Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-01-16
THANKED FOR THEM.
A SOLDIERS STORY OF PRESIDENT
 LINCOLN AND BOYS IN BLUE.

An Envelope That Is Moro Valuable Than the Best stamp In Any coIlootlon-Tho 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 ill an envelope bearing the above words. signed by tho great war president
 Frank King was Lamartino boy fresh from the farm, and character our whole company took to kindly from tho first.
 When the army was campod in Vir- ginia, near Washington, the winter of 1 18612, it was common practice with the soldiers, when they got n pass, to visit tho oity to buy a package of en- velopes and call at the capitol, send i'll 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 onyelopes.-one franked by Senator James R. Doolittlo, now Chicago law yer, the other by the late Senator T. O.. Howe, who succeeded Captain James as | postmaster general ill President Arthur 3 cabinet. For 20 years senators and nom bers have been giving good deal of their time to helping the soldiers with their pension claims If they have dono it as willingly and pleasantly as they used to frank envelopes for the boys, they must be pretty nearly angols
 I ou fellows, thero, are making a big blast over getting 9 couple of sena- tors to frank your envelopes, said Frank King. "JUst you wait till you see mo come back from Washington with tho presidents name on some letter cov- CTS. :"
 Within few days Frank King and Harry Dunn, who for years after tho war was a Chicago business man, wont tatho city. Thoy called at the White i House. 1t WAS easier to see tho president then than it is now At certain hours of the day Q 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 sec Mir. Lincoln Please stand aside and lot us pass. ''
 "Who are you, and what is your busi- ness?'
 ''You tell old Abe we have charge of regiment over on Arlington Heights and want to see him on an important matter He'll lot us in /"
 Where are your shoulder straps?"
 .'Wo came over ill our everyday i clothes. Come, we are in a hurry. Let us go in and see MT. Lincoln. D
 The barley 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?n
 Mir. Lincoln, I want you to frank these envelopes, '' said King.
 Better get your congressman to dt that.
 ''I'd much rather have you do it, Mir Lincoln. The folks at homo would lik' to see your name on my letters. !"
 .'I'll fix one of them. Take the res to your congressman. Who is hegi'
 1T don't know.
 Where is your homeP''
 'Lamartine, Fond du Lac county Wis"
 That is my friend Scott sloan's dis trict You go to MT. Sloan. He will f1 the rest of them. '
 The president shook hands with tho two privates, asked them to be brave soldiers and wished them safe return to their western homes.
 Frank couldn't make his tentmates believe that the president had written "Let this go A. Lincoln. H But tho next day he wrote letter to his father. The name of Lincoln was personally exam ined by all of the noighbors
 In January, 1864, our regiment was in Washington on tho way home, having e-enIisted-F'v 'veteranized, as they called it. In company with two othors went to the White House. The presi dent shook hands with us, thanked us for swearing in for three years moro and expressed the hope that we would have a nice visit on our veteran furlough.
 MT. President, said Jones-Ed Jones-''you franked letter for one o1 tho boys in our company, Frank King. wish you would frank one for me.
 "Odd as it may seem, you are the second soldier to make such request So both are of the same company? Very well. /"
 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 letter.
 'Ho was killed at Gettysburg.
 shall never forget tha look of sad ness in the presidents face when the answer was given, and it had not disap 1 peared when we left the room.
 Jones, what did you tell him about King for? Did yor see how it painet 1 him?'
 What did he ask about him for? Dc you suppose was going to lie to mai would die for?' was Jones indignan reply. Chicago Times-Herald.
 The Courts Decision.
 You remember Howforth, who mar ried tho woman who kept house for hin so long?"
 | ''Yep. ''