The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-26

by introducing him as Mr.. Lincoln of
Springfield, lawyer who is practicing
in the circuit court of Mclean county.
He is a friend of mine, and ! am very
sorry, indeed. that / am unable to ac-
commodate him. After looking at Mr..
Lincoln a moment ana he at me. with
rather inquiTing expression I said
Mrs. Hawks, if you put q bed in my
room. which is too large for one person
in these crowded times. ! would be
pleased TO have Mr. Lincoln room with
me during his stay in the city As /
finished this remark Lincoln threw
back his head q little. and with 1t the
long. black hair that came over his
forehead and said. Now. that is what
call clever I thus became the room
mate Of the greatest man since Wash
ington. the peer of any man in love of
liberty. justice and mercy. and ! wish
to record here that during the time Of
his stay. several weeks learned from
him many things which have been of
priceless value to me
Although his time was very much
engrOssed by court proceedings, he
seemed to strive although I was twenty
years his Junior. to make his Compan-
iOnship interesting and servicea Die TO
me. I was told by him of many things
and stories Of the earlier settlers in II
linOis. and also he recited selections Of
poetry. one of them being the poem.
WHY Should the Spirit of Mortal Be
Proud?" etc, of which he was very
fond more / think than he would
have been had he been its authOr. of
which he gave no intimatioH - me One
evening ne said. The people of Mclean
county before they became interested
in railway construction. and when Pc
kin on the Illinois river. was their mar
ket had very little TO occupy their time,
Of
They would come to Bloomington on
Saturdays with all sorts of vehicles.
wagons. carts and on horseback and
put in moss of the day in fun. horse
racing. settling old feuds in the stray
pen etc When evening came and
they were about TO separate and return
to their homes. almost to a man. be
sides being well filed before starting.
carried with him d good-sized brown
jug in the front end of his wagon or
cart
In this connection ne told the fol-
lowing story of John NJ. afterward
prominent man in state affairs. who
came to town from south of Blooming
Grove in cart drawn by a fine pair
Of young red steers On one occasion
John NJ. WAS little late starting home.
and besides his brown jug he otherwise
had a good load or. In passing through
the grove that night one wheel Of his
cart struck a stump or root and threw
the pole out Of the ring of the yoke.
The steers. finding themselves free, ran
away and left John NJ sound asleep in
his cart. where ne remained all night.
Early i'm the morning he aroused him
self. and looking over the side of the
cart and around in the woods. as ne
himself told the story. he said. If my
names John. I've lost a pair of steers;
if my name amt John. I've found a
cart
"On the adjournment OF the circuit
court Mr. Lincoln returned to Spring
field. after which I only met him Incl
dentaIIy when visiting Springfield. I'M
til the following autumn. when l be
came the superintendent of the Chi
caCo & Mississippi railway. soon after
which I engaged the services OF Mr..
Lincoln as attorney and counselor Tor
the company and thereafter had fire.
Quent business intercourse with him
At the time of my appointment as SD
DeTintendent Hamilton Spencer came
to Bloomington as the acting vice pres
ident of the company and my remem-
brsnce IS that. having recited to him
my acquaintance with Mr.. Lincoln, I
was directed by Mr.. Spencer to engage
his services. It IS not necessary for
me to speak of his then acknowledged
ability at the bar. but to illustrate his
man nature. which was ever present
with him. 7 quote a letter which I re-
ceived from him inclOsing an expired
annual pass for 1853 and requesting its
renewal. which was due to him as COun-
sci for the company:
springfield. Feb. Is 1856 Il. P
Morgan. ESq.-Says Tom to John.
Here's your old rotten wheelbarrOw.
I've broke II Usin' on it / wish you
would mend it. case I shall want to
borrow it this arreFuoon." Acting on
this as a precedent. I say. Here your
old 'chaIked hat. I wish you would
take 1t and send me a new one. case
shall want TO use II the LIST Of March
Yours truly, A. Lincoln
Il have always understood that this
letter was written to me more as an
acquaintance and friend than in my Of
fetal capacity. The expression,
'chalked hat WAS at that era. in rail-
reading at least. quite generally used
in connection with persons who we're