Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-07-12
LINCOLN LIKED HER.
Story of Elizabeth Keck1y, a White
House Factotum.
Once she Had scores of Innaential
Friends, Now She Lives In
Poverty-A Victim OF Mans
Ingratitude.

~ good friend of of mine; but he
never knew what good friend
| of his was, and have ever been"
Elizabeth Keckly, of No. 1131 Fiji
teenth street, in.this city, now so years
of age, was seamstress for Mrs. Lin
coin duringthe civil war. She was
part of the domestic family, as much
SO as any cabinet minister was a 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
closed concerning the many things
which he unhappily suspected or inn
agined were going on around him Off
cially and unoficially. 1 was born a
slave, but bought my freedom, and so
was under no oligations to Mr.. Lincoln
| for emancipation. But I loved him
for his kind manner towards me and
for his great act of giving freedom to
my race. 1 know what liberty is, be-
cause 1 remember what slavery was.
When was a young woman, modest as
any young woman, was stripped to
| the waist and fiogged into insensibil-
ity. This was done more than once,
4 supply OA (AC PICtCAb tAdt SPli IL
must be broken I know what unde-
served suffering was inflicted upon the
slaves. Therefore I know what eman-
| cipation meant. You who have never
suffered cannot understand the full
meaning of liberty. I was as good a
girl as ever lived, and WANTED to live
| as good women live; but I vas com
PEELED to become a mother without
r u IL
erty is, because I 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 cre-
ated equal in the sight of God. He
arose every morning as a good man,
and he went to bed every night as a
| 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. I cannot
say that of all whom knew in those
days.
ST have been honest and not avari-
eious, or would not now in my days
| Of feebleness and age be working hard
with the needle to earn my daily bread.
never betrayed a 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 I served long
| est and best are needless of my age
and infrmities and necessities, and un-
appreciative of my loyalty; loyalty
which I shall continue until my lips
are sealed in death. I 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
would not be helpless and penniless
4, in my declining years"
Referring feelingly to Lincoln, she
said: 81 know, and know it well,
that SO unhappy was that great man,