The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-08-26
LINOOLN's UOURTsH1P.
"reminiscences Of His Engage.
ment to Mary Todd.

The body Of Mrs. Lincoln lay
peacefully III the little room ut her
sisters house, and just within the
door leading to the room where the
marriage ceremony was performed
which made her the wife OF the
martyr President whose tomb, at Oak
Ridge Cemetery, IL the Mecca Of 10
many patriotic pilgrims.
The curious circumstance Of the
courtship, marriage and death 0c-
curing In the same house, has al
ready revived some curious relni-
uiscences. An old, lifetime friend
Of Iincoln's says the story In some
aspects 10 amusing; In others very
SAL. Il Is substantially this: Mary
Told bad . stcp-lnother at her home
III Lexington, n.y., with whom she
cO;,ld not agree, and consequently
she came. in lS:;9, to live with her
sister IN this city, the wife Of Hon.
Ninian ". Edwards. Mr.. Lincoln
vas then rising in the legal profession,
aud in the political field he had no
local superiOrs. Miss Todd was
aristocratic, . kentuckisn through,
and through, and It became . common
opinion among the neighlors that
they would make q splendid match.
Soon Miss Todd came to the same
conclusion the neighLors hal already
reached. Stephen 4. douglas was
one of her suitOrs at this time, but
She objected to his morals, aud said
that, at any rate, she wanted to mar
~ some one who had Il chance of l,e-
ing President.
Finally, she and Lincoln were en-
gagged and their marriage was under
stood to be only u question Of little
time, awaiting the arrival Of Con-
venient season, when u sister M Mr..
Edwards came to pay him y visit.
She was . confessed beauty, and he-
fore long Lincoln was head over ears
in love with her. Lincoln tried to
fight against the new tame. but it
burned in his heart as on an alter. At
last he wrote letter to send 10 Marys
telling her the state Of his feelings;
but the late Joshua F. Speed. the
most intimate friend Lincoln ever
had, got the letter from him and made
hin. sgree to 20 to Mary. like q man.
aud tell her the trouble. She heard
his story and promptly agreed to re-
lease him from his engagement, hut
the leave-taking was rather tender,
and broke Lincoln all up. lie re-
Turned to his Office, but could not 20
to work. He dropped about for
several days, and shortly Mr.. Speed
discovered that re was probably In
danger of committing suicide. Mrs.
Edwards says that for time this love
affair actually drove him crazy, aud
in order to wean him from his nlelan-
chuly, Speed closed out his own busi-
ness in Springfield. aud he and
went together to Kentucky
and spent almost = year there before
the latter recovered his ordinary
and equanimity.
Some days before starting on the
trip, Mr.. Lincoln wrote q curious !
article on the subject Of ''Suicide," !,
and published 1t IN the Illinois Mate !;
Journal. A search In the bound dies :
Of that paper reveals the fact that the .
article is nearly all cut ont, and it IL /
surmisetl that, later in his life, MI. !
had himself undertaken to
destroy It, 20 that 1t might DO for
gotten.
On Mr.. Lincoln's return frens the
Kentucky trip, the courtship went on
say clandestfnely-for
! time, and On the afternoon Of No.
rember 1, lSl2, he said to his ffiendJ.
H. Natheney (still living In this
'ityl: "Jim. I'm going TO marry the
yirl'', and they were married that
nG.-Hndi0nNp0kie Jo,srn0i.