The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-05-05
A "REMINISCENCES OF LINCOLN.

HG MY whey, Esq, IOI many
years resident of Charleston, ILL.,,
bnt now living in an adjoining county,
tells a story of Lincoln S ability to get
close to the people.
The reminiscence was brought out
by a recent account in a local paper
OF the great debate held in Charles
ton, in 1858, between Lincoln and
Douglas, which told OF Lincoln's eff
fectually silencing the Little Giant"
with a word from the rock-ribbed
Democrat, Orlando B. Ficklin, of
Charleston, who had served in Con-
gress with Mr.. Lincoln. Douglas
had repeatedly made the charge in
other towns where these debates had
been held that Lincoln bad refused to
vote for supplies for the Mexican
War. With characteristic shrewd-
I ness T;.1oo1,. ~;145 I.;-f t:---~~ .---..a
they spoke at Charleston. There the
little, but eloquent and mighty Doug
las, repeated the charge. MI. Lincoln
rose to his feet, seized Ficklin, who
sat on the platform, by the coat col
lar, and, almost dragging him to the
front, said in a voice to be heard all
over the old courthouse yard: Flick
lin knows that's lie." Ficklin, to
his credit, stood by the truth to the
discredit of his party's greatest lead
er. He said simply, "Mr. Douglas is
mistaken"
The story Mr.. Wiley tells is as fol-
fows: Late in the fall of the year
was on train going north on the
Chicago branch OF the Alton Eleven
O'Clock at night had come, the car
was we'll filled, the passengers had
become drowsy and most of them were
trying to get such sleep and rest as
were to be had while sitting in the
hard and uncomfortable seats of a
primitive railroad coach.
"At Springfield, Mr. Lincoln S tall
form came in at the door and he took
a seat Immediately behind ME. He
wore a short cloak of broadcloth and
a silk hat, as was the fashion of those
days, when a gentleman was dress
ed up. After shaking hands with
me and inquiring after many Charles
ton friends, among them his step
mother, whom he loved as a mother,
and Dennis Hanks and Gus Chad
man, he said, if 1 didn't mind, he'd
like to talk, as he was only going a
little way up the road and didn't want
to go to sleep. 1 readily assented,
and Lincoln soon had me fascinated
with his wonderful flow of words.
"The cars in those days made more
noise in running than they do now,
SO it was necessary to talk much loud
er than one would ordinarily. While
Mr.. Lincoln's voice was not of the
heavy, sonorous kind, yet it was toll
erably loud and rather penetrating.
SO in elevating his voice to be heard
the 1e the rumble of the train he spokszs.
'fppen air.
oF money-loaning, Speculative. SC &c
Then he mentioned some friend who
h8d induced him to join in buvine >
tract OF land in Missouri and laving
out a town. I have forgotten the
name OF the town. but Lincoln sold
he believed it would lh-,-e tber, bott,
rich. Money, at that time,Nss worth
ten per cent, legal rate. Me-. -
cessities, however, often made them
willing to pay fifteen per cent, and
even higher. Lincoln's idea was
that money loaned at lawful interest
would earn more in the long run than
at a usurious rate; for a mans will
ingness to pay a high rate showed his
extreme necessity, and the probabili-
ties were that in loaning to a man
willing to pay usury, the principalit-
self would be jeopardized.
"Lincoln's earnestness OF speech,
even in conversation, the 1oudness of
his voice, and his style of presenting
any subject, soon attracted the atten-
ton of every one in the car. They
shook off their drowsiness, left their
seats, and gathered close around us.
Even the conductor would stop to lis
ten as he passed by.
"It was night l shall never for
get. The ride lasted two hours, per-
haps, Mr.. Lincoln getting off at
Bloomington, if my memory serves
me right. But he held his audience
spellbound during the entire way.
when he babe me goodbye and
went out of the car, the question be-
gan to be asked, Who was that?
told my fellow-passengers that that
was Abraham Lincoln, the greatest
man, 1 then believed, in the nation.
Immediately there were expressions
of Joy on every side. Though none
had seen him before, all knew him
from the reputation he had won In his
debates with Douglas. One man
said, I would not have missed it for
$500. Another said: And that IS
the great Lincoln, the man that has
no equal and yet he talks about the
small things-the things the common
people can understand. '"-S. Louis
CIobe De,u0r11f