Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-17
AUTOGRAPH LETTERS
Valuable Collection Of Rev.
Frank M. Bristol.
MANY PRESIDEN TS
AMONG THE NUMBER.
Some of Latest Additions in Lincoln's
Hand Recently Purchased
Three at Auction.

United States from George Washington to
/ Theodore Roosevelt, are contained In the
| valuable collection of documents possessed
| by Rev. Frank NJ. Bristol, DID,, pastor OF
| the Metropolitan M. E. Church of this city.
| The latest addition to the collection was
| made by DR.. Bristol last Thursday when
| he bought three valuable letters written
| by President Abraham Lincoln during the
| sale of the effects of the estate of the late
j. E. Harvey, who was minister to FOR
tugal in the Lincoln administration These
| letters are regarded as three of the most
| valuable epstles in the handwriting of the
| martyred President that are in existence.
| When they were put up at auction at
Sloan's the other day there was some hesi-
fancy on the part of the throng of buyers
| to start the bidding. Finally DR.. Bristol
! sang out:
| twenty-five dollars
Then the bidding became brisk and the
| distinguished pastor finally secured them
| for S205.
Mr. Harvey, to whom the letters were
| written. was an intimate personal and po-
litical friend of President Lincoln. He
was an original Lincoln man in 1860 and
| contributed greatly to his nomination and
| election. After Mr.. Lincoln was installed
| in the White House he rewarded his friend
| Harvey by giving him the diplomatic post
! at Lisbon. One of the documents accom-
| panying the letters was Mr.. Harvey's COM
mission to enter into treaty relations with
| Portugal for the extradition of criminals
Another was his passports. The latter
bears the well-known signature Of William
| H. Seward. then Secretary of State.
One of the letters purchased by Dr. Bris-
| tOl is interesting as showing LncOlns
| diplomacy in lodging the tariff issue of
that day. 1t is a letter characteristic Of
the distinguished man, who when asked by
| his friend Harvey to commit himself on the
tariff skillfully parties by himself becom-
ing the questioner and putting query at
| Harvey on subject far foreign to the tar
iff
Tells Of Collection.
DR.. Bristol talked Interestingly to Star
| reporter today about his collection of rare
old letters and autographs of former great
| Americans. His recent Lincoln purchases,
he said, possessed additional value because
they are incased in the original envelopes
and addressed in the handwriting of the
famous rail splitter 1t is perhaps not
generally known, he added, that President
Lincoln always signed his full name. "Ab-
raham Lincoln" on documents while on
letters it was simply IA. Lincoln and he
never varied this rule.
In the batch of documents bought at auc-
ton by DR.. Bristol the other day was a let
ter from Justice Mclean of the United
States Supreme Court to Mr.. J. e. Harvey.
1t was dated in May, 1885, and was virtual
ly bid for the presidential nomination. In
1t Justice Mclean spoke of the general de-
generacy of the country at that time and
what should be done for it's redemption.
1.-THE glory of our republic was at it's
heigth in the administration of James
Munroe,'' says Justice Mclean in the let
ter. We are all democrats of the Jeffer-
son, Madison and Munroe school and are
opposed to ruinous and progressive de-
mocracy.'
The justice also says he would not accept
the high office of President mere party
tool, but only if he felt that he had the full
confidence and esteem of the whole people
Otherwise he would decline it with loath-
ing and disgust" He could not bear the
thought of man filling the exalted station
of President being subject to the beck and
call of party politicians, who had been in
strumental in his election. The man chosen
| should represent the whole American peo-
| Dle.
Those Most Valuable.
In speaking of his valuable collection OF
autograph letters of all the American Pres
! idents, Rev. DR.. Bristol said those of Wash
| ington and Lincoln, while not the most rare,
are commercially more valuable than the
others and more sought after. George
Washington was a most prolific letter
| writer 1t being stated that he had written
ABOUT 10000 letters in his time. Abrah ham
| Lincoln was also prolific writer of letters
| Washington is said to have written on some
occasions five or six long letters at one sit
tlng Lincoln conducted nearly all his own
! correspondence, it was stated and did NOT
| indulge in the convenience of private sec
| rotary.
The letters of President Taylor are rare;
put perhaps those of Andrew Johnson are
| the rarest, as he did but little of his own
writing. His son conducted most of his
correspondence and signed his fathers
name to the letters. Collectors of
Americana" said DIR. Bristol, ARE very
careful, therefore, not to purchase letters
signed by the Junior Johnson" 1t is related
| that one reason why President johnson
wrote SO little was owing to an accident
which happened to him when he was work
ing at his trade as tailor. One day
taiiors heavy iron goose fell on his arm SO
| extremely difficult to indulge in penmanship
thereafter. 1t was also said that he was
considered a poor penman at best.
other presidential letters that are scarce,
| Dr. Bristol said, are those of William
Henry Harrison and John Adams. There
are SAID to be many epistles of Thomas
JeHerson In existence, as he was regarded
as another prolific writer, and, commercial
~ speaking, his autograph letters are not
| Adams.
| as we'll as the rarest. His handwriting
| was very much of scrawI and can scarce
ly be deciphered by the average reader.
Many Distinguished Men.
DR.. Bristols collection also contains the
writings of nearly all the justices of the
| Supreme Court of Daniel Webster. Henry
Clay, Benton, Calhoun, Sam Houston and
| other tllustrious Americans whose names
grace the pages of history. Houstons
handwriting is in big characters, similar
IN many respects to that of Peter Cooper.
When asked If any attempt had been
made by dealers or others to counterfeit
letters of great men in this country and
impose the bogus productions on collectors
| or Americana, he replied that he had heard
of but little such despicable work on this
SIDE OF the Atlantic In England, however,
| there had been counterfeit productions of
the writings of Oliver Cromwell Queen
Elizabeth and other celebrities, and some
of them had been sold to collectors at high
| figures. it was reported. Washington's
| writings are increasing in value, as are
those of Lincoln, and some forgeries of
| these have been attempted.
/ The most important of the Lincoln let
tiers purchased recently by DR. Bristol was
dated October 2, 1860. The question of
| tariff was then a vital one the democrats
at that time, as now. inclining toward free
trade. The letter follows:
| Private and confidential
| ~ e. Harvey, esq.
| MY Dear Sir To comply with your re-
quest to furnish extracts from my tariff
speeches Is simply impossible, because none