The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-06-20
WHOLE NO.. 29O.

HerndOn visited Indiana i'll 1868, and it
required all that gentleman $ command
of diplomacy and tinesse to overcome
her reluctance and scruplcs sufficiently
TO obtain them for publication. A
glance at them will convince the reader
that the people of community which
could tolerate them would certainly not
be surprised or offended at anything
that might be found in the "Chron-
icles:''
will tell you joke about Joel and Mary;
1t is neither a Joke nor story,
For Reuben and Charles have married two
girls,
But Billy has married boy.
The girls he had tried on every side,
But none could he get to agree.
All was in vain. He went home again,
And since that he's married to Natty.
So Billy and Natty agree very we'll
And mamma's well pleased with the match.
The egg it Is laid, but Natty's afraid
The shell Is SO soft 1t never will hatch
But Betsy she said "You cursed bald head
My suitor you never can be.
Besides your i'll shape proclaims you an ape,
And that never can answer for me-
That these coarse burlesques and ven
omous sallies aroused the Grigsby ire
and eventually made Abe the object ON
which their combined fury was spent
goes with the saying. 1t has been CON
tended. and with some show of truth,
too, that the fight famous in that local
ity, between John Johnston, Abc's step
brother, and William Grigsby was the
outgrowth of these caricatures, and that
Abe forebore measuring strength with
Grigsby, whom he considered his phys
lcal inferior, and selected Johnston To
represent him and fight in his stead
These crude rhymes and awkward ini-
tations of Scriptural lore demonstrated
that their author, if assailed was mer-
clless III satire. In after years Lincoln,
when driven to do so, could use this
weapon of mimicly and ridicule with
! telling effect. He knew its power, and
on one occasion, in the rejoinder Of de
bate, drove his opponent in tears from
the platform.
The Lincoln family left Indiana for
Illinois in March, 1880, few days aft
er Abe's twenty first birthday Their
| departure from Gentryville is remem-
bered by persons still living there. In
| accord with the custom Of the day,
James Gentry and one or two other
neighbors accompanied them short
distance the first day. The journey
across the country of this strangely as
sorted household-l3 hopeful, haplese
lmmigrants-at the break up Of a severe
winter in their cumbersome wagons;
gleeful and effervescent Dennis Hanks;
dull, shiftless old Thomas Lincoln, who,
after an ownership Of IA years, had Just
sold his land at a figure much less than
he paid the dumb, patient oxen, and
last OF all the tall, muscular youth
who swung the lash over the rear team
| have more than once been described by
MI. Lincoln many biographers. The
first night out one of the oxen, bought
a few days before Of David Turnlam.
managed to loosen himself, and before
day wanderd back to his old home. Abe
was required to trudge back i'll search
of the lost animal, and, as predicted,
found him calmly and philosophically
chewing his cud in the old barn lot
with as little show of concern as if he
had never left it. Seeing Abe enter,
however, he at once began to manifest
an interest in the proceedings, and soon
evinced marked disinclination to leave
the place.
Turnham, who survived Lincoln many
years, used to relate the amusing strug-
gle between Abe and the bovine and how
at last, after throwing over the latter's
head sort Of bride the reins of which
he held in one hand, he caught the end
OF the animals tail with the other and
leaped astride his back. Shouting to
us to open the gate, " said Turnham,
"he started off. Of course old Bob re-
sisted, but Abe, jerking the bride rein
and giving now and then an additional
twist on his TAIL the old fellow had To
60 The last we saw of OK or rider they
were going at good rate headed for the
country beyond Pigeon creek, where the
rest of the party awaited them
The sons of William Jones, the mer-
chant, in Gentryville, persisted in the
claim that their father sold Thomas Lin
coin small supply Of goods Of the value
OF $50, which he peddled out at a fair
profit to people along the way, but such
good business management was so out of
keeping with the nature and methods of
the senior Lincoln it is difficult to ac-
cept the statement as literally true, un-
less we are allowed to divide the re-
sponsibility of the transaction with Abe
or some other member of the party. 1t is
likewise doubtful if, after meeting his
obligations Thomas Lincoln had sur
plus funds enough to make an invest
ment Of the proportions named.
Of the further incidents of this jour
ney our knowledge is limited and Mr.
Lincoln himself has added but little to
the meager store of facts. Among other
things narrated by him to Herndon was
the story Of little dog belonging to
some member Of the party which one
morning fell behind and failed to catch
up till after the wagons had reached
the farther side Of stream they were
forced to ford. A coat of ice had formed
on the water during the night, but So
thin the animal instinctively feared to
trust his weight on it. Meanwhile he
could be seen running up and down the
bank as if in the greatest distress. Deem
ing 1t Improbable to ford the stream
again to get him. the party decided by
a majority vote to go on without him.
"ButI could not, " said Lincoln ZEN