Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-08-08
"Reminiscences of Lincoln.
Washington Correspondence OF the Ksns
Ctty Times


City Times.l
"Lincoin was one of the first men /
knew after b-gan to practice law" said
Senator voorhees, to me the other day.
We were in the senator's rooms and he
felt reminiscent. "At that time lawyers
travelled circuit. 1 was then as now In
Indiana, while Lincoln was in Illinois, but
line In each instance, Joined, and our bus
iness frequently took us into each others
bailiwicks. Lincoln was very kind to and
considerate of mel was green, untried,
and much younger man than he-an6 1
can recall many a favor he did me.
"He was a strong lawyer and singularly
successful. AS politician 1 never met
his equal. He was shrewd, indomitsble,
enterprising, and with a courage which
never finched. 1 look on him ss the beat
and most sagacious politician in q high,
big way who ever set foot In the White
House. What we call big politicians are,
generally speaking, a dwarfed and mind
less generation compared to Abe Lincoln
He gave yo1 an impression of greatness
every moment He never did and by ma
ture couldn't conceive of doing a mean or
little thing. / saw him as a lawyer, and /
was in congress while he was In the White
House. l knew him intimately and under
varying conditions. have seen him sur
rounded by state of affairs which would
have overborne any other man l ever met.
And yet never saw Lincoln fall short or
fail to fulfil every necessity the moment 1t
arose. He answered every requirement of
every hour in his great life and rose to
meet every emergency with an ease which
spoke of unlimited power In reserve. He
was great man-a great American.
'Iincoln's personal courage had no
limit. He was afraid of nothing on earth.
He received, 1 know, as many as half q
dozen letters every week threatening as
ssssinstion. He never needed them and
seldom referred to them. he went about
He would get into the saddle and canter
oct to the Soldiers Home, six miles, and
an assassin could have picked him off with
a rife at every step of the way. Lincoln
never appeared to have the slightest fear
of 1t. Stanton used to get scared and put
guards around Lincoln, but the latter only
laughed at 1t.
'He had a great lsugh-a high, musical
tenor-snd when he had listened to or
told q story which particularly pleased
him he would walk up and down the room
WlLQ one lhuu on tue buldH Oh nth DhCk
| and the other rubbing his hair In all d.
reotions, and make things ring with laugh
| ter.
'Lincoln has great fame as q story-tell-
| er; and yet the truth isn't half told.
| First and last, he told thousands and thou
sands of stories. He was well spring of
| snecdote. Yet under all his humor and
all his laughter he was tender, sensitive,
romantic, oft-times sad. He appeared
hard and practical, and yet no man ever
lived who needed and crsved sympathy
more thsn Lincoln He was strongly So
cial In his nature and liked people rather
than places. Like all men of the highest
courage, fearing nobody, he hated none.
He would oppose q man t. the death, bui
he would never hate him.
"While Lincoln was fearless In his OWL
nature, he had the keenest forbearanoe fol
the timidity of others. He would never
consent TO shoot o soldier for cowardice
He called them leg esses.' No one need
ever expect me to sanction the shooting
of q man for running away in battle hs
said to me once; Il won't do 1t. A mar
can't help being a cowaId any more thar
he could help a hump back, If he wer,
born with one.' Then turning TO me sgair
he said: voorhees,, were you evel
scarsdP
'1 confessed that had had some lIttl,
experience that way.
$3.50 have !, said Lincoln, laughing
and know Just what 1t means. And II
any contest or controversy which arise
between the head and the heels, I neve
knew the heels to get anything but tn
best of 1t. No, sir, they needn't send an,
leg cases to me at all. I'll never order
man shot for any such offence
"Once when I WAS up to the Whit
House to see him about something, b