Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-09


probable q president should have died amid
any other sort Of surroundings.
Art Thirty Years Ago.
One Of these pictures is almost comicel
In it the artist has pretended that he is
working up a photograph Of the scene.
There is the bed, with Mr.. Lincoln lying
upon it in lis death throes, and surround
ing him are the physicians and the members
Of his family. Remembering his fraudulent
pretense Of the use of a camera. the artist
travis all his figures with their faces turned
toward the instrumental but the physi-
eian, who alone of all the company is pay
Ing attention to the patient. The Others are
more interested in having their picture
took by our special artist" than they
are IN the fate OF a ruler of q nation. This
would be comical If it were not a travesty
upon SO great q tragedy. One feature alone
OF the SO called photograph would stamp it
as an impostura, if any proof of its fraudu-
lent character were needed In the SO called
photograph Mrs. Lincoln is represented as
standing at the bedside of her husband,
while the facts are she WAS not present 1T
the death scene at all. she was by his side
few moments after his removal from the
theater to the house. but her grief was SO
great as to endanger her own life and she
was led away to the executive mansion and
did not see Mr.. Lincoln again till after his
death
In this room are many other interesting
relics of Lincoln. In n case near where
stood the bead of the deathbed are all the
biographies of Lircoln ever written. There
are in all IS volumes, and they are in most
Of the languages of earth. There is here
also collection of the dramas written on
the assassination Of Lincoln, many Of which
were brought oct' in this and other coun-
tries during the year following that event.
In the collection is little book called Lin
coin Stories" in paper covers, which many
older readers will remember having seen in
circulation years ago. There is a collection
of all the magazines which had articles on
the death of Lincoln in them, and another
group of newspaper headings, with their
column rules turned and other marks of
mourning A little book which has his,
tory Of its own is Weem's Life OF Wash
ington," the very volume which Lincoln
borrowed from u friend while yet n lad and
of which he WAS very fond. 1t having be-
come water soaked by some accident, young
Lincoln had to worl. three days to pay for
the book, it's owner declining to receive it
back in its damaged state.
a Unique Collection.
Unique is II collection of go sermons
preached in this and other countries On the
death Of Lincoln. A bookcase standing
near contains IL Thousand volumes relating
to slavery. Lincoln and the war. There
are hundreds of Lincoln broaze medals.
Lincoln medals in all the metals and ma
terals known to the art Of medal making.
The most valuable OF these is Il gold medal
which was presented to Mrs Lincoln
after the death of her husband, by 10000
Frenchmen Themedai WAS made in France.
but Napoleon LII refused to permit copies
to be made thefefrom. -Four copies We're
made in Switzerland however, and one of
these Mr.. Oldroy;i bought for his collec-
ton Large sums of money have been of
feed for it, but it cannot be bought
In the same room is the stuffed eagle
which adorned the catafalque which bore
Mr.. l.incon's remains to the tomb at his
old home in Springfield. Here Also re-
posing under a glass case, is the silk hat
which Mr.. Lincoln wore to the theater the
night of the assassination. 1t is a vener-
able relic indeed. An Old, awk ward, bat
tered hat it is. Two inches taller ut least
than the silk hat of the present day, it has
longer fur, and at its corners shows the
material of which the frame is composed.
THE brim is broad and farng, like that OF
a Quaker hat.
Visitors will be interested in the set OF
furniture which Mr. Lincoln bought when
he went to housekeeping. There are n di-
van, Il rocking chair and several smaller
chairs, all Of mahogany and horsehair up
holsfering. In the deathroom has been
placed the stove on which Mr.. and Mrs.
Lincolns last meal in the old house at
Springfield was cooked before they started
for Washington.
A Cradle and Rail.
One does not need to draw upon his stock
of sentiment to be touched by n relic which
stands in the back room. 1t is the Lincoln
family cradle, the same in which Mrs. Lin
coin rocked two of her children, Willie and
Tad. There are pieces of the rope which
hung the conspirators against the life OF
Lincoln, pieces of the curtain which hung
in the theater box that fatal night, and IN
which Booths foot caught as he jumped TO
the stage photographs of Lincolns visit
to McClellan's headquarters ut Antletam.
a series of cartoons concerning the great dc
bate between Lincoln and Douglas, mask
of Lincoln's face and hands taken the morn
ing after he was informed of his nomina
tion to the presidency, number OF busts
of Lincoln, picture of the future president
taken when he was Il young man. just be-
ginning bis career as a lawyer, survey OF
Il acres of land made by him in 1876, and
most interesting OF all TO many visitors
one of the rails split by the hands OF Abe,
the rail splitter" down in the southerlI
part of Illinois
AS to the authenticity of this last named
relic there does not seem to be any doubt.
It is certified to by John Hanks, by Govern
s:SIt:sEilF