River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-06-20
LINCOLN LIKED HER.
Story of Elizabeth Keckly, White
House FaCtotum.
Once She Had scores of Influential
Friends. Now She Lives in
POveFty-A Victim of Mans
Ingratitude.
Lspeelal washington letter.

"a bhAllAM LlNCOLN was
IN good friend of of mine; but he
never knew what good friend
of his l was, and have ever been"
Elizabeth Keckly, of No. 1871 Fiji
teenth street, in this city, now so years
of age, was seamstress for Mrs. Lin
coin during the civil war. She was a
part of the domestic family. as much
so as any cabinet minister was part
of the official family. After making
the above quoted remark she said:
81 was Mr.. Lincoln's friend, am his
friend now, and will always protect
his memory, by keeping my mouth
closed concerning the many things
which he unhappily suspected or i'm
agined were going on around him Off
cially and unofficially. | was born a
slave, but bought my freedom, and so
was under no oligations to Mr.. Lincoln
for emancipation. But | loved him
for his kind manner towards me and
for his great act of giving freedom to
my race. / know what liberty is, be-
cause | remember what slavery was.
When | was young woman, modest as
any young woman, | was stripped to
the waist and logged into insensibil-
ity This was done more than once,
simply on the preteXt that my spirit
must be broken / know what unde-
served suffering was inflicted upon the
slaves. Therefore I know what eman-
clpatlon meant. You who have never
suffered cannot understand the full
meaning of liberty. l was as good a
girl as ever lived, and wanted to live
as good women live; but was com
PEELED to become a mother without
marriage. Oh, yes, / know what lib
erty is. because / know what slavery
was. Consequently have almost wor-
SHIPPED Abraham Lincoln. He was as
kind and considerate in his treatment
of me as he was of any of the white
people about the white house. In that
he manifested the consistency of his
belief that all human beings are Gre
ated equal in the sight of God. He
arose every morning as a good man,
and he went to bed every night as
God-fearing, Christian man. They say
that servants do not reverence their
masters because they know their
weaknesses, as the rest of the world
cannot know them. But no servant
failed to respect and revere that grand
man of God, and man of the common
people. His life was pure. ! cannot
say that of all whom l knew in those
days.
81 have been honest and not avari-
cious, or | would not now in my days
of feebleness and age be working hard
with the needle to earn my daily bread.
never betrayed secret in the days
when secrets were worth gold and
gold was scarce. Nearly all of the
great men and women who knew me
are now away from earth. The mem
bers of the family that l served long
est and best are needless of my age
and infirmities and necessities, and I'M
appreciative of my loyalty; loyalty
which / shall continue until my lips
are sealed in death. | served the
families of Douglas, Harlan, Brecken-
ridge, Lincoln, Chase, and many others
who were famous in those days. BY all
of them, it seems, | am forgotten. else
I would not be helpless and penniless
in my declining years"
Referring feelingly to Lincoln, she
said: II know, and ! know it well,
that so unhappy was that great man,