Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-06-05
A VEGETABLE Joint or sTovEpPE'
WITH ROMANTIC BRti

was tho rostomco o. Nsw saiem-fts
LivsIest Experience Was whom II served
a., x Football Tor Ladies'.
There nro enough Of funny incidents
reported Of Mr.. Lincoln's bat 70 mako
It "fabled in song and illumined in
story" Tor example, it served as a
football on tho night Of his election to
The presidency, when the ladies at the
old homestead testifod their glee over
bis good fortune. The scene would have
done credit TO the greut game between
Yale and Princeton on Manhattan field.
This Is the story az told by au eyewit-
ness:
"a few Of rs ladies went over and
helped Mrs. Lincoln prepare a little sup
per for the frienda of MIR. Lincoln. who
lad been invited in 10 hear the returns.
Every half hour or 50 we would naes
around coffee and cakes. About 1o',laek
In the morning enough had been learned
to warrant the belief that the rail split
ter had been elected. think Il was
when we heard tile news from New
York. The men rushed on Mr.. Lincoln
and shook his hands. while some OF the
women actually Rugged him, and-l
might "a we'll admit it'll kissed him.
Then some one went into the hall
and took from the rack the old silk bat
that he wore, and which was ms long rs
a joint Of stovepipe and about as shape
ly to my mind, and it was thrown up to
tho ceiling. As it came down some one
gave it a kick, and then the women
Joined in tho fun, and we played foot
ball with that hat until it was an ipdis.
tinguishablo mass. We were simply be-
yond control. What a ridiculous scene
1t would have been to ono looking IN
without knowing what prompted i'll
1T was oil the more so, so far as ]
was concerned, for originally had been
a Seward woman While the conven-
tion was in session in Chicago VIC were
waiting to hear the news. 1t had been
arranged in case Lincoln received the
nomination to fire a annon My near
est neighbor was a Mrs. Dubois, with
whom l had several friendly apats dur
ing the campaign preceding the nOmi-
nation. l beard the cannon shot, and
AD0 nE4k AuOAANllA 4 paw A4Aos OADgAn
running across the street. She had been
making a shirt for her husband, who
was about the size Of the late Judge Da-
vid Davis, so you may have some idea
of the size Of the garment she was wav-
ing. She rushed into the house and
Haunted it in my face. It made me
mad, and | sat down and began crying.
The good woman put her arms around
me, begged my pardon and kis1cd me.
and from that time we were Lincoln
women. She took part in the football
match"
AS if not coatent with hjs C feet 4 or
o inches of gaunt stature, Lincoln had
his now historic hat made fully a foot
high, W til a brim almost as big as a
southern somblero. 1t seemed to have
been a combination of all styles then in
existence, and in this respect it reflected
his W early experience in having been
a storekeeper, soldier, surveyor and
finally a solicitor. 1t was a veritable
"53int Of s%tovepipe.' and its remarka-
! ole and romantic brim made II alike
serviceable in rain or slime. 1t might
have been called with propriety plug
ugly" after tho pane CT the mob in
Baltimore that threatened him il his
journe/ TO the capital.
DUNG Lincoln's great debate with
Dou 5las the hat fairly doomed into
space. The smallness of the latter's
stature caused him to be nicknamed
''The Little Giant, " and when Lincoln
stood beside him with his hat on the
difference between the two eeemed all
Lbut immeasurable. Cautiously enough,
when Mr.. Lincoln came to be iuaugu-
rated at Washington and took OF bis
Dat ON the stand preparatory to making
bis inaugural address Douglas held the
high hat so that no careleSs person NIGH
put his foot in it.
Representative Springer, who hail'
from Lincoln's old home, knew the hal
well, and in speaking Of it recently said
Mr.. Lincoln's high hat was the mos
Indispensable thing Of his whole outfit
In ii be carried all bis valuable papers
In fact, it was a sort of Gle rack. Herr
we've all the briefs of his various Law
cases. Curiously enough, he carried thI
accounts in his head, and that is WIN
be lost SO much money. Had no 70
! versed the process aud kept his account
, in his hat and the cases in his head, 4,
would have been better Off. His ha
served for his satchel on a journey, anC
al that was needed besides this wer
> his saddlebags and his horse. II wa
3 large and c~apacious, and a great man,
3 documents and data could be crowde'
into il without seriously discommodinl
' the wearer."
But Mr.. Lincoln had still a better as
? for his valuable tile, which seems I
' have had more virtues than those re
hearsed in the nursery tale of Jack an.
the Beanstalk." When no was post
! master at New Salem, his hat became
; most important part of his Office equip
ment. AS soon as tho mai was receive
each day the young postmaster woul
put the letters in his hat and take
stroll through the village. The Wills
gers knew that he was a perlpateti
postofice, aud Of course everybody wa
anxious 10 know the contents of the hal
which seemed to promise as much
them as a hat in the hands Of a sleigh
Of hand performer. Washington Coz
Z st. Louis Republic.
2 Sweet Childhood.