The Indianapolis journal., 1885-05-03

/ Olu you nave any luea OF MS Iuture great
1 nessf
mo; it was a new country, and he was raw
boy; rather bright an likely lad. but the big
| world seemed far ahead of him. We were all
slow goin' folks, but he had it in him, though
| we never suspected it,
ssDid he take to books eagerly7n
mo, we had to hire him at first. But when
| he got taste 1t was the old story-we had to
pull the sow's ears to git her to the trough and
pull her tail to git her away. He read great
| deal and had a wonderful memory; wonderful
Never forgot anything
/ What church did Abe attendw
| "The Baptist. I'll tell you circumstance
| about him. He would come home from church
and put box in the middle of the cabin floor,
and repeat the sermint from text to doxology.
| I've heard him do it oftenr
Was he religious manF
swell, he wasn't an inidel, or anything like
that; but he wasn't in early life religious man.
| lie was moral man, strictly--never went to
| froics, never drunk liquor, never used tobacco,
never swore. But in after life he became more
religious; but the Bible puzzled him, especially
| the miracles He often asked me in the timber,
| or sittin around the fireplace nights, to
explain Scripture. He never joined any church
/ or secret order"
"How did the lad fare for food and clothingl'
Plenty. such as it was-corn dodger, and
bacon, and game some fish, and wild fruits.
I've often seen him take dodger to the field,
and gnaw at it when plowing. We had very
little wheat -four. The nearest mill was eigh-
teen miles; boss mill it was, with plug pulln'
| a sweep around; and Abe used to say his hound
could stand and eat the -four all day fast as it
was made, and then be ready for his supper.
! For clothing he had jeans; he was grown before
he wore all-wool pants"
| did you move with him to Ilnoisl"
Eyes; bought little improvement near him,
six miles from Decatur. Here the famous rails
| were split that were carried around in the cam
paign. They were called his rails; but nobody
can tell about that, ! split some Of 'em and we
helped us split. He was master hand maulin'
rails. heard him say in speech one day
about these ras-'If I didn't make these,
have made many just as good then the crowd
| yelled"
Were you his crony and companion9"
Eyes; ~as the only boy in the place, all them
years. and we was always together"
| Did you ever visit him in Washington
Certainly; there were some folks arrested in
| Charleston, and l. for their folks sake, went on
durin the war to get them free, for it was best.
got there and found the White House surround
ed with soldiers. went up to the door to go in,
and reporter (means porter) stopped me and
said, who do you want to seep said Mr..
amt the time of day yet l said, I'll show you
If can't hain't come here from Illinois for
nothin'.' He grinned and showed me the door
OF his Office. Outside was heap of fellerss
opened the door kinder soft, and
| at the other end of big room sat
Abe at an old desk worth about six bits.
'Heyv l holered, you're a pretty President,
aint yer He looked up and said, We'll, Dennis,
is that youP and made run and just gethered
me- When could git able to talk | said:
| don't want no Offs Abe He said most of em
do, Dennis and smiled kinder tired told my
errand, and he said to come up next morning and
he would fix it, We talked an hour as friendly
as ever, about longgo times, then he told me
! to go down to the house and see Mary-thats his
| wife She's dead now, poor soul. ! knowed
they was too higl-falutin' down to Marys for
me- so went to a tavern and put up. Next
morning went up and Abe had an armload Of
indictments, and he said take these over to
| Stanton and hell fix it. / said, Abe don't
know. where the plagueoned place s.' So he
| called a reporter standin by and said: Take
a tail coat, came in He didn't want to let
| 'em go; but Abe was kind and made him sign
EN-. When stanton went out l said ABE, If
! was as big as you are. would take Stanton
said. 1t is not easy to keep my Cabinet all in
| good humor' left an came home, and never
saw him again The next spring he was killed.
"When did you hear of his deaths"
| 1.-THE day after he was shot. couldn't be-
lieve it. Iwent about saying surely it amt so.
l mind it all like it was yesterday. Twenty
years did you sayY Twenty yearsl 1t all comes
back so plain o,day. A man came to my shop
dercd last night in Washington
| mist came into the bright eyes, ptiful
culver about the mouth, and Dennis stopped.
| went back IN memory to that sad April morning
| in the city of Philadelphia. We had taken seats
in the early car to ride down town. men and
| boys going to work The morning papers had
come up from town as usual, and the men un-
| rolled them to read as the started The eye
| fell on the black border and ominous column
lines. Before we could speak good Quaker at
| the head of the car broke out in horror, 'My
| God! What's thtsl Lincoln is assassinated"
Ths driver stopped the car, and came in to
hear the the awful tidings There stood the
read in the gray dawn of that Inflated day.
Men bowed their faces in their hands. ard on
the straw-covered floor hot tears fell fast.
Silently the driver took the bells from his
horses and started like hearse cityward.
What changed city since the day before!
Then all joy over the end of the civil war; now
plunged in deeper gulf of Woe The sun rose
on a. city smitten and weeping. All traffic
stood STILL. the icy hand of death lay
it gave not a throb Men stood by their
unopened stores saying, with hands on
each others shoulders, Our President is
dead" Over and over, in dazed way they
said the fateful syllables, as if the bullet that
tore through the weary brain at Washington
] had palsied the nation The mute newsboy on
the corner said never word as he handed to
| speechless buyers the damp sheets from the
| PRESS only he brushed. with unwashed hand
from his dirty cheeks the tears till the last paper
| was gone. Groups stood listening on the pave
ment with faces to the earth, while one in chok-
ing voice, read the kilograms; then with look
| they parted in unworded woe, each cursing
| bitterly in his breast the 'deep damnaton OF his
taking Off" Mill operatives clerks, workers,
school children, all came home, the falterng
voice Of the teacher telling the wondering chill
dren to ''go home, there will be no
school to-day" The housewife looked up
amazed to husband and child com
ing home The fathers face fright
ened her. and she cried: ''What is wrong hus-
bandW He could not speak the news, but the
| wee girl with the school books said: Mamma
| they've killed our President Ere noon every
house crape twas as if there lay dead
SON in every home. For hours sad group hung
around the bulletins. hoping against hope; then,
ward, saying: "When all was won, and all was
| done, then to strike him." The flags in the har.
bor fell to half-mast: the streets vera rivers of