Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-06
Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood.

From ths Charleston Neics and Courier.
well, he was at this time not grown,
only six feet two inches high said Den
MS T. Hanks, cousin Of Abraham Lincoln.
"He was six feet four and one-half inches
when grown-tall, lathy and gangllng-
not much appearance, not handsome, not
ugly, but peculiar. This kind OF a fellow
II a man rode up horseback, Abe would
be the first one out, up on the fence and
asking questions, till his father would
give him knock side o. the head; then
ned 90 and throw at snow birds or suthin',
but pOnderin' all the while"
"Was he active and sirOngP
"He was that. ! was ten year older,
but l couldn't rassle him down. His legs
was too long for me to throw him. He
would fling one foot upon my shoulder and
make me swing corners swift, and his
arms so long ard strong. My, how he
would chop. His AK would fash and bite
into a sugar tree or sycamore. and down
it would come. II you heard him falln'
trees in a clearin' you would say there
were three men at work by the way trees
fell. But be never was sassy or quarrel
some. I've seen him walk into a crowd
OF sawin' rowdies, and tell some droll yarn
and bust them all up. 1t was the same
when he was a lawyer; all ewes whenever
he rz were on him; there was a suthin'
pecularsome about him."
"What did you teach him 10 write
with"
sometimes he would write with piece
Of charcoal, or the pint Of burnt stick.
on the fence or floor. We got little pa
per at the country town, and / made ink
out Of the blackberry briar root and put
little cOpperas in IL. IL was black, but
the copperas would eat the paper after
awhile. made his first pen out OF a tur-
key buzzard's feather them's good Tor
pens. We had no geese them days. After
DC learned TO write be was scrnwlln' his
name everywhere; sometimes he would
write IL on the white sand down by the
crick bank, and leave II till The fresh
would blot II out"
All, Dennis, that name is written now,
not IN sand; high on the herOicfOil IN Lib
erty's proud temple, above the names Of
All save one. Next u the name OF the inn
mortal Washington blazes the signature
OF the blameless ruler and matchless man.
Abraham Lincoln. That plain name is
now a kinglier title than IA worn on earth
Yes, that's so, and rightly, TOO. Not for
his greatness: be was not the Greatest
man that ever lived, but be Was the hon
estest. reckon he never did a mean act.
! could see be didn't know how, an he
never learned.
Ibid you have any idea Of his future
greatnessY
mo; 1t was new country and be was
raw boy; rather a bright and likely lad.
but the big world seemed tar ahead OF
him. We were all sloW-goin' folks, but
he had IL In HIM, though we never sus.
pected It,"
Did he take 10 books eagerlyY"
mo; we had 10 hire him first. But when
be got "a taste Il was the old story-we had
TO pun the sow's ears 10 get her 10 tho
trough and pull her tail TO gct her away.
lie read q great deal and bad wonder.
tul memory wonderful Never forgot
anything
What church did Abe aiteudy
"Ihe Baptist. lill tell YOU "a cirrum.
stance about him. lie would come home
from church and put a box IN the MIDDLE
OF the cabin floor, aud repeat the sermint
from text 10 doxology I've heard him do