The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-04-28
SKETCHES FROM THE LIFE OF LINCOLN


Sangamon-J Journal for publication, and it
afterward appeared in the columns of that
organ.
No sooner had the legislature adjourned
than he'decided-if ne had not already so
determined-to run for the same place
again. He, probably wanted it for a>vin-
dication. He was pursued now more fierce
ly than ever, and he WAS better able to en-
dure the utilization of political campaign
than when he first offered himself to the
voters in New Salem.
Among the Democratic orators who
stumped the county at this time was one
Taylor, commonly known as Colonel Dick
Taylor He was a snowy, bombastic man,
with weakness for fine clothes and other
personal adornments. Frequently he was
pitted against Lincoln and INDUCED in
many bitter filings at the lordly ways and
aristooratic pretensions of the Wings. He
had way of appealing to 'his horny
handed neighbours and resorted to many
other artful tricks of a demagogue When
he was one day expatiating in his accus-
toned STYLE Lincoln, in a spirit of mis-
chief, and, as he expressed it, ito take the
wind out of his sails, slipped up to the
speakers side, and catching his vest by
the lower edge gave it sharp pull. The
latter Instantly opened and revealed to his
astonished hearers ruffled shirt front
glittering with watch chain. seals and
other golden Jewels. The effect was star
thing. The speaker stood confused and
dumfounded, while the audience roared
with laughter. When it came Lincoln's
turn to answer, he covered the gallant
colonel over in this style: "While Colonel
Taylor was making these charges against
the Wings over the country, riding in fine
carriages, wearing rutfled shirts, kid
gloves, massive gold watch chains with
large gold seals and flourishing a heavy
gold headed cane, l was poor boy, hired
on a flatboat at IS month, and had only
one pair of brooches to my back, and they
were buckskin. Now, if you know the ma
ture of buckskin, when wet and dried by
the sun, it will shrink, and my breeches
kept shrinking until they left several
inches of my legs bare between the tops of
my socks and lower part of breeches, and
while was growing taller they were be-
coming shorter and so much tighter that
they left blue streak around my legs
that can be seen to this day. If you call
this aristocracy, I plead guilty to the
| charge"
He Champions Friend.
1t was during this same canvass that
| Lincoln by his manly interference protect
ed his friend E. D. Baker from the anger
of an Infatuated crowd. Baker was a bril-
liant and effective speaker and quite as
full, too, of courage as invective. He was
addressing q crowd in the courtroom,
which was Immediately underneath Stuart
& Lincoln's office. just above the plat
form on which the speaker stood was Il
trapdoor i'll tho floor, which opened into
Lincoln's office. Lincoln at the time, as
was often his habit was lying on the floor
looking down through tho door at the
speaker was in the body of tho crowd.
Baker was hot headed and impulsive, but
brave as lion. Growing warm in his ar
raignment of the Democratic party, he
charged that wherever there was a land
office there was Democratic newspaper
to defend its corruptions." This angercd
the brother of the editor of our town pa
per, who was present, and who cried out,
Pull him DOWN. at the same time adj
vancing from the crowd as if to perform
the task himself. Baker, his face pale
with excitement, squared himself for rcsis-
lance. A shutting of feet, forward move
ment of the crowd, and great confusion
followed. just then a long pair of legs
were seen dangling from the aperture
above, and instantly the figure of Lincoln
dropped on the platform. Motoning with
his hands for silence and not succeeding,
he seized a stone water pitcher standing
near by, threatening to break it over the
head of the first man who laid hands on
Baker. Hold on, gentlemen he shout
ed. This is the land of free speech. Mr..
Baker has right to speak and ought to
be heard. l am here to protect him. and
no man shall tako him from this stand if
l can prevent it.. His interference had
H.. ,s.,@. I
and the valiant Baker was allowed to pro-
coed.
The "Long Nine"
The canvass of 1910 was Mr.. Lincoln s
last campaign for the legislature. Feeling
that he had had enough honor out of tho
office, he probably aspred for a place of
more distinction. Jesse B. Thomas, one
of the men who had represented the Dem
ocratic side in the great debate in the
| Presbyterian church, in speech at the
courthouse during this campaign, in
dulged in some fun at the expense of the
Long Nine" rejecting somewhat moro
on Lincoln than the rest The latter was
not present, but being apprised by his
friends of what had been said FASTENED to
the meeting, and soon after Thomas closed
stepped upon the platform and responded
The substance of his speech on this occa-
sion was not so memorable as the mannC =
of it's delivery.
Ho felt the sting of Thomas illusions,
and for the frs time, on the stump or in
public resorted to mimicry for eff t. In
this, as will be seen later along, no was
without rival. He initiated Thomas in
gesture and voice, at times caricaturing
his walk ard tho very motion of his body
Thomas, like everybody else, had somo
pcculiaritios of expression and gesture
and these Lincoln succeeded in rendering
moro prominent than ever. The crowd
yelled and cheered as he continued. En-
couragod by these demonstrations, tho lu
dicrous features Of the speakers perform
ahco gave way to intense and scathing
ridicule. Thomas, who was obliged to sit
near by and endure the pain of this unique
ordeal, was ordinarily sensitive, but the
exhibition goaded him to desperation He
was SO thoroughly wrought up with sup
pressed emotion that he actually gave way
to tears. was not a witness of this scene
but the next day it was the talk of the
town, and for years afterward it was called
the 'skinning" of Thomas. Speed was
there SO were A. Y. Ellis, Ninian w. Ed
wards and David Davis, who was just
then coming into prominence The whole
thing was so unlike Lincoln it was not