Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-02-14

grapes an oranges an oysters an stewed
chicken an billed eggs, an / don't know
what all. When We got back in the bed
room | told him calculated that break
fast he ct cost $13. An then he told me
breakfast was 81 anyway, whether you ct
much Or little. You'd oughter wrote me
about that, Henry"
swell, father, man can ride pretty
comfortable, nowadays, after he gets
used to it," said Henry, as he started to
lead the old gentleman to the bathroom
for wash.
"Oyes, Dyes, man can ride all right,
now" replied the old man, and the smile
lasted until he started to wash his face
from the faucets over the bathtub.
Letter of Lincoln.
The following is contributed by DIR.
| W. G. Wilkinson to the January Century:
"The remarkable popular interest in
everything that throws light upon the
| character of Abraham Lincoln, which the
serial publication of his life in the Cen
fury Magazine III part finds and in part
creates, emboldens me to believe that a
recent discovery of my own bearing on
the matter may be accepted by many
| its value TO the growing public fund of
Lincoln memorabilia. l use the word
discovery, although that word may seem
not fit, when say, as I must, that what
I discovered was already public enough
to be seen framed and hanging on one
OF the 1nterio- walls Of the fine State
| Capitol in Nashville, Tenn. The docu-
ments to which I refer are now no long
er TO be seen where I saw them, they
having since my visit TO Nashville a few
| years ago been removed to a much less
| frequented place of custody in the same
city. Through the intervention of a
friend I lately found them again, thong
not without trouble, and here show them
for the examination of the curious:
"They consist of two letters, one writ
ten 20, and the other written by, Abraham
Lincoln. How they came into public
kee ping, and with what history, III the
case of the iliustrious writer of one of the
letters, they may be associated, [ have
sought in vain TO learn. But the letters
| happily explain themselves. Perhaps
the enterprising authors of the biography
now being published in the magazine
may be able to bring these letters into
their proper setting in the circumstances
of Lincoln's life.
"One thing was very noteworthy IN the
autograph letters of Lincoln, and that
was its Immediately neat and correct
mechanical execution. The manuscript
had tbs pnysiognomy and air o. one pro-
duGe3 by habitually fastidiOus literary
man. The handwriting vas finished
enough to be called elegant; the punctu-
alton, the spelling: the capitalizing, were
as conscientious, as the turn of the phrase
may seem TO be.
"It is W. G. Anderson who writes a
oovertly threatening letter to Lincoln
little dreaming at the moment that it was
a historic dooumen that he was so seri-
ousIy inditing. The date is Lawrence
vile, Oct. 80, 1850. The address is stiff1y,
meant perhaps to be even formidaoIy
| formal. It is A. London, ESQ. Dear
Sir. Mr.. Anderson says:
Son our first meeting on Wednesday
| last, difficulty in words ensued between
US, which I deem il my duty TO notice
further. ] think you were the agressor.
Your words imported insult; and whether
| you intended them as such is for you to
say. You will therefore please inform
me OF this point. Aud if you designed
| to offend me, please communicate to me
| your present feelings on the subject, and
whether you persist in the stand you
| took"
There now was a chance for Mr..
| Abraham Lincoln. How viii he meet it ?
Will he ehaff Mr.. Anderson? Will he
| give him Stiffness tor stiffness? There
viii surely be an interesting revelation of
character. The actual fact is, if Abraham
Lincoln had known in writing this reply,
that he was writing it as much for the
whole world and for future generations
than simply for his personal friend Mr..
Anderson to read, l do not see how he
could have written it better for the ad-
vantage of his own good fame. Here is
his reply:
LAwRENoEvILLE, Oct. 81, 185O.-W. G.
Anderson-Daar Sir: Your note of yes
terday is received. In the difficulty be-
tween Us of which you speak, you say
YOU think I was the agressor. [ do not
think 1 was. You say my swords i'm
ported insult" I meant them as a fair
offset to your statements, and not other
wise; and in that light alone wish you
to understand them. You ask for my
present feelings" l entertain no I'M
kind feelings for you and none of any
sort upon the subject, except a sincere
regret that 1 permitted myself TO get in
to any such alteration. Yours, etc.
A. LINCOLN"