New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-03
LINCOLN's FIRST FRIEND.
ANECDOTES TOLD BY DENNIS HANKS, HIS
COUSIN.
oharlestOn Ql cOrrespondenee Of The chicago TrIb-

years in this little city in Eastern Illinois Every
resident OF the place knows all about him. had no
difficulty In having the house where ho lives with his
eldest daughter pointed out TO me. The door was
opened by old lady with ripping dark hair in which
eyes Whom inquired for Dennis Hanks she laughed.
Father oh, yes; you can see him. Ho is al,
ways 50 pleased TO talk Of Uncle Abe. but you VIII
ind him feeble.n
no She ed into inner room and this Is how
OonnlS Hanks appeared TO me: Uc was sitting IN a
split SPIT tbotomed chair, tipped back against the wall,
mIeh ms teet OH the rungs, feeble withercc nt.lo
lie leaned o p o etots d S Dosbed nv long
Use soft felt hat covered his head and shaded hs
Iap yS long hair siyey white fell ABOUT ms Sc
seen only IN first and second childhood. II was ?
g enue Old face, in which the yigor OF manhood ha
ded out leaving only childish interest and trust ana
HI1I93cence with soft halo OF memory over u an
re lay asleep IN the sunshine that stIesmed over nm
hIough me parted curtain at the window. and another
. mat alviaed INC present from the past His daush
Father she said, here is q lady come from Chi
cage TO SEQ YOU sent by The Tribune" lie started
up from his sleep, blinking his eyes, one Of which
Wen, well wen. Pm glad 70 sec her. There
are not many who come to see old Dennis. Maybe
enough. used to tell Abe-Abe Lincoln, you know
Abe says l. you die first people will have ,d 70
you was We used to laugh over that because u
looked as Y Abe would live longer than me then,
was ten years tho elder and Abe strong as
horse IN them days. Abe'd had his joke IL bed a
died the next minute,' The old man chuckied 70
himself and lapsed again into doze from which he
reused a moment later In animation the face be-
trayed the Lincoln cast the high cheek bones, broad
that sparkle with merriment and appreciation Of bis
own droll thoughts. The skin IS bleached back 70
by time and toll. In hls speech were many OF the
characteristics Of his Kentucky origin lie was bora
Ia Hardin County of that state In 1893.
HIS RECoLLECTIoNs.
reckln i knOwcd Abe Linkhorn, We called
lin, before anybody, less 1t wur his mother Nancy
coin and they lived about two miles from US. one
day Tom come over an says kind O. SLOW ,. Inc
and hurried up her work to go over, but COULDN'T
wait was about ten year, old then, and eaI a,s
and run two miles to SEQ my new cousin Wnen
Nancy put him in my arms he looked Jlst like Tgd
ana list laid thar all night SOS to sec him when he
walked up, and Tom had TO tend him. He was Just
twenty four hours old when / made Abe Dncoln
acquaintance. That young man had the Longest iegs
you ever see When he Towed up he was SIX ieS
est boy that ever stepped over fal fences. Even
when boy he got ahead OF eyeythng and grOTed out
II thought HIS mothers name was Nancyl'
It Was This Is tho WAY Tom fell IL Low loyo , Ta
a-havln' him, sayin' Tom was a shlfiess Teller, an
rcckin he was; so Tom, no up and married Nancy
Johnston. After we all moved TO indiana IN 1909,
think Nancy she up and died, and Mrs Johnston's
sairy and bruDg her home Sairy was mighty good
woman. she Didn't find much 70 come to but shsng
AMI couple Of ragged children but she loved Tom
and raised his children decent: She was Christian
aud made Abe religious man.
lie never belonged to church .,,s =, ,,r.o
II he'd lived longer lie was good man ana has
gone to Heaven. lie KEEP the Ten Commandments
bCter'n most OF the preachers know.
TAUGHT HIN HIS LETTERS.
OF remember the day VIC got 10 Indiana, Abe. he
killed turkey hen and was so proud he couldn't stop
often he cared 10 KIN things less ho took lots OF pains
to do Il He wanted books most Of all and S Sis
taught him his letters and spelled clear through
websteTs spelling Book twice before Abe got Tired Of
he fence or his mothers pnncheon hoor with bli
OF charcoal. Then VIC got some wTappin' paper ~
and and eoppeTas hat eat he eD paper Tbs pens Ss
out Of turkey buzxard quilts. After he learned to
make make 9 Tom msd DnSy he'd say look al that
VIII you. Abraham Lincoln hat stands for r., me;
tree barls 20 mark the trees he wanted 70 cut down.
write It N tho sand down by the creek and every rail
on the place had his name on j.
ewelI, he wrote It something better than tree
barks and in sand' .,,.
10 him and 10 me, too because when man + a.
honest as Abe was It stands ia bis way sometimes
find out things Denny, he'd say, the things want
20 know are all in books Ny best friend j. the man
awhile. II was one that told about a sailor who got
rock that Il drawed all the nails out OF his
boat and he got a duckln.H
sindbad the sailor. in the Arabian NIghur'
Heyl Well, rechn, amt no scholar. But
Abed lay on his stnmmiek ana reSa our LOUD 20 mo ina
yer mother can't work with you botherin her, but
Sairy would tell him % go on ana she'd laugh when
he laughed though believe II went IN at one ear and
out at the other, fist 70 did with me- But Abe
would lay there by the fireplace the book on the aoor
between his elbows, and ehucllln TO hisselt ABE,
says l. many a time, 'them's all Hes Mighty dained
good lies he'd say, and go on. reckn he read
them yarns dozen times. That's purity nigh all no had
10 read except the Statutes Of Indiana and he used
TO lay over them away into the night He got holt
of life OF Washington, and split four cords ~ wood
for Just that little book. Tom couldn't read a word
The speeches Of Henry Clay he learned by heart and
they made a Whlg out OF him and then when he went
10 Washington he messed with some fellers Who list
naturally made an abolition man out OF him.
reckln Giddings had good deal to do with II.
10 could fist lay men in the shade with his
stories and / thought mcbby that woman in
the book who always had story fur every
occasion had something 10 do with H. I asked him
once where he got holt OF so blamed many lies and
he said. Every story that has meaning isn't lie.
Denny God tells truths In parallels Ills stories
wero like them He'd fro o. them into Jury and
set every man a-cryin', but be wouldn't defend
unless DO believed him Innocent lie thrOwed up a
good case onct hscause he found ont the man was
guilty That's the reason they called him 'HOnest
Abe!
HE ASKED QUESTIONS.
aHe wanted TO know so many things that when a
man would stop at their house Tom would 20 out and