The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-06-27
DENNIS HANKS, STORY.
Tie Called ON President Lincoln and Had
an Interesting Experience.

Tie Called on President Lincoln and Had
an Interesting Experience.
Dennis Hanks, cousin and early COM
panion of Abraham Lincoln, still lives,
at the age of 81, near Charleston, Ills,
and at intervals talks with much anima-
tion of Lincoln's early life. Though ten
years older, he has long outlived the
martyr president. He gives this &C
count of his only visit to Washington:
when 1 went down to Washington to
see him it was about neighbor that had
got into trouble The folks here sent me
to speak 10 Abe about him. 1t was durin'
the war, and thar was a lot o soldiers
around the White House stickin their.
guns in everybody's face | weEtts
door-thar's only one, though q
round fur back door, thinkin' to sne1N
in. A porter stopped me, and asked as
smart: who do you want to seey
g I want to see Abe Lincoln, 1 says.
You can't see him this time o day
he says as smart.
"'You bet 1 kim 1 answered him.
He's not goin' back ON Dennis Hanks,
his cousin, and the boy he's rassled with,
if he is the president. l hain't come here
from Illinois to be told l can't see Abe
Lincoln
'lIe grinned and showed me the office.
There was a lot of fellers waitin', but l
waded through 'em and opened the door.
and thar sot Abe, as tails his own shad-
der, writin' at a old desk he tux from
Illinois,
"'Heyr I hollered. You're a purity
president, amt you: Git up hyur and
shake hands amt after no office VT,
Abe
"'Well, Dennis, is that you? I'm glad
you don't want an office. Most of them
do. You've got a big heart, but no head
for an office Then he run and jist geth-
cred me in to him like they did in the
Bible, and so 1 wept Il little so I had to
take my bandanner out. He looked
kinder tired. When I told him what l
wanted he said:
"'rm busy today, but I'll get Stanton
to fix that up. You go down and Mary
will give YOU something to eat and a
shakedown.'
Il knowed it was too fine for Inc
where Mary was. She was a good wo-
man, but was too highfalutin' for me; so
I jist went to q tavern and put up. Next
mornin' Abe had lot of papers for my
case and told me to take 'em to Stanton.
"'Abe,' says I, blamed if l know
where the plagueoned place is So he
called Teller and sent the papers, and
pretty soon Mr.. Stanton come lookin'
like jaybird IN spike tailed coat, and
snarled about them papers, but Abe got
him to sine 'em. He acted so ugly that
when he went out said;
'''Abe, if Tsas big as you would take
that little teller over my knee and spank
him Abe, he laughed and said he
guessed Stanton was a bigger man than
he was in some respects. came home
then and the next spring Abe was shot.
Il heard of it this way. was sit
ting in my shop peggin' away at shoe
when n man came in and said: Dennis, |
Honest Abe Is deadr
dead, dead. Old Abe dead I KEEP
sayin to myself. Ny God, it amt SOL |
1 went out to see Sairy where she lived |
all alone after Tom died, and said, /
Grandmother, Abe's dead Yes, I /
know says she. I've ben a waitin' fur
it. I knowed they'd kill him. and she |
never asked any questions. \ body'd
thought the earth stopped whirlin' fur /
few days, the way everybody went on.
1t was like, even here in Charleston, like |
a black cloud that covered the sun. The |
dim old eyes became blurred by the sad
memory.-Exchange.