The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-27
FRANKED FOR THEM.
A SOLDIERS STORY OF PRESIDENT
LINCOLN AND BOYS IN BLUE.
An Envelope That Is More Valuable Than
the Best Stamp In Amy Coliection-The
Soldier Who Wouldn't Tell Lincoln a
Lie.

Let tnls go. n. LINCOLN.
Unless il has been destroyed there is
in home in Fond Gu Lac county, Wis,
a soldier letter in an envelope bearing
the above words. signed by the great war
president.
Frank King was Lamartine boy
fresh from the farm, ard 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 9th
the soldiers, when they got a pass, to
visit the city to buy a package OF en-
velopes and call at the capitol, send ia
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 Il. o.
Howe, who succeeded Captain James as
postmaster general in 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
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 letter COW
ers. -
Within a few days Frank King and
Harry Dunn, who for years after the
war was Chicago business man, went
to the city. They called at the White
House. 1t was easier to see the president
then than il is now. At certain hours
of the day 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, he said: 1--WE want *
see Mr. Lincoln. Please stand aside am
let us pass.
"Who are you, and what is your busi
ness?''
"You tell old Abe we have charge Of
a regiment over on Arlington Heights
and want to see him Oh an important
matter. He'll let us i'm
"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 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 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 Cd
that. +"
, SID much rather have you do it, Mr.
q 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 her.
az don't know.
i, "Where is your homer"
= "Lamartine, Fond du Lac county
Wis"
! "That is my friend Scott Sloan's dis
a trict. You 60 to Mr.. Sloan. He will II!
q the rest of Them"
J, The president shook hands with tn
two privates, asked them to be brav
a soldiers and wished them a safe return
4 to their western homes
, Frank couldn't make his terminate
believe that the president had written
% "Let this 60. A. Lincoln. But the mex
. day he wrote letter to his father. In
= name of Lincoln was personally exam
- ined by all of the neighbors.
- In January, 1864, our regiment wa
= in Washington on the way home, havin
:. d-''veteranized," as the
called it. In company with two other
y I went to the White House. The pres
:. dent shook hands with MS, thanked q
for swearing in for three years more an
- expressed the hope that we would nav
:, a nice visit OH our veteran furlough.
. "Mr. President, said Jones-E
:, Jones-''you franked letter for one
y the boys in our company, Frank kint
wish you would frank one for me.
"Odd AS it may seem, you are II
second soldier to make such q reques
So both are of the same companyf Vel
., WE'LL" ..,
i. On Jones' envelope he wrote q
ID Lincoln, President, and as he handt
IN II back he asked what had become
A. that other man who had asked him
ed pass letter
$. "He was killed at Gettysburg.
n: shall never forget the look OF sa
5. ness in the presidents face when u
~ answer was given, and it had not dlsa
1T peared when we left the room,
co Clones, what did you tell him apo
dc King forG Did you see how 1t pain'
be him?" "a
as "What did he ask about him for! L
er you suppose was going to lie TO . m'
IN I would die forf' was Jones' indlgna
r. reply.-Chicago Times-Heraid'
- The Courts Decision.