The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-13
A. LINCOLN.

Lie.
Let this go. A. LINCOLN"
Unless it has been destroyed there is
i'll home in Fond du Lac county, Wis,
soldier letter in an envelope bearing
the above words, signed by the great war
president
Frank King was d Lamartine boy
fresh from the farm, andv character
our whole company took to kindly from
tho first.
When the army was camped i'll Vir-
ginia, near Washington, the winter of
1862, it was common practice with
the soldiers, when thsy got a pass, to
visit the city to buy n package of en-
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 r. Doolittle, now Chicago law
yer, the other by the late Senator T. O.
Howe, who succeeded Captain James rs
postmaster general in President Arthurs
cabinet. For 20years senators and men,
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, arc making
big blast over getting a couple of sena-
tors to frank your envelopes" said
Frank King. Gust you wait till You SEQ
me come back from Washington with
the presidents name OH some letter COW
ers. -
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. 1t was easier to see the president
then than it is now. AT certain hours
of the day soldier could reach the
chief executive with fully as much ease
us a senator can i'll these later years.
King was the ringleader. Approach
ing the guard, he said: eve want to
see Mr.. Lincoln. Please stand aside and
let us pass.
"Who are you, and what is your bust
ness?'
You tell old Abe we have charge of
regiment over on Arlington Heights
and want to sec him OH All Important
matter. He'll let us in. -
Where arc your shoulder straps?'
I'VE camo over i'll our everyday
clothes. Come, we are in hurry. Let
US 60 in and see Mr. Lincoln
The parley 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 babe them stap 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 OH my letters
"I'll fix ons of them. Take the rest
to your congressman. Who is he?"
II don't know"
Where is your homer"
"Lamartme, 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 q safe return
to their western homes
Frank couldn't make his terminates
believe that the president had written:
Let this 90. A. Lincoln But the next
day he wrote Il letter to his father. The
name of Lincoln was personally exam.
| ined by all of the neighbors
In January, 1864, our regiment was
Wncl,inofnn . ,.,x I,
| e-enlisted-"ve teranized, as they
called it. In company with two others
went to the White House. The presi-
dent shook hands with us, thanked US
for swearing i'll for three years moro and
expressed the hope that we would have
nice visit Oh our veteran furlough.
Mr.. President, said Jones-Ed
Jones-"you franked letter for one Of
the boys i'll our company, Frank King.
wish you would frank one for me-. -
odd ms it may seem, you arc the
| second soldier to mako such q request.
So both are of the same company? Very
well''
On Jones' envelope he wrote ga.
Lincoln, President, and as he handed
1T back he asked what had become, OF
that other man who had asked him to
pass letter.
Ho was killed at Gettysburg
l shall never forget the look of sad
ness in the presidents face when the
answer was given, and it had not disap-
peared 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? Do
| you suppose l was going to lie to man