Daily Republican., 1885-06-15

The MAN who Taught Min to
Road adds Another Chapter 20
HIS WOnderfui History.

AmO ua0 WmO 10UBmU nI@ 10
Read adds Another Chapter TO
HIS WOnderful History.
From the Charleston News and Courier.
Dennis Hanks. of Paris, Illinois, 10 .
cousin of Abraham Lincoln. Uncle
Dennis is typical kontuckian, born in
Hardin County, 1893. To our query he
replied cheerily:
" Certainly, certainly, sir. I'll talk
to you about Aba 1 kin talk, too,
bein' as pm the only livin' man that
knows all about him.
him 2"
About "a hours-hardly that. I
rikkilect run all the way-over two
miles-to see Nancy Hanks baby boy.
Twas common then for connections to
gether In them days to see new babies.
Her name wAs Nancy Hanks before
she married Thomas Lincoln. held
the weo one minute. was 10 years
cid, Aad 1t tiekled mo 70 bold the red, !,
little Lincoln"
when did you move to Indiana 2"
When Abe was about Q. Mr.. Lin
coin moved first, and built camp OF
brush In Spencer County. We came
out q year later, and then he had q
cabin up, and he gave US the shanty.
On this spot Abe grew to manhood"
How far apart were your cabins 2"
About fifteen rods. Abe killed q
turkey the day We got there, and
couldn't get thro' tellin' about 1t. The
folks then. We was all unedducated.
After spell We learned better. /
taught him to read, spell. and cipher.
He knew his letters pretty wellish, but
no more. His mother taught him his
letters. II ever there was good wo-
man on earth, she was one, . true
christian Of the Baptist church but
she died soon after we arrived, and left
him without teacher his father
couldn't read . word"
=" Is 1t possible he had no school.
ing 2" %, ,. 49,. -
that. l then set in to help him l
didn't know much, but did the best
l could"
"What books did he read 2"
Webster's speller. When 1 got
him through that l only had a copy OF
Indiana statutes. Then he got hold OF
Ia book ; l can't rikkilect the name
ct was in it. 1t told q yarn about
a feller, q Niger OF suthin', that sailed
q tiatboat up to q rock, and the rock
was magnetized and drawed the nails
out of his boat, and he got q duckin',
or drowned, or suthin', l forget now.''
" That Is the story Of sinbad in the
Arabian Nights"
That's It, that's the book. Abe
would lay on the floor with q chail
under his head an laugh over them
Il Rabian Nights by the hour. 1 told
him 1t was likely lies from end to end
but he learned to read right we'll in it. >
| Had he any other books ?"
Yes, borrowed for him the Lif,
Of Washington and the Speeches o
h enry Clay They had . powerful
Influence on him. He told me after
wards in the White House he wanted
to live like Washington. His speeche
show that, but the other book did oh,
crat like his father and all of us, wheI
he began to read 1t. When he closed /
he was q Whig, heart and soul, and b
went step by step until he becam
leader of the Republicans"
will you describe him when
boy Iv.u gn :. 80. :. 49,. .,o -
grown, only ak feet two inches high
He was six feet four and q half inche
when grown-tall, lathy and ganglin
mot much appearance, not handsome
mot ugly, but peculiar. This kind of
fellow If man rode up horseback
Abe would be first out, up on the fence
and asking questions, till his fathe
would give him q knock side o. tn
head, then he'd 20 throw at snow bird
or suthin', but ponderin' all the while.
Was he active and strong?"
"He was that. 1 was ten year
older, but could't rassle him dowr
His legs were too long for me to thro,
, him. He would fling one foot upon m
, shoulder, and make me swing corner
. swift, and his arms 30 long and strong
! My, how he could chop! His Ak
would fash andsbite into sugar tire
or sycamore, and down it would com,
If you heard him fallin' trees in
clearin' you would say there were thrs
a men at work by the way trees fell. b,
, he never was sassy or Quarrelsom
= I've seen him walk into q crowd
= sawin' rowdies, and tell some dro
! yarns and burst them all up. It W,
the same when he WAS q lawyer q
q Ieyes whenever he riz we're on hin
q there was a suthin' peculiarsome abol
!, him."
What did you teach him to wri
: with ?''
Sometimes he would write with
Ipiece Of charcoal, or the plat of
burnt stick, on the fence or floor. w
got little paper at the county towi
!. and / made Ink out of black berry bril-
root and little copperas In 1t. 1t W,
black, but the copperas would eat Il
!. paper after while. l made his fir
! pen out Of q turkey buzzard fea thel
them's good for pens. We had no gee
+ them days"
Did ne take to books eagerly ?"
No We had TO hire him at fit
But when he got taste 1t was the o
!. story-we had to pull the sow's ears
get her to the trough and pull her ts
to get her away. He had read q gre
deal and had q wonderful memory
Q wonderful. Never forgot anything
It What church did Abe attend ;
The Baptist. I'ntell you the ci
. cumstances about him. He wou
J. come home from church, and put b<
9 in the middle OF the cabin floor, al
o lrepete sermint from text to doxolog
II I've heard him do it often.''
WAS he a religious man ?''
"Well, he wasn't in early life q
lligious man. He was q moral m,
: tstrictly-never went to frolics, nev
K drank liquor, never used tobacco, nev
,- Iawore. But In after life he becan
J. more religious, but the Bible puzzl,
II him, especially the miracles. He oft.
|. asked me in the mber, or sittin' arour
@ the fireplace nights, to explain Scri
!, ture. He never Joined any church
y any secret order.
gl How did he fare for food and clot'
d ling?''
Plenty, as it was--corn dodge