The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-05

Decoration day upon the invitation Of
The Grand Army post AT that place:
Members of the Phil Sheridan Post Of
the Grand Army Of The Republic:
we have assembled here today iu ace
cordance with the beautiful custom, 40
recall your great achievement. aud 20
remind those VINO have come after you
what your sacrifices. and what the las-
son teaches present and future genera
lions
Ladies and gentlemen. who are here
70 snow your appreciation Of the great
Work ana the sacrifices made 10y this
little band of Union soldiers. and
veterans of the great war of the RE-
Deillon, / greet you.
am quite sure that y0u wlll pardon
me, it ON this occasion, i indulge In p
Jew personal reflections which are
source OF great pride and pleasure %
2it-- no one can deliver aH Grafton ll
memory of tie events which are com-
luemorated on this day. without think
Ing instincuFely of Abraham Lincoln
as the great towering. sublime cen-
iIal figure of the tremendous conflict.
Neighbor of Lincoln.
ln ms boyh00d my family lived ale
most directly across the street from
MI. Lincoln in Springfield. ill., He
had two sons, William and Thomas.
Ilek-uamed +Ihad, who were about
lN., and myself We. with the other
boys of the neighborh0Od, used 10 gath
cF on LincOln's corner iu the summer
evenings and play The usual games OF
boys until bedtime. often Mr. Lincoln
Wouid romp with us. and we were per-
1ectiy safe in playing jokes 0n him
There was one prank which never
Tailed To be great sport FOR US. The
front fence Of Alr. LincOin's Springfield
nome, then and now, was about three
ieeJ nigh. and stood on a brick wall,
which was about five feet high AL
most directly iu front of the steps lead
lhg up from the sidewalk TO the house
was tree planted by AIR. Lincoln him-
SELF, and which still stands there. at
that time - was about eighteen or
twenty feet high lIr- Lincoln. as I re-
can, invariably wore "a high hat. COM
monty called plug hat. During the
time of his great debates with Doug
Jas, ana just preceding and after his
nomination for the presidency. Mr. Linz
com was much prCOcCupied i'm mind.
and when AT home usually went uu to
Fae state house after his evening meal
90 consult with his party associates
fle was quite regular iu his habits and
usually came back about half past s
in the evening His habits were So
wei fixed that the boys could calculate
ON ms movements. and we tied "a string
from the tree TO the fence. at just such "a
height as 20 strike Air. LiucIon's plug
HAT about the center. We bid ourselves
behind the fence i'm the adjoining yard
and behind the wall around the corner
and ln various places. and when Air.
Lincoln. with his arms folded behind
MN and evidently iu deep thought
would be suddenly aroused by having
ms hat knocked OFF by some unseen
power, we would raise q mighty Veil
a.aa#.
places and grab hold of him wherever
we could ind place and shout for
Joy- All his serious thoughts would
vanish instantly, and he would Iaugl
and rump with AS, and not infreQuentIE
march up the street with all the boys
cunging around him until he could find
q pace 70 buy as some nuts or fruit
Lincoln's Farewell
When a boy 10 years of age 7 was one
ar the great crowd OF his ueighbors and
friends who assembled at the Wabash
depot on Tenth and Monroe streets
springfield, IlL. I'm February. 1851 and
heard him bid farewell to his ueighb0rs
ana friends iu a speech tiuged with
sadness, but with Christian hope. which
was SO short that I viii take the lib
erty of reading IL to YOU
Sly Eriends-Nu one. NOT fu nv D1si-
lon can appreciate the sadness I feel
az this parting. To this people owe
all that Z am Here 1 have lived
more ioau quarter of a century here
1HN children We're born. and here one
ar them lies buried. I know not how
soon ] shall see you again. A duty de-
wolves upon me which is, perhaps.
greater than that which has degoived
uNou any other man since the days of
Nv asnlugtGu- He never would have
succeeded except by the aid of Divine
Providence, upon which he at aI-times
relied L feel that I cannot succeed
without the same divine aid which
departure for Washington Feb II.
mighty Being L place my reliance for
support and I hope you, ms friends.
VIII all pray that i may receive that
1851.
not succeed, but with which success
J IS certain. Again / bid YOU am afrec-
Tomato farewell"
My father and AIR. Lincoln were n
the legislature of Illinois together both
being Wings when they were young
meu OF Fl and % respectively. They
FORMED close and Intimate friendship.
~ hich lasted duriug their lives NV
father aided MT. Lincoln iu forming
the Republican party, and was a Sue
cesstul candidate for auditor of state
ON the first Republican ticket iu Illinois
ln 1886. Al the time cf the war. my
father Was still state auditor and
being then about 80 years OF age. As
the IlllUoIaus here viii recall there
were turbulent times I'm Illinois and
AIR. Lincoln insisted that ms father
could serve the cause better by remain
ing iu the state administration tHau
by going His influence was such that
few ever opposed mis- Wishes iu matters
az political policy. Mr. Lincoln was
recognized as the abiest politician Ur
AaU the peculiarly able men which
BIuHOis possessed an that time.
Victim of the Rebellion.
1Iy oldest brother then % years OF
age enlisted az the first cali for
troops for three months and served
with great credit and distinction and
honor 10 his country and his family.
during the entire war; and died Il few
years after the close of the struggle.
through the inhrmiues brought on 10y
his exposure al Fort Donaldson and
shiloh, and the other great battles iU
brother was but is years of age when
the war broke out. ana enlisted two or
three times. bur was prevented from
going on account of his age. bat finally
when he had gotten 10 be- about ID.
my father iuterceded for him, and be
also went to the war. and served with
great credit as a private soldier until
the close He today IS Commando 0t
the c. A. R. post at Springfield, Ill.,.
where he has lived all his life. and he
IS today as YOU are, engaged in
decorating the graves of those who
died for their country
mention these things. because ana
grUIa az nav early associations and FH