The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-10

The seat was low and Lincoln's knees
| seemed to come up nearly on level
| with his chin. When the boys would
cheer and wave their flags Lincoln
would laugh and nod his head
1T was when Lincoln got up to
| make his speech that ne captured the
crowd. His great sympathies seemed
| to go out toward the laboring people.
black as well as white.
II remember an incident of his speech
| that day. The old court house stood
| in the middle of q public square sur
| rounded with locust trees. Lumber
had been brought over from Bartleson's
| lumber yard and a great many seats
or benches were constructed
when Lincoln spoke of the slavery
question / remember that he heSitated
| and pointing his long index finger to-
ward his audience he said in an i'm
pressive way that I shall never forget.
| In all their dicussions and arguments
the advocates of slavery have never
| been able TO show US wherein it is
right
ONE DEMOCRAT INTERRUPTED.
AT that point beligerent Democrat
who stood up on one of the benches
| with his back leaning against a locust
! tree replied in a Disguised tone You
| show US where IL is wrong, won't you?
Lincoln leaned forward as though
| trying TO look down into the mans
eyes. The crowd seemed as If il would
| tear that man to pieces Lincoln s
actions while causing a silence that was
almost oppressive was brewing storm
of Indignation There was scowl of
hatred on his face that alarmed the
| man against the tree. Pointing his
finger at the man he said in the most
solemn tones: Young man. II L were
down there with a good whip on your
back l would show where slavery is
wrong. You would appreciate an argu-
ment like that
Then the scowl disappeared like
the sunshine dispensing a dark cloud,
and Lincoln's face was wreathed in
smiles. And then the crowd laughed
and cheered and the man against the
tree slowly slipped down the side of the
tree until he seemed to disappear in
the sea OF human faces.
Lincoln addressed a meeting there
just before the election and l remem-
Der that he used an expression some
thing like this: Some of you may give
greater weight TO Judge Douglass
words because he is a great senator and
is liable TO be the next president and
/ a dispenser OF patronage, but not one OF
you can discern any cabbage sprouting
in the long, lean face of mine And
then J. II. Waters, now of Kansas City,
and Major Burr. now sanitary police
man in Wichita, and John Doran, our
present county treasurer, and Wilson
McConders and John Lawson. now of
Hutchinson. used to wonder If Lincoln
did not in 1858 foresee his own election
to the presidency in 1860.
LINCOLN NAGGED THE BOYS.
L. 3. Speed of this city is the son of
James Speed who was attorney gen.
eral under Lincoln.
II remember Mr.. Lincoln quite well. I"
said Mr.. Speed yesterday. And | could
tell you enough about him TO make a
book, but Ii would not be from what
saw but what 1 learned from my father
and Uncle Josh who used TO run store
in Springfield, III. Uucle Josh and Lin
coin were great friends.
when | lived in Washington and
knew Lincoln i was a boy 10 to IA years
old and / never liked Mr.. Lincoln very
we'll Mr.. Lincoln loved children but
he was always tring to get some joke
On the boys and that made me hot.
81 remember / used to play marbles
with the boys over in Lafayette square
and Mr.. President as we called him US
ed to frequently go through the park.
when we We're playing marbles and
would lean forward TO shoot Mr.. Lin
coin would sometimes come along and
snap his long fingers on the tight part
of our trousers and it would hurt. i
have been in the act of making crack
shot when the presidents long fingers
would snap and l would pop up in the
air like a jumping jack.
Lincoln would laugh in his good ma
tured way but at my age | did not ap-
preciate the joke. The boys were al
ways on the lookout to keep Lincoln
from getting off some joke on them.
Il was down in Louisville. KY, when
Mr.. Lincoln was assassinated and / re-
member that there seemed to be more
real grief over his loss in Louisville
than in Washington"