The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-10-05
VOORHEES, ON LINCOLN
Great Man With Incomparably Great
and Lasting Virtues.
is FAME As A FUNNY STORY-TELLEI
lie Feared nobody and Hated None
why re weuidn't shoes a Cow.
ard in Battie-ise Wondered why
ue was iu the white House.

Il
that time lawyers travelled circuit.
was then as now in Indiana, while Lin
coin was in Illinois, but our respective
circuits, going to the state line in each
ins lance, joined, and our business ire
quent took us into each others BALI
wicks. Lincoln was very kind to and
considerate Of me i was green, untried
md much younger man than he-and
can recall many a favor he did me.
"Lincoln was a peculiar man and
great man. l don't know Of greater
one, past or present. You could com.
pare Lincoln to no one. He was like no.
body. The molds we're broken, and
while he never had model, neither has
he bad duplicate. He was six feet four
and one-bali inches 10 his bare feet and
weighed about one hundred and ninety
pounds. He was big boned and sinewy
and physically as powerful as gorilla.
He was great wrestler and never knew
any one who boosted of laying Kim on
his back. He was a strong lawyer and
singularly successful. As politician l
never saw his equal. He was shrewd,
ndomitable, enter2rising, and with a
courage which never flincbed. l looked
on him as the best and most sagacious
politician in high, big way who ever set
loot in the White House. What we call
big politicians are, generally speaking, a
dwarfed and mindless generation COM
pared to Abe Lincoln. He gave you an
impression OF greatness every moment.
He never did, and by nature couldn't,
conceive of doing mean or little thing.
saw him as lawyer, and was in con-
gress while he was in the White House.
knew him intimately and under vary
ing conditions. | have seen him sur
rounded by state OF affairs which would
have overborne any other man l ever
met. And yet I never saw Lincoln fall
short or fail to fulfill every necessity the
moment 1t arose. He answered every re-
ouirement 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 a great mana great
American.
mo; he wasn't handsome. And yet
there was nothing unpleasant, nothing
you wouldn't quickly like, in Lincoln's
looks. He was swarthy as an Indian,
with shock of wiry, jet black hair which
fell in all directions and defied combs and
brushes to the death. His eyebro vs. car
ried out the shaggy effect, while his bright
keen eyes were gray.
"Lincoln's personal courage had nc
limit. He was afraid of nothing on earth
He received. know, as many as half q
| dozen letters every week threatening
assassination. He never needed then
and seldom referred to them. He wen
about as freely as Grover Cleveland does
now. He would get into the saddle anc
canter up to the soldiers home, six miles
and on assassin could have picked him of
with rifle at every step OF the way. Lin
coin never appeared TO have the slightes
fear of it. Stanton used to get scared and
put guards around Lincoln, but the lattei
only laughed at it.
"He had great laugh-a high musica
tenor-and when he had listened to OF
told story which particularly pleased
him he would walk up and down thu
room with one hand on the small OF hi:
back and the other rubbing his hair il
all directions, and make things ring with
laughter.
"Lincoln has great fame rs u story
teller; and yet the truth isn't half told.
First and last, he told thousands anc
thousands OF stories. He was well'sprins
of anecdote. Yet under all his humor ant
all his laughter, he was nder, sensitive
romantic, Outlines sad. He appeared hare
and practical; and yet no man ever LIVED
who needed and craved sympathy NOR,
than Lincoln. He was strongly social il
his nature and liked people rather thar
places. Like all men OF the highest cour
age, fearing nobody, he hated none; b,
would oppose man to the death. but h,
would never hate him.
"While Lincoln was fearless in his owl
nature he had the keenest forbearance fo
the timidity Of others. He would neve
consent tn shoot soldier for cowardice
He called them leg cases
"'No one need ever expect me to sane
ton the shooting OF man for RUNNING
away in a battle he said to me once; :
won't do it. A man can't help being
coward any more than he could help be
ing humpback, if he were born one
Then turning to me again he said: 'Vor
hees, were you ever scared?' | confessed
that had had some little experience tina
way.
$50 have l. said Lincoln, laughing
and know Just what ii means. And il
any contest or controversy which arise
between the head and the heels, neve
knew the heels to get anything but tn,
best of it. No sir; they needn't send an!
leg cases to me at all. I'll never order I
man shot for any such ofiense.'
"0nce, when | was up to the Whit
House to see him about something, HI
turned to me with pathetic look Of anx
ious pain and said: voorhees,, doesn't il
seem strange that should be here-I, {
man who couldn't cut chickens head
of, with blood running all around me?'
"He was fond of certain homely, old
ssshianS5Coems, as II there were sor