Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-05-31
BANKED FOR THEM.
fo,oIeR,s STORY OF PRESIDENT ,,NcoLN AND BOYS IN BLUE.

s.,a,er Who Wouldn't Tell LincoiS .
 Lie.
 atet this go. A. LINCOLN {"
 rpless it has been destroyed there is |. . home n Fond du Lac county, Wis, soldier letter in an envelope bearing .bs above words, signed by tbe great war president
 Frank King was Lamartine boy, fresh from the farm, and character ,ur whole company took to kindly from the first.
 When the army was eamped in Vir- ojnia. near Washington, the winter of lS6l.2, it was common practice with the soldiers, when they got pass, to visit the city to buy package of en- yelopes and call at the capitol, send in for their senator or representative and Set him to frank them
 One of our boys came back to camp in high feather He had two packages of enyelopes--one franked by Senator James R. Doolittle, now Chicago law. yer, the other by the late Senator T. o. Howe. who succeeded Captain James as postmaster general i'll President Arthur's cabinet. For 20 years senators and mem- bers have been giving good deal of their time to helping the soldiers with their pension claims. If they have done it as willingly and pleasantly as they used to frank envelopes for the boys they must be pretty nearly angels
 You fellows, there. are making 8 big blast over getting couple of sena. tors to frank your envelopes, said Frank King. "Just you wait till you see tue come back from Washington with At the presidents name on some letter coy- fers ?
 Within g few days Frank King aud Harry Dunn, who for years after the war was a Chicago business man, went to the city. They called at the White House. It WAS easier to see the president then than 1t ls now. At certain hours of the day soldier could reach the chief executive with fully as much ease as senator can in these later years. King MAS the ringleader. Approach. ing the guard, lie said: "We want to see Mir Lincoln. Please stand aside and let us pass .
 Who are you, and what is your busi ness?'
 You tell old Abe we have charge of regiment over on Arlington Heights and want to see him on an important matter. He'll let us in
 Where are your shoulder straps?', We came over in our everyday clothes. Come, We are in hurry Lei . IS go in and see MT. Lincoln. '' ~ The barley had attracted the attention of the president. The door swung open and the good natured chief of the nation smiled upon the cheeky young fellows and bade them step right in.
 What can do for you. my men?" Mr. Lincoln, l want you to frank these envelopes. " said King.
 Better get your congressman to dc that. ,
 I'd much rather have you do it, MT. Lincoln. The folks at home would like to see your name on my letters. , ''I'll fix one of them. Take the rest to your congressman. Who is hef''
 ''I don't know.
 fWhere is your homeY'
 "Lamartine, Fond du Lac county, Wis.
 That is my friend Scott Sloan's dis triet. You go to MT. Sloan. He will fix the rest of them.
 The president shook hands with the two privates, asked them to be brave soldiers and wished them safe return to their western homes.
 Frank couldn't make his tentmates believe that the president had written: Let this go, A. Lincoln. But the next day he wrote a letter to his father. The name of Lincoln was personally exam tned by all of the neighbors
 In January, 1884. our regiment was in Washington on the way home. having e-enlisted-'v veteranized, as they called it. In company with two others went to tie White House. The presi dent shook hands with us, thanked us for swearing in for three years more and expressed the hope that we would have nice visit on our veteran furlough.
 ''Mr. President" said Jones-Ed Jones-'yon franked letter for one of the boys in our company, Frank King. 1 wish you would frank one for me.
 'sOdd as it may seem, you are the second soldier to make such request So both are of the same company? Very we'll
 On Jones' envelope he wrote "A. Lincoln, President, {" and as he handed it back he asked what had become of that other man who had asked him to pass letter
 He was killed at Gettysburg.
 1 shall never forget tha look of sad nass in the presidents face when the answer was given, and it had not disap- pparad xu han xUa loft tho room
 'Jones. what did you tell him about King for? Did yor see how it pained him?'
 What did he ask about him for? Do you suppose was going to lie to man would die for?' was Jones' indignant reply. Chicago Times Herald.