The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-05
STORIES OF ABE LINCOLN.

page contains anecdotes and rem, MIS-
cences OF the great war president.
cleaned at first hand from men
who knew him. Many Of the stories
new. We borrow from our Chicago con-
temporary those which follow.
I.-l.incOln and tho Pond Of Water.
On one occasion the attorneys OF Spring
| field arranged to meet at the public square
on horseback to u neighboring county FOR
u term of court. All the party were pres
ent on time except Mr.. Lincoln. After
some impatient waiting one of them vol,
unteered to go to Lincoln'S residence ana
learn the cause OF the delay. On reacn-
, ing the place he was found In his BACK
yard mounted on q mule. and with the as
| sistance of colered man was endeaVor-
| ing to induce the unwilling animal 70
| MOVE out of the yard. Mr.. Lincoln
| ehrashed the obstinate creature with
| his long legs, while his cOlOred helper
| tusged at the halter. The extremely ridtc-
ulOus scene evoked "a burst of laughter
| from the messenger. He then explained
| that the other gentlemen OF the party We're
waiting, and suggested that 1t was unwiSe
| to take that morning to ''break" green
and obstinate mule. He proposed that
Mr.. Lincoln accept one of his horses as
a substitute and poin the party at the
square. This was accordingly done. On
| the earlier part of the journey Mr.. kin-
coins attitude, efforts and appearance
| as a mule breaker" We're dweH on at
length, much ito the merrimeTt Of the
| travellers.
After getting we'll along in the journey
the cavalcade came to a broad expanSe OF
in all dirHctions like n lake. Those In ad-
vance at once turned to Lincoln for In.
| formation and inquired how far 1t would
be out of the direct route to go around
| the water. Mr.. Lincoln replied. Five or
six miles, probably, and then we should
| have to return to the same road on the
other side. l don't know what the rest of
through it, lie at once dismounted and
began disrobing. The others reluctantly
| followed his example. Having tied his
| clothing to the saddle. he mounted and
| led the way through the water. After a
| ride of q mile or more the interesting pro-
cession approached the other shore. the
| water being scarcely over the fetlocks OF
bly, than their knees. The chilly spring
| atmosphere caused many of the teeth to
chatter and rendered the violence OF their
remarks somewhat inaudible. Lincoln
ground began putting on his clothing
with the remark: IN my opinion 1t
would not particularly obstruct naviga-
tion to bridge that stream" The mule
subject was dropped.
H.-IIow Lincoln Won a Friend.
The veteran, Thomas Moran. who was
| known to nearly every politician that ever
came to Chicago. from Douglas down to
those of the present time, remembers an
| ticians of the present daw might study to
| their advantage
II. j. S. Moulton, a classmate Of Judge
| Drummond, and through the influence of
that official made master in chancery
looked upon the candidacy of Lincoln as
| something in the nature of a joke. He did
not rate the Illinois man in the same class
with the giants of the east-Seward and
the rest of them. In fact, he had eX-
| pressed himself as by no means friendly
| to the Lincoln cause. Still, he had been a
him when the Springfield lawyer came to
Chicago. Somehow the news of Moul-
toms position reached Lincoln, and after
the election. when the president-elect
dered him at the fremont House. Moul-
ton went up In the line to pay his respects
| to the newly elected chief magistrate
purely as a formality, he explained to his
hind him in the line that filed past. and
shook the gaunt hand of the westerner.
| As they came to him Lincoln grasped
Moulton's hand with his right. and with
| his left took the master in chancery by
the shoulder and pulled him out Of the
| line.
"You don't belong in the line, Moul-
ton" said Mr. Lincoln. You belong here
by me-"
And everyone at the reception was a
witness to the honoring Of Moulton. Fur
thermore, from that hour every faculty
that Moulton possessed was at the ser.
vice of the president. "a little deed of
kindness" skillfully bestowed. had won
him; and he stayed won to the end.
W-Lincoin's Kindness of Heart.
| While u surveyor, 1t seems that Lin
coin first plated the town of Petersburg.
| Menard county. i'll. Some twenty or
| thirty years afterward the property own
ers along one of the outlying streets had
gxtt Nl,ntr~ bot MI, ,artn ThANr
consulted the official plat and got no re.
lief. A committee was sent to Springfield
| to consult the distinguished surveyor. but
he failed to recall anything that would
| give them aid, and could only refer to the
record. The dispute, therefore, went into
| the courts.
Late one autumn while the trial was
pending an old Irishman named Mcguire.
| who had worked for some farmer during
| the summer, returned to town for the
winter The controversy being mentioned
in his presence he promptly said: II can
tell you all about 1t. / helped carry the
chain when Abe Lincoln laid out this
town. over there where they are quarrel
ing about the lines, when he was locating
the street. he Strengthened up from his
instrument and said: If run that street
right through 1t will cut three or four
feet off the end of poor Tom IS
house. It's all he's got in the world, and
he never could get another. 1 reckon it
won't hurt anything out here If / skew
the line a little and miss him. The line
was skewed and hence the trouble, and
more Testimony furnished as to his
| abounding kindness of heart that would
| not willingly harm any human being.
| lv.-Avoidcd the Scmblancc Of Evil.
Frank w. Tracy. president of the First
| National bank, of Springfield, tells story
| illustrative of at least two traits In Lin
coins Very shortly after drs the
the First National of ngtield was
chartered, and Mr. Tracy wrote to Mr..
Lincoln with whom he was well ac-
| Quainted in a business way, and offered
him an opportunity to subscribe for some
| of the stock. He knew II was a good
| thing. and would be better, and he
wished to serve both his bank and his
In reply to the kindly offer. Mr.. Lin
coin wrote. thanking MIR. Tracy for the
offer, and at the same time declining to
subscribe. He. said he recognized that
stock in a good national bank would be a
| good thing to hold and that the~F'irst Ma
| tional would be that sort of a bank. But
he did not feel that he ought. as he was
president; profit from ,, law which had
True. the law was not adopted for the
purpose of enriching members of the ad-
minisltration party. but the president felt
that his act might be susceptible Of a
wrong construction. and so he declined.
"He seemed to wish to avoid even the
appearance of evil" said Mr.. Tracy, in
telling of the incident. "And so the act
| proved both his unvarying problty and
his unfailing policy. No man living could
accuse him Of even the shadow of wrong
DOING
| v.-Lincoin rs Diplomntist.
| A cabinet meeting was once called to
| consider our relations with England In
! regard to the Mason-Slidell affair. One
after another of the cabinet presented his
views. and Mr.. Seward read an elaborate
diplomatic dispatch which he had pre-
pared. Finally Mr.. Lincoln read what he
| termed few brief remarks upon the sub
1 leo. and asked opinlons of hts auditors