The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-01
NO. 1856.
STORIES OF LINCOLN.
Some Interesting Contributions Made
by Senator Voorhees,.

Lincoln was one OF the first men j
knew after | began 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
! the lawyers travelled a circuit. | was
then, as now, in Indiana, while Lincoln
was in Illinois, but our respective cir
cults going to the State line in each
instance, joined, and our business
frequently took US into each others
baiiwlcks Lincoln was very kind to
and considerate Of mel was green,
untried, and a much younger man than
he-and | can recall many a favor he
did me.
"He was a strong lawyer and singu-
larly successful. As a politician never
met his equal He was shrewd, in
domitable, enterprising and with a
courage which never hincbed. ! look
on him as the best and most sagacious
politician in high, big way, who ever
sat foot in the White House. What
we call big politicians are, generally
speaking, dwarfed and mindless gen
Grafton compared to Abe Lincoln. He
gave you an impression of greatness
every moment. He never did and by
nature couldn't conceive of doing a
a mean or little thing. saw him as a
lawyer, and | was in Congress while he
was in the White House. | knew him
intimately and under varying condi-
tons. | have seen him surrounded by
a state Of affairs which would have
overborne any other man | ever met.
And yet never saw Lincoln fall short
or fail to fulfill every necessity the mo-
ment it arose He answered every re-
qulrement Of every hour in his great
life, and rose to meet every emergency
with an ease which at once spoke Of
unlimited power in reserve. He was a
great mana great American.
"Lincon's personal courage had no
limit. He was afraid of nothing on
earth He received | know, as many
as half dozen letters every week
threatening assassination. He never
needed them and seldom referred to
them. He went about as freely as
Grover Cleveland does now. He
would get into the saddle and canter
out to the Soldiers home, six miles,
and an assassin could have picked him
off with rifle every step Of the way.
Lincoln never appeared to have the
| lslightest fear of it. Stanton used to
get scared and put guards around Lin
coin, but the latter only laughed at it.
He had great Iaugh--a high,
musical tenor-and when he had lis.
tened to or told story which particu.
larly pleased him he would walk up
and down the room with one hand on
the small of his back and the other
rubbing his hair in all directions, and
make things ring with laughter.
"Lincon has great fame as a story
teller, and yet the truth isn't half told.
First and last, he told thousands and
thousands of stories. He was a WE'LL
spring of anecdotes Yet, under all
his humor and all his laughter, he was
tender, sensitive, romantic, ofttimes
sad. He appeared hard and practical,
and yet no man ever lived who needed
and craved sympathy more than Lin
coin. He was strongly social in his
nature and liked people rather than
places. Like all men of the highest
courage, fearing nobody, he hated
none. He would oppose man to
death, but he would never hate him.
"Whie Lincoln was fearless in his
own nature, he had the keenest for
bearance for the timidty of others.
He would never consent to shoot a
soldier for cowardice. He called them
leg cases No one need ever expect
me to sanction the shooting of man
for running away in battle, he said to
me once; Il won't do it A man can't
help being a coward any more than he
could hell humpback, if he wert born
with one Then, to me again he said,
I'Voorhees, were you ever scared?'
81 confessed that | had had some
lhtte experience that way.
$50 have |, said Lincoln, laughing,
'and | know just what it means. And
IN any contest or controversy which
arises between the head and the heels
| never knew the heels to get anything
but the best of it. No SIT; they needn't
send any leg cases to me at all. III
lneycr ord n man Sh,t for a,,,, such
offence
"Orce when was up to the White
House to see him ab Ut something, he
turned to me with a pathetic look
Of anxious pain and said voorhees,,
doesn't II seem str.ngc that | should
5 be here-I, who could''t cut a chickens
head of, with bio d running al around
me, '"-kdRSdS City Times.
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