Iron County register., 1889-12-05
LlNcoLN,s SHOEMAKER.
How Poor German CobbIer Won Sudd
Fame and Fortune.

HOW Poor German CobbIer Won Sudden
Fame and Fortune.
Near the city of Scranton, Pa, at the
outbreak of the late rebellion, there
lived poor German shoemaker named
Peter Kahler. He had his own ideas of
how boot or shoe should be made to
give the greatest comfort to the wearer,
which was far in advance of his humble
condition. but he lacked the capital
necessary to put his ideas into the shoes
and the shoes before the public. Short
ly after the election of Abraham Lin.
coin to the presidency the press of the
country was full of the oddities of ex-
presslons, witty sayings and peculiari-
ties of ''Old Abe"
Among the many publications of that
time there appeared a diagram of the
foot OF the President, coupled with the
statement that the Presidents foot was
so abominably large and awkward of
build and covered with corns, bunions,
ETC., that it seemed impossible for him to
get a shoe which he could wear with
any degree of comfort. The statement
and the accompanying diagram came to
the notice of the humble country shoe
maker, Peter Kahler, and he set about
making pair of shoes according to his
ideas of comfort and to fit the measure
ments of that diagram. In due course
the shoes were completed and shipped
TO Washington, ID. c., addressed
to ''His Excelency Abraham Lin
coin, President of the Uuited
States" accompanied by note
signed by the rustic shoemaker. stating
under what circumstances the shoes had
been made, and hoping that the Presi-
dent would accept the shoes as pres
ent from an humble admirer and for the
good the maker felt sure they would do
him.
The shoes proved to be perfect fit
for the presidential pedal extremities
and pleased His Excelency very much.
Mr.. Lincoln lost no time in sending Mr..
Kahler an autograph letter of thanks,
which the rustic disciple of st. Crispin
was shrewd enough to have published.
The publication of that letter brought
both fame and fortune to Mr.. kahler.
He soon after removed to New York,
where he became known as the presi-
Dental boot-maker and was patronized
by the wealthy. whose carriages
were frequently to be seen in front
of his door. During the war kahler
took a Government contract for furnish
ing shoes for the army, introducing the
now celebrated broad-soled, low-heeled
shoe, known as the Government Shoe.''
He made considerable money from his
trade and the contract, and soon estab-
lished the house of Kahler & Son.
Up to the time of his death Mr.. Lin
coin bought all the shoes he wore of Mr..
Ul-1 II -
his life Mr.. Kahler spent much of his
time at Harvey's Lake, the Indian
name of which is Skandara Lake, the
largest body of fresh water in Penn
sylvania, and popular summer resort.
1t was while at Harvey's Lake in 1888
that Mr.. Kahler conceived the scheme
of establishing what he called the
'sKahler Sanitarium.'' This scheme he
thought would bring him much
wealth, and in the fall of the
year he bought of Mrs. Betsey
Worden her farm of about fifty acres
for $4,000. and at once had a survey
made, and the portion of the farm bor-
dering on the lake beautifully laid out
in winding streets and building lots.
Finding that his land was not so shaped
that he could complete his plans, he
wanted to buy the adjoining ground,
known as the Lake Hotel property,
owned by the estate of Caroline
Phoades, deceased. for which he offered
$4,000 cash, the offer being refused. In
the spring of the present year Kahler
removed his family from New York to
his Harvey's Lake farm, hoping to bene-
fit his health. which had been failing,
with the pure mountain air. Being a
chronic dyspeptic he suffered greatly
until July last, when he died. He sunk
about $4,000 in his ''sanitarium" and
mountain village" schemes, but never
theless left large estate. He fire.
quently related with pride that he was
Lincoln's shoemaker, and the auto
graph letter he always carried with
him.-Cor. st. Louis Post-Dispatch.