The National tribune., 1882-08-12
MRS. LINCOLN'S AMBITION
Her Determination to Become the Wife of a PR.
dent OF the United States.

dent of ihe United States.
The correspondent of PHILADELPHIA pare,
writing fram Greenbrier White SutDbr,
Springs, Va, tells an interesting story Of Ms
Lincoln's girl-life, courtship and MARRIAGE Fro
says
Although Mrs. LincoIn's illness ,r,. ~.
known here, her name uss ,,o,,+io...,I l''
pi'asaii1 Parior conversation between ladies one
/ evening last week, and some interesting ra-
Ii'ni'cehceS oil her were given by Mrs. William
FIeSton' OF Lexington, Ky, who when = ro,,,,,,
sIrl' MISS Wlckiffe, was well acouainte,i 'v,-S
Mary Todd, for both were then Iivi,,,ir, r..
lngton. Mrs. Preston said that Miss rold r..
| always insisted when quite vou.g oirI tLat
her husband would be President Of IT, Ir,,;.os
states, and as she did not then appear to ha o,,
who would attract the attention of vor,,,,,o-.
not being as handsome as most of her conr.,,,-
IONS. many OF the latter would laugh at nor
prediction. While she was still voune sba CO
into girlish pet with her family and anno,,-,.-
ed that she was going to make her home u-.s,
her sister, Mrs. Edwards, in Springfield, Ill.
and declared that she would yet be the wife OF
the President OF the United States and triumph
over those who had opposed her.
She went, and was courted by both Stepben
A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, and accepAa
the latter. After becoming engaged to him sss
wrote to her friend, Miss Wicklife, playful
description of the man of her choice, mentio-,-
ing his unprepossessing appearance and awll-
Wardness, and with merry appreciation of Tire
humor of the prediction, again said: "By>sI
mean to make him President of the United
ha W, IL
ways told you, viii yet be the Presidents
Vile" Years afterwards, in fact not more tim
ten or twelve years ago, in looking over the
papers OF his father-in-law, Governor Wick
hne, who had just died, General Preston came
across letter indorsed in Governor WickIiffes
handwriting, The most remarkable letter ever
written by one girl to another This pro-,od
TO be the identical letter written by Mary Todd
In regard TO her betrothed-Abraham Lincoln.
When General Preston showed it to his wife,
she said she supposed that after reading it she
mad thrown it carelessly down on her fathers
desk, attaching no importance to it. but lie.
picking it up, was so impressed by it that he in
dorsed it as quoted above, and laid it away
among his papers, to be found after the girlish
prophecy had been fulfilled. Mrs. Lincoln's
talent for matchmaking did not end with her.
self, for it was she who picked out Mary Har-
Ian, the daughter Of the Senator from Iowa. for
her son Robert, and seeing her one evening ct
the opera, remarked, az should like Robert to
marry just such girl as that Her husband,
who heard her say it, then observed to Mr..
Sumner, MY wife is great match maker.
She will make q match between Harlan's
daughter and Bob; see if she don't.n
subsequently Mrs. Lincoln sent Miss Harlan
a bouquet and began cultivating her acquaint-
ance and throwing her son and the young lady
together. Meantime the young people had met
at a hop at the National Hotel in Washington,
and soon became interested in each other. That
was in the spring of 1865. Their marriage
however, did not occur until September, 1867 or
1861 think the latter year-and the only
time Mrs. Abraham Lincoln has visited Wash
ington since her removal from the White
House after her husbands assassination was
when she attended her sons wedding there.
She has always been fond of his wife, even
since she has been offended with him, and
Mrs. Robert Lincoln visited her last winter,
and has done every yrar when her mother
in-law has been in this country. Presidenr
Lincoln also was attracted by Miss Harlan, and
was told by one who knows, and who spoke of
it to me in Washington in the spring, that he
had before his death decided to take Mr. Har-
Ian into his cabinet, and it was playfully said
that 1t was the possibility of match between
their children which first suggested the idea to
him.