Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-02-10
FRANKEn FOR THEM.
= sol0less STORY or PRESIDENT
LINCOLN AND BOYS IN BLUE.

AsADs
sIet this go. A. LINCOLN.
Unless it has been destroyed there is
In home IN Fond du Lac county, Wis.
a soldier letter in an envelope bearing
tho above words. signed by the great war
president
Frank King was a Lamartine boy,
fresh from the farm, and a character
our whole company took to kindly from
the first
When the army was oamped in Vir-
ginia, near Washington, the winter Of
1862, it was common practice with
the soldiers, when thoy got a pass, TO
visit the city to buy package of en-
velopes aud call at the capitol, send IN
for their senator or representative and
get him to frank them.
One of our boys came back to camp
in high feather He had two packages
of envelopes-one franked by Senator
James r. Doolittle, now Chicago law
yer, the other by the late Senator 7. O.
Howe, who succeeded Captain James as
postmaster general in President Arthur's
cabinet. For 20years senators and NOM
bers have been giving good deal OF
their time to helping tho 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 a
big blast over getting a couple Of soma
tors to frank your envelopes, said
Frank King just you wait till you sec
me come back from Washington with
the Presidents name on some letter Gov
ers -
Within few days Frank King and
Harry Dunn, who for years after the
war was Chicago business man. went
to tho city They called at tho White
House. 1t was easier to see the president
then than il is now At certain hours
of the day soldier could reach tbs
chief executive with fully as much case
as a senator can in these later years.
King was the ringleader. Approach
ing the guard, no said We want to
see Mr. Lincoln. Please stand aside and
let us pass.
Who are you, and what is your bust.
ness?i
You tell old Abe we have charge of
a regiment over on Arlington Heights
and want to see him on an important
matter He'll let us in. y
Where are your shoulder strapsY
We came over in our everyday
clothes Come, we are in a hurry. Lei
us 60 in and see Mr.. Lincoln.
The paTley had attracted the attention
,E4 fTt,g
and the good natured chief of henation
smiled upon the cheeky young fellows
and babe them step right iii.
What can do for you, my men?'
MIR Lincoln, want you to frank
these envelopes, said King.
Better got your congressman to do
that
I'D much rather have you do it, Mr..
Lincoln. The folks at homo would like
to sec your name on my letters.
s'I'll fix one of them. Take the rest
to your congressman. Who is he2'
II don't know. .
"Where ID your homeP
'Hamartine, Fond du Lac county,
Wis.
''That is my friend Scott sloan's dis.
trict. You go to Mr.. 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 terminates
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
ined by all Of the neighbors
In January, 1864, our regiment WAS
in Washington on the way home, having
e-enlisted--"y eteranized, as they
called it. In company with tive others
[ went to the 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-''yoh franked letter for ono of
the boys in our company, Frank King.
wish you would frank one for me.
"Odd 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
1t back ne asked what had become Of
that other man who had asked him to
pass a letter
He was killed at Gettysburg
I shall never forget the look of sad
ness in the presidents face when the
answer was given, and it had not disap-
poared when we left the room.
Jones, what did you tell him about
King for2 Did yo7 SEQ how it panied
him?'
What did no ask about him for? Do
you suppose I was going to lie to a man
I would die for:" was Jones indignant
reply. Chicago Times Herald.
The Courts Decision.
You remember Howforth, who mar
ried the woman who kept house for him
so long?"
"Yep.
well, the court granted her d.
yoree last week -