The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1892-07-28

tall II the chickens hold ont.
- -
Abrshsm Lts eeia In New ostss~s.
J Denton ufiut. merchant Of Spfineheld.
lot Of corn, pork, and live pigs 10 mar
ket. he could load 1at boat on the San,
gsmon. aost IL to Illinois, down that
stream u the Mississippi. and thence TO
New Orleans He could mol go bimsrlf,
bu, must have somebody whom be could
trust just bow /. came about we DO not
know, but in some way he learned that
Abraham Liucoln. Who had just driven an
OK team from Indiana. and who was living
near Decatur, had already made snccess
lul trip down the Mississippi, and this. be
was honest aud oouli be trusted. Offnt
had no boat. and must build one. Lin,
coin vas just the man. for be had worked
with his father ~ carpenter. could hew
timber, aud make mortises.
A few weeks later Lincoln and John
Hanks we're At work on the banks u the
Sanesmou. cutting down trees, saving
plsnks. and building the boat They were
SO dilgent that in four weeks from telling
the first tree IL wac completed. launched,
loaded with barrels Of perk and bags filled
with corn. sni floating down the sauea
mon. II was supposed that the boat
would glide over the dam at New Salem.
bat il grounded instead. and they we're oh
lieed 10 obtain canoe, cary the corn TO
the shore. and reload /. after g, ,tting the
boat bulow the dam, Farther down stream
they we're to take hfrd Of pigs. But the
animals had no intention OF being driven
on board. They could not be coaxed by
corn strewn on the ground. Lincoln was
not to be foiled, and by main strength
carried them in his arms one by one upon
the boat The cargo completed, they
foated into the Illinois, and upon the curi
rent Of that river TO the Mississippi, aud
thence to New Orleans.
Planters are there from Mississippi and
Louisiana TO obtain slaves to work in The
cotton fields. The two boatmen sannter |
into the mart and behold negro men. wom'
en-. boys and girls standing on bench |
around the walls OF the room the planters
looking into their mouths, as they would
look OF the teeth OF horse. The auc-
'ioneer proclaims their good qualities ss
be would those OF horse or mule. May
be they ara member OF a church Christi
ians therefore regarded a. more valuable
than irreligiou' slaves. His hammer falls.
A husband and wife are forever separated.
Children never again will behold their
father and mother. Abra ham Lincoln goes
on ire There IS choking 10 his throat.
q auiveripg Of bis lips. as he turns to bis
fellow boatmsn, il ever Get q chance to
hit that thing. III hit ii hard. by the eterl
nal Godl
Who is be to bit the thing blow2 He
is boatman, splitter OF rails, teamster,
back woodsman. Nothing more His pov
erty is so deep that his clothes were 10 tat'
ters, and he could hardly appear in public
till Nancy Miller made him a pair Of trou'
sers. What position OF influence or pow
er is he likely TO attain to enable him to
strike blow? The thing which he would
like to hit is incorporated into the france
work Of society, and legalized in half Of
th states composing the republic. II is
10 ntrenched in church and state alike, 40
copied by doctors Of divinity as beneficent
to the human race. as authorized and bles,
sed by Almighty God. 1t is political
force, recognized 10 the Constitution en-
terina into the basis OF representation. Is
there the remotest probability that he ev
or will be able to ite such an institution
Why utter the words2 Why raise the
right baud towsri heaven and swear .
solemn oath? Was it some dim vision OF
hat might come to him through divine
Providence in the unfolding yesr,2 Was
it an illumination OF spirit that for the mo
ment forecast an impending COO flict be
tween right and wrong 10 which be would
take conspicuous psri2 Was 1T tbe
whispering to him by q divine messenger
Of the unseen realm that be was to he
chosen one to wipe the thing from earth,
and give deliverapce from bonds to mill
lions Of his fellowmen2 II we conclnde
that the vorls only II from his lips by
chance, their n,tarsnce, taken 10 coonec.
tion With what he did 10 giving freedom to
four millions Of slaves, is very wonderful,
The pigs, pork and cora sold and the
boat disposed Of. Lincola and Hanks took
passage for 81. Louis on steamboat.
There we're slaves on board. As be saw
their sbi,ct condition snd recalled the
scene be hsd witnessed st New Orleans he
became silent, thoughtful and Sad
Through lite he remembered y. : Charles
Carlton Coffin, In Hsrper's Youpg People.