New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-15
MRS. ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
A LETTER OF MEDICATION.
! THE REV ". W. MINER APPEALS FOR JUSTICE
FOR HIS OLD FRIEND AND NEIGHBoR-

FIR: have for some tIre felt that duty demanded
| that should write article In vinfcaion OF the
character OF my friend, and neghbor, Mrs.
Abraham Lincoln Charges false and malicious
were made against her while living, which werc damag-
Ing to her good NAME and added greatly to hor sorrow
think am qualified to write on this subject, as my
wife and 1 were ncghbors from April 1s' s, till
the time she left Springfield to become mistress Of tho
white House
1t is my candid opinion that no woman In the whole
country has been moro misunderstood and misreprc
sented by the public press and the people generally
than the wife of the martyred President.
Not long ago, woman Of high social position said
to me: What pity It Is that the great and noble
Lincoln had such q wife, l asked her TO explain
what she meant by such wifop 2 She said for ono
thing Being such rebeLn I have heard that
charge made for more than a quarter Of century
parents have repeated It In the presence OF their
children, and even to this day, thousands of young
| people who unborn at the time Lincoln was
elected President fully believe that his wife was
secessonstthat she impaired TO the enemy the plans
of the Government and the movements Of the Union
troops, and that many Of the defeats Of tho Federal
army at the beginning OF the War, owing to her
meddlesome interference. These charges, repeatedly
made against her, not true Mrs. Lincoln, to my
personal knowledge, a most loyal woman
In April 1862, visited Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln at Wash
ngton. 1t the week during which the battle
Of Shiloh was fought Mrs, Lincoln and l were to-
gether in tho Red Room talking about the battle
when she said to me:
"Mr. Miner. have two brothers I'm the Rebel army
who were in that battle, and hope they either
dead or taken prisoners You surprised" she
added, to hear express myself thus, but they
would kill my husband II they could. and destroy
Government. the dearest OF all things to us and
repeat 1T hope they either dead taken prison.
eIS.p
1t IS wel-known fact that after the death Of her
son, Willie Lincoln, promising lad OF twelve years,
who died very suddenly she seemed find her great
est happiness in visiting almost daily the hospitals in
Washington, and carrying to them flowers from her
conservatory.
Mrs. Lincoln has been accused OF taking at the tmc
OF her removal from the White House articles choice
and expensive. which not her own at the time.
This statement not only false but IL cruel In
the extreme. There two why this report
could not be true. First, thore arc persons who arc
appointed to take OF the property belonging TO
the White House and they held accountable for
its safe-keepng second, Mrs. Lincoln In no
dition to have the charge Of packing her trunks,
doing anything In making preparation to move
She told me that she had no knowledge Of the timc
when they took her away, of anything else for
many days after When her husband was shot down
by her side, her nervous system was completely
shattered and her mind was unhinged by the shock
From that time to the day OF her death Mrs LIN
coin a well day nor happy hour The
bullet that pierced her husbands brain, pierced her
heart. From that hour she was dead to the joys of
this world. Sometimes she was deranged, and this
led her do and say many strange things which were
taken np by the press and she severely criticised
But the reporters did not know they were crcislng
the words and acts Of woman who was not account
able for anything she either did or said There were
times however, when her mind was sane on many
subjects, and you could not detect in conversation
with her, anything that would lead you to suspect that
no fe
that were published about her. She used to
converse with freely in regard to them.
At ono time when visiting her In chicago
She said to me- Mr.. Miner, what have
l done that I prosecuted By tho pressi
am a poor, lonely My husband Is dead
and two of my dead My health Is shattered,
and | am almost blind from constant weeping. l
try to keep myself secluded from the world, but
cannot escape them they Will follow and say hard
and cruel things about Ilong to leave the worid
and be at rest. My doctor was here little While
ago. and he told me 1 could not live long, as water
was gathering round my heart. That was Joyful
news 10 me, and if he had said l would die to-day
that would have caused me greater Joy still"
But Mrs. Lincoln did not die as soon as her physi-
clan predicted She lived some time after this con-
versation and came to Ncw-YOrk for medical treat
ment 1 was at this time living in Trenton n. ].
She sent for my wife and me, as she was unable TO
come to Trenton. We went to her Immediately after
receiving her note Mrs Miner the first to enter
The room not front room. 1t was dimiy lighted
and plainly furnished. 1t contained a bed and
lounge and a few plain articles Of furniture. Mrs
Lincoln was reclining the lounge. She was almost
blind her limbs partially paralyzed and she was
so weak she could hardly stand She had no special
servant or nurse to wait upon her;
she was alone. Mrs. Miner went up to her, took her
by the hand and lifted her up. AS soon as she could
stand, she threw her arms about my wfe's neck and
wept aloud, and when she became moro calm she e.
began to talk about the happy days of the past in
Springfield. As l looked round tho plainly furnished
room and then Mrs Lincoln, her hair prematurely
gray, her eyes almost blinded By excessive weeping
and her nervous system broken and shattered by her
great sorrow, with friend or special attendant to
care for her. thought of General Grant living at
that time in New-York in style becoming the great
General, and | felt an honest pride in W.. what his
widow Of President Garfield, who had been so bounti
goo and 't then ny Thought Of esdent Lincoln
the noblest Roman of them ala man to whom this
gSsay ino of the Oe Who
salary of only S25o00 who insisted on being paid N
nes other t S's OF n spd ~f0
there and realized the condition Of hst
that l would, If possible, do something to set her
right before the country. ,.-. ,,.., :.
read d'p Ps eefSfs iRs Fss5os q SeT
SGd a Of Mrs lin HcOns cSaraeer and mentioned
condition at that tine In New-fork Tho lecture
was reported the papers tho next morning and
General Grant called on her the next day. as did
CYRUS w. Field and number Of ladies of high social
position, all of whom took lively interest In her /
welfare After consulting with each other they came
10 the conclusion that the best thing be done was
for me to go to Washington and lay her case before
Congress. Taking letters from tho parties referred
TO and one from Mrs. Lincoln, went TO the Capitol
and called my old friends, Senator John A. Logan
and Representative William NJ Springer ! laid The /
case before them and they at profered me their
aid, did many Others upon whom called Senator To-
gan drew up bill granting Mrs Lincoln pension oi
Is 600 per annum and introduced 1t IN the Senate, and
Representative Springer took care OF t when u cano
into the House. There opposition TO tho
measure all seemed glad OF the opportunity to aid the
widow OF Abraham Lincoln In two weeds time INC
bin passed both branches Of Congress and received
the signature OF President Arthur donation o.
$4,000 voted in addition to TIE pension. .,..
My success brought not Ony relief but great sats
faction TO Mrs Lincoln for size felt that Justice though
tardy, had come 10 her at last But the eooa woman