his suit would probably be unavai-
mr., Nj. LINCOLN Went to Springfield, ILL.,, as
member OF the Legislature If that State;
rom whence ilc wrote Mary Owens i letter,
lated May, 1881, w!lici, letter and others
rom the same writer are still among the
'aptrs be!unsinI to the estate Of my mother.
/ part OF tlllt letter reads lis follows:
wv latever woman casts llcr1Ot with mine, |
h0uld any ever d. SO, it is my Intention to
q all in my power to make her happy and
ontentcd; AMI there is nothing can mag
nc that would make nc more unhappy than
0 fail it the effort. / know l would be |
luch happier with. you than the way am,
rOylded l saw no signs OF discomfort in you t
What you have said to me may lave been III
he why Of Il jest, or / may have ,,.isuntler-
TODD il. II SO, then let it be forgotten; it
therwise, much wish you would think |
criouSly before yon decide. For my part, |
ave ALREADY decitIed. What I have said l |
ill most positively ab1d: BY. provided sou
'islt it. Ny opinion Is that sou latl better
t, it. You haze not been accustomed to
ardship, AMI If may bc more severe than
ou now imagine. knnw you are capable
thinking correctly on any subject; and il |
on deliberate lnaturely OH this before you
nally declde. then ain willing to abide
our decision"
After Afr. Lincoln's offer Of marriage had
ecn declined, under date of Aug 1G 1851,
c again wrote to Mary Owens as follows: J:
'' You will ITO doubt think it strange that |
lould write sou letter OH the same day on | :
hic}1 we parted; and I can only account ,
n it by supposing that seeing you lately !
akes 1ne think of you more than usual; !
lille at our late meeting We had but few |