Morning journal and courier., 1894-03-08
LineoIn's Log Cabin fin Chteare,

From the Chicago TrIbunel
 In the alley between Michigan and Wa
 bash avenues, rear Fourteenth street, is e
 pile of old lcgs that has attracted no more than ordinary attention. It hss been there nearly two years, almost uncared for and
 wholly unprotected from the hands of vandals- Its only protection has been the ignorance of the peopls of the history of the logs. Not dozsn people in Chicago knew the real value of that wOOd.pils, but
 If 1t were generally known that almost every one of those logs was split by an axe in the hands of Abraham Lincoln there probably would be little left to chow as 6 whole the famous log cabin built In 1880 by Lincoln and his father.
 For years this cabin served the Lincoln family as a safe protection from storms and early pioneer dangers As it stands to day its fate is a sad and ignoble one, and now that 1t Is known, steps may be taken for Its preservation as one of the moet valuable mementoes of ths "rsil- splitter"
 The project of bringing the little log cabin to Chicago was a commercial ore Because Libby prison was brought here and was successful ss an exhibit, the idea spread that there were many other histor- ical structures in this country that would be equally attractive in Chicago. So the John Brown fort at Harpsr's Ferry was torn from its pretty home and set up as & show. It was failure. Then an alleged Uncle Toms cabin was sprung on the city, and it served @ fate almost as bad as that of the fort.
 Before these failure 8 party of Chicago ans, headed by George N. Bogue, came to the conclusion that Lincoln's old log cabin home would put thousands of dollars in their pockets during the Worlds fair sea- son, so they bought the little structure for ten thousand dollars and sent George O. Garnsey, the architect, down to Coles county, illinois, to take the cabin down and ship it to Chicago. He performed the work, and marked the logs with 8 series of numbers and letters, co that there would bs no trouble In putting the material to- gether again In its original form. Two years sgo the material reached Chicago, hut before 6 satisfactory site was seclred the packers of the enterprise weakened, and the structure was never placed on ex- hibition. h the meantime the logs were stacked h pile in the rear of the John Brown fort building, and there they are to-day.
 Before Its removal to Chicago this cabin stood upon 6 small tract of land in the ex- treme southern part of Coles county, which was negotiated for by Thomas Lin coln, the father of Abraham In the fall of 1880 the father, assisted by his son and the other members of his family, erected 6 log cabin which was only fifteen by nine- teen feet in dimensions. For nearly year the entire household occupied this room. with only a loft above. In the spring of the following year the cabin was pulled down and rebuilt eighty rods south of the first locality, and for resrly five years only this one room was the abode of the hum- ble family. During tt year 1885, as an family demanded larger accom- modations, another room of the game size was added to the original house, and Mir. and Mrs. Thomas Lincoln moved into the new apartment.
 It was In this room that Abraham Lin coin spent many days while at work in the and during the many occA- sions upon which be visiied his parents Af- ter hls withdrawal from the home life, and while engaged in the various pursuits and svocstIons which he attempted bsfors his admission 10 the bar. And even after his election to the presidency he came up to the old homestead for the purpose of bid ding farewell to his mother, snd 1t was st this time that he visited his fathers grave near by-
 The president never returned to his old home, for his fate fulfilled the prophecy made by hts mother at this tune, in De Csmber, lS6O. When she bsde him fare. we'll she ssid In parting, and with tesrs down her cheeks: "Oo, Abe, my boy; I'll never git to see ye no mor-,