Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-02-15
Practitioners of Trinity Episcopal
Church Meet at VIM. Daggetts.
an ABRAHAM LINCOLN EVENING
Bishop Morrison Attended, as Did Geo.
r. Henry, of Des NIoines, and ADJ
dressed Gathering-Ottumwa
Who Knew Lincoln.
From Tuesdays Daily.

:
A goodly number of the men of
Trinity parish gathered at the home
of Senior Warden William Daggett,
on West Fifth street, last evening,
in response to the Invitations of the
rector, yestrymen and wardens of the
church. Notwithstanding the inclem-
was good. The program was an excel
feature that added greatly to its in
terest, viz, anecdotes told by several
persons relative to their personal ac-
whose life was the subject before The
meeting.
After clarionet solo by w. j. Hicks
and vocal solo by Homer Caughlan,
Rev. j. Hollister Lynch made a few
introductory remarks, in which he said
the present century had been produce
tive of but few great men. OF these
he singled out Bismarck, Gladstone
and Lincoln. characterizing the latter
as perhaps the greatest of all of them,
yet not ,detracting from the greatness
and merits of either the English or
German statesman. Rev. Lynch then
introduced the speaker of the evening,
George f. Henry, of Des Moines, who
spoke on Lincoln Prior to March 4,
1851 He said that he would attempt
nothing new because that would be
presumptuous, but he would attempt
to present the facts as they are known.
Lincoln,s life he divided into three
periods. The first from his birth to
1850: the second, from 1856 to 1860,
and the third, from that time until his
death.
sLincoln's domestic surroundings
Were wretched. His father was a shift
less carpenter. and of his mother but
little was known. His mother died and
rhe father remarked which certainly
brought new element into his life.
The time spent in school would not,
taking it altogether, up to the time
he was Al years of age, exceed one
year. yet he studied and made the best
OF the scanty advantages obtainable.
AT ~ Lincoln WAS a sight. Large
hands; long legs and arms; small.
trunk; trousers much too short, show
ing several inches of blue shin bone.
In 1881 he got his first glimpse
OF the horrors of slavery. He went to
New Orleans on a hatboat, and there
saw slaves put upon the block and
sold as cattle are now bartered. At this
time it is chronicled that he said, while
watching the operations of the slave
dealers, If ever get a chance to hit
that thing (meaning slavery, I'll hit it
hard He came back to Illinois and
at Salem engaged in the mercantile
business. Here he acquired the sobri-
quet of Honest Abe which clung to
him thru all his later years. The title
was acquired by reason of his painful
honesty, if the term might be used,
in his dealings with the people. In.
She spring of 1882 he was commissions
ed captain of a company and served for
a while in the Blackhawl war. after
(which he became candidate for the
Illinois legislature. Previous to this he
acquired his reputation as a story
teller. His stories were some times
course, and sayored of the bar room
type, but if they illustrated a good
point, Abe told them with relish.
He was known as story teller before
he was known as lawyer. Lincoln
had disposed of his business interest
to make the race for the legislature,
and after his defeat he again engaged
in mercantile pursuits only to end in a
lamen.able failure. At this iuncture
the position of surveyor was offered
him which he accepted with the pro-
vision that it was not to influence his
freedom of speech. He was afterwards
appointed postmaster and subsequently,
again was a candidate for member
OF the legislature and was elected. The
seat OF government at that time was at