Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-05-01

left him till 1 had apparently pumped
him dry. Regarding the birth of the
boy Abe, reproduce here his testimony
i'll his own yernacular;
. 1t wuz the custom in those DAYS to
run and greet the newborn babe. They
told me the Linkerns had new baby
down ut theic house, and so I run all the
way down thar guess [ wuz On hand
purity early, for rikkolect when 1 held
the little Teller III my arms his mother
said, Be keerful NV him, fur you air the
fust boy he's ever seen. The winmen
WIZ already putin bout name, and
50 while the chatterin wuz a-goin on l
sort o swung him back and forth-a
little too peart, 1 reckon, fur with that
the youngster soon begun to cry, and
then l handed him over to Aunt Polly,
who WIZ standin close by. Aunt, seq
l, take him. l don't care what you
name him, he'll never come to much. ,
fur Ill tell yoa he wuz the puniest, cry
NEST little Teller I ever saw
OF the bey's childhood in Kentucky
little was to be obtained at the time Of
my visit or that of Mr. Herndon either.
Even then there was an air Of loneIi-
ness about the neighbcrhood, feeling
Of isolation from the world outside
which must have been mere marked in
the years when little Abe spent his soli-
tary days strolling through the woods
or hunting pebbles i'll the branches. One
man was found who had been a clerk in
the village store toward which Nancy
Lincoln trudged with her little boy to
replenish at intervals her stock of fam
lily supplies When interviewed. he
seemed, as he looked through the rosy
mist of memory, to recall the forlorn
couple with feelings of commingled
pride and affection. 1.-THE little fellows
sad face, " he testified, made deep
impression on me as he sat on the top Of
a key while his mother bartered for her
cotton, her coffee and dyestutfs, and /
could not refrain from dropping into
his half reluctant palm lump of sugar
now and then
When he reached mans estate Mr..
Lincoln had but little to say Of his life
in Kentucky, because doubtless there
was so little Of it. He remembered a
few Of the carly residents Of the neigh
borhood in which he was born. hut he
never visited that locality after he
moved away from it with his parents in
1916. He likewise could recall some Of
the incidents of his play days, but thu
country was so sparsely settled and his
companions 50 few that part Of his
history is necessarily meager and dim
Early in June, 1860, Kentucky core.
spondent, learning # his nomination to
the presidency, invited him to visit his
birthplace. You suggest, - he stated
in his answer to the invitation few
days later, that q visit to the place Of
my nativity might be pleasant to me.
Indeed it would But would it be safe?
Would not the people lynch me?" This
latter inquiry proved to be an unfortu- |
nate suggestion and led him finally into T
an infringement from which he With /
no little difficulty released himself. In /
another letter TO the same correspondents
dated Aug. 10 1860, be writes: " a cor
respondent cf the New York Herald
who was here week age, writing to
that paper, represents me as saving I
had been invited 10 visit Kentucky, but
that expected it was trap to inyeigle
me into Kentucky in order to doy violence
10 me, Vhis is wlclly 4 mistake. said
10 such thing. l do not remember, IL.
possibly I did mention NY correspond
'nce with you But very certainly l was
act guilty VI stating Il insinuating a
suspicion of any intended violence de-
'eption CT other wrong against me bv
1eu oT any ether Kcntuckisn " AUG