The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-07-20
l.ssscoLas AND His MOTHER.
Queer Hncsdents OF Their Trip TO the Whit

IS eiE
l.'NcoLA AND ssis MOTHER.
Queer ascsaenss Of Their Trip TO the WHITE
81 20 u Rouse.
Aases tho departure Of the Prince OF
Wales efoss Portland. Ywss ordered by
toe Herald 90 3oin Prastdentelcct Lin
cola, thew On his way from Illinois to
Washington, and report his progress by
telegraph. met the presidential train
n, Albany. and wms heartily welcomed.
The reporter whom T. superseded told
me that he had Faithfully; telegraphed
every thing shak had occurred on the
train. eacepA about Douglas He meant
Senator Seephen A. Douglas. friend
OF Lincoln's from boyhood, but his OPP
ponens Ia poaisiea, oud one of the demo
cratic candidates for the presidency.
whom nc he'd defeated OF course I
wanted TO know all about Douglas. IL
was not much. but very significant
Douglas has boarded the train, been
overcome sy sse Inequalities. ond. ss
he sossed IN his sseep kept che party
swake by repeatedly muttering: %
Lord! Old Abe Lincoln the president
OF tho Uaased Stated Good Lord! Abe
Linco2n president! Ia! hes hair
The contrast between the presiden'
tial party sad thc royal party which ]
had juss ieS could nos have been great
,ep. Familiarity took the place OF cere"
mony. MY. nnd Mrs Lincoln had no
privacy. evceps In their sleeping COM
partmcna The reporters aud special
correspondents took possession OF the
Lincoln css and walked In and out or
SAT- about sa ehey pleased. Az every
station some delegation came aboard
end shook hands with the new presidents
ard hts wife, unless the place was large
enough 9w Lincoln to go out ON the
rear platform and say few Words
usually Interrupted by The starting OF
the train. Between stations Lincolp
Told stories or laughed ut those told by
tho rough and ready politicians who
surrounded HIN ] remember one char
ecterist2o speech which he commenced
at several stations. but was not allowed
blythe engineer 10 finish. until / asked
him for the end Of u as we rattled along
che Hudson river.
.Well" easd Ms. Lincoln, these COO
tinued stoppeges remind me OF horse
onee hired 10 drive over che mountains
20 eeSend convention as which eH'
pected TO be nominated foY the legisla"
suro Tho ssablemen said that II VICE
o good l1orsa, but sha harder I drove
the slow'o~ II wontz 30 chat when
reached ny destination az last ! found
that the convention had adjourned az,
ter nominating the other fellow. All
che wsy bach kept meditating aoous
wl,as thee horse could be good foY, and
whcn turned him into the stable
asked she owner the question. lie gave
chue1gte and SAID: Why, good horse
aoy Anewal, guess No my friend
J repiie8s never hire that horse out for
o funeral 'Sghy not?' asked the man
because said !. as impressively as ]
knew how, s't4 chat horse pulls the
hearse, Che Judgement Day will come
before the corpse. gets TO the grave
yerd" YEs she came way With this
train. n they keep ON stopping ut every
station this funeral will never reach
Washington
Nobody then had the slightest Idea Of
the great man into which Mr.. Lincoln
would Develop he was simply tall,
lanh, gawky, ugly, awkward western
lawyer, oimple TO fault but with
some neutral dignity, and with large.
heavy. eoiemn eyes that promised more
shan any other feature. There was no
p1eHense 81 personal respect for him
among tho men who accompanied him
They addressed him as mfr. President"
only ~-he1 che traln stopped and local
deleRasica entered 10 request speech
4Asswp neaqed New Fork it WIGS limited
that AYp Llncoln rather dreaded meet
ing Fernando Wood then mayor OF that
democratic city. VINO had achieved a
reputation. 90 an orator. II have no
speech sready,' . said MR. Lincoln, when
I spoke % him upon the subject; ~
shal! have 10 cay juss what comes into
my heed"
When che train slowed up and the
crowds could bs seen through the win.
aows, end che cheering heard above the
'no4se Of the locomotive. Mra Lincoln
said: abraham, ! must fla you up
bit fos these city folks She was
little, ora, plump, motherly woman,
and, as she opened hes handbag, Mr..
Lincoln .lifsed her upon the seat Of the
'cor.s :, Standing there. she combed, part
ed and brushed his hair. end arranged
his necksie. - &
{. DO look nice DOW, mother3" he
inquired aRec4fonately.
"You'M. DO. Abraham" replied his
mother, end he Kissed her and lifted her
down
THIS woe the new president of the
United States and the new lady Of the
White house! : em afraid that ecf,-
oed che Good Lordr' Of Senator Doug
les But the next moment Mayor Wood
appeared oonrsly and digniaed as any
noblemaz, andan the swirl Of introduc-
tlons and presentations escaped to
write my copy at the Herald Office, 9TH
CT reporters having been detailed 70
take charge OF the president as soon as
be leA she cara 7 did not see him again
until we resumed QUIZ Journey the next
day &C Jersey City, and then he greeted
me like tonglost friend, and Mrs
Lincoln made room for me to sit beside
her. The eorlornness Of this strange
couple and their inadequateness to the
position toward which they we're ad-
vancing sszuch mo painfully. An ao-
quaintanoe Of the day before seemed 20
hhesn a frtard nv contrast with tho Dev