Smyrna times., 1897-02-03
FRANKED FOR THEM.
A SOLDIERS STORY OF PRESIDENT
LINCOLN AND BOYS IN BLUE.


An Envelope That Is More Valuable Than
the Best Stamp In Any COllection-The
Soldier Who Wouldn't Tell Lincoln a
Lie.
''Let 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
the above words, signed by the great war
president.
Frank King was a Lamartine boy,
fresh from the farm, and q character
our whole company took to kindly from
the first.
When the army was camped in Vir-
ginia, near Washington, the winter Of
1862, it was a common practice with
the soldiers, when they got pass, to
visit the city to buy a 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 as
postmaster general in President Arthurs
cabinet For 20 years senators and men,
bers have been giving a 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 a
big blast over getting a 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 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 tosee the president
then than it 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: "We 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
a regiment over on Arlington Heights
and want to see him on an important
matter. He'll let US in. ="
"Where are your shoulder straps?''
| eve 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 bade them step right in.
"What can do for you, my men?"
"Mr. Lincoln, want you to frank
these envelopes, said King.
SBetter 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
I'm fix One of them. Take the rest
to your congressman. Who is he?''
81 don't know"
"Where is your home?''
''Lamartine, 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 a 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 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-''v 'veteranized, as they
called it. In company with two others
l 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
a nice visit on our veteran furlough.
"Mr. President, said Jones-Ed
Jones-'you fFanked letter for one of
the boys in our company, Frank King.
l wish you would frank one for me. "
"Odd AS it may seem, you are the
second soldier to make such a request.
So both are Of the same company? Very
we'll"
On Jones' envelope he wrote "a.
Lincoln, President" and as he handed
it back he asked what had become oi
that other man who had asked him tC
pass a letter.
''He was killed at Gettysburg.
shall never forget the look of sad
ness in the presidents face when thC
answer was given, and it had not disap
peared when we left the room.
Jones, what did you tell him abou
King for? Did you see how it paineC
him?'.'
"What did he ask about him for? Dr.
you suppose was going to lie to a mai
would die for!" was Jones' indignan
reply.-Chicago Times-Herald.