The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-02-17
WHOLE NO. 2377.
Franked For Them.

4
''Let this go. A. LINCOLN"
Unless il has been destroyed, there il
in home in Fond du Lac county,
Wisconsin, soldier letter i'm an envel-
ope bearing the 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 eamped in Nir-
ginia, near Washington, in the winter
of ls6l-2, il was a common practice
with the soldiers, when they got pass
to visit the city, to buy package ofen-
velopes and 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 X. Doolittle, now Chicago law
yer, the other by the late Senator T. o.
Howe, who succeeded Captain James
as postmaster general in President Ar
thurs cabinet.
For twenty years senators and MEM
hers 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 an
gels.
"YOu fellows, there, are making a
big blast over getting couple Of sena-
tors to frank your envelopes" said
Frank King. "Just you wait till you
see me come back from Washington
with the presidents name on some let
ter cOvers.n
Within few days Frank King and
Harry Dunn, who for years after the
war was a Chicago business man, went
to the city. They called at the White
House.
IL was easier to see the president
then than it is now. At certain hours
OF the day a soldier could reach the
chief executive with fully as much ease
as a senator can in these later years.
King was the ringleader. Approach
ing the guard, ne said
1--WE want to see Mr.. Lincoln. Please
stand aside and let US pass"
"Who are you, and what is your busi-
ness ~
''Iou tell old Abe we have charge of
a regiment over in Arlington Heights
and want to see him on an important
matter. He'll let US in"
''Where are your shoulder straps?',
1--WE came over in our everyday
clothes. Come, we are in hurry. Let
Us go in and see Mr.. Lincoln"
The parley had attracted the atten-
ton Of the president. The door swung
open and the good natured chief of
the nation smiled upon the cheeky
young fellows aad bade them step
right in.
"What can do for you, my men ~
Mr.. Lincoln, want you to frank
these envelopes said King.
better get your congressman to do
that"
I'D much rather have you do it, Mr..
Lincoln. The folks at home would
like to see your name on my letters"
"Tll fix one of them. Take the lest
to your congressman. Who is he?"
II don't know"
'Where is your home ~
''Lamartine, Fon du Lac county,
Wisconsin.
That is my friend Scott Sloan's dis
trict. You go 10 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. y. Lincoln" But the
next day he wrote n letter to his father
The name Of Lincoln was personally
examined by all of the Heighbors.
In January, 1864, our regiment was
in Washington on the way home, hav-
ing re-enlisted-''veteranized,n y as they
called it, In company with two 9TH
ers went to the White House. The
president shook hands with Us, thank
ed us for swearing in for three years
more and expressed the hope that We
would have a pleasant visit on our vet
eran furlough.
''Mr. President" said Jones-Ed.
JoneS-''you franked letter for one of
the bOysin our company, Frank King.
| wish you would frank one for me-"
"Odd rs it may seem, you are the
second soldier to make such request.
So both are of the same company
Very we'll"
On JOnes's envelope he wrots, "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"
shall never forget the look uf sad
ness in the presidents face when the
answer was given, and it had not dis
appeared when We left the room.
Jones, what did you tell him about
King for? Did you see how it panied
him ~
"What did he ask about him for? d?
Do you suppose | was going to lie to a
man 1 would die for =" was Jones' in
dignant reply.-Chicago Herald.
To Save Pigs In Cold Weather.