davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

TNEW men OF modern times have
0 attracted to themselves nobler
~ poetic tributes than has Abra-
ham Lincoln. There was some
thing about the homely, heroic figure
that seemed to call forth rhythmical
praise. This may have been due to the
fact that Lincoln himself was a poet.
He scrubbed Il volume of verse in his
youth and then burned it. Some few
OF his pieces escaped into print, how
ever. With all due respect to them,
they are not half as poetical as some
Of his prose. The Gettysburg speech,
the second inaugural address and his
letter to tue mother whose som were
slain in battle are prose poems. Per-
haps the poets responded to this kim
dred strain.
The noblest poem to the martyr pres
ident is unquestionably that Of james
Russell Lowell. It is a really great
ode, almost as great as the subject,
n that Is saying much. The follow
Ing extracts show it's merit:
Nature, they say. doth dote
And cannot make a man
Save on some wornout plan,
Repeating us by rote.
For him her old world molds aside she
threw
And. choosing sweet clay from the
breast
OF the unexhausted west.
With stuff untainted shaped a hero new.
Wise. steadfast in the strength Of God
and true.
How beautiful to see
Once more a shepherd Of mankind indeed.
WHIT loved his charge, but never loved to
lead;
One whose meek lock the people joyed
to be,
MOI lured by any cheat of birth,
But by his clear grained human worth
And brave old wisdom Of sincerity!
His was no lonely mountain peak Of mind,
Thrusttng to thin air DER our cloudy
bars,
A sea mark now, now lost in vapors blind:
Broad prairie rather, genial. level lined.
Fruitful and friendly for all humankind,
Yet also nigh to heaven and loved Of
~loftiest stars.
Here was a type Of the true elder race,
And one of Plutarch's men talked with us
face to face.
l praise him not; 1t were too late,
And some innative weakness there must
be
In him who condescends to victory
Such as the present gives and cannot
wait.
Safe in himself as in a fate.
So always firmly he
He knew to bid his time
And can his fame abide,
Still patient in his simple faith sublime.
Till the wise years decide.
Great captains. with their guns and
drums,
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

"YoU NAY BURN MY this legislature,
and he and
Honest Abe" often crossed swords. It
was in this session likewise that the
future president made his first record
ed protest against slavery. There was
only II man In the entire body that
had the courage to sign it with him, al
though 1t was a comparatively mild
document.
After the state capitol had been
moved Lincoln left New Salem. where
he had formerly lived. and moved to
Springfield. All his possessions he car
ricd in Il pair of saddlebags. In fact.
he had always been poor and so re-
manned to the end. When first elected to
the legislature he was compelled to Dor
row 5000 for clothes and conveyance.
At Springfield Lincoln began his law
practice in earnest and continued it
nearly Il quarter Of Il century. Despite
his change of residence he was re-elect-
cd to the legislature in 1888, as he was
also in 1910. In the last named year he
stumped the entire state in the famous
log cabin" campaign. 1t was in n
Of these last sessions in which he serv-
I'd that Mr.. Lincoln and another Wing
Jumped out Of Il window during a call
Of the house. The attempt was to
break a deadlock. Often he convulsed
the house with his apt and droll stories
and on II occasion e%ffectually %sQuelcfl-
ed Il former attorney general Of the
state who "a trying to make merry
ut his expense. He said the gentleman
talked SO much it reminded him OF a
man who shot for hours at what he
thought was a squirrel. but which
turned out to be only a louise in his eye
brow. The story silenced Lincoln's op-
ponent for the rest Of the session.
At one time during his legislative ca
reer Mr.. Lincoln was urged to consent
to a log rolling proposition. He said:
You may burn my body to ashes and
scatter them to the winds Of heaven. you
may drag my soul down to the regions OF
darkness and despair to be totmented
by dends Of the damned forever. but you
Will never get me to support a measure
which ! believe to be wrong. although by
doing % I may accomplish that which I
believe to be right.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

ing. fact and fiction. which travels by
word of mouth. One of the first re-
wards OF his borrowing expeditions was
a story teller by which he found that
he was Outdone. 1t was .lcsop's fables.
Before he had read this volume through
a score of times he could make over into
a fable with some kind of Il moral to
1t every II Of the anecdotes with
which his mind was stored. Then he
was initiated into the beauties of "Pil~
grim's Progress" Il book which had un-
questioned influence upon his later life.
The family Bible. too. was Il favorite.
For some reason Hazel Dorsey was
unable again to collect his scattered
pupils. and it was Il full year before
school r%eopcned. with Il new teacher.
Andrew Crawford. Mr.. Crawford
brought new ways and soon saw that
the young persons trooping about him
needed other things than book learn
ing. From the beginning he taught
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07
16Rmc@Om'@
Sch@@0W@Ys
BY A. W. FERRlN
1906. by A. W. Feuin

BRAII.AM LINCOLN was ten
XN years Old when his father
%\ made that profitable journey
from Indiana to his old homt
In Kentucky. from which he returned
with a new wife and accompanying
worldly possessions which would have
seemed to Abe and his little sister
Nancy like the treasures Of the Indies
had they ever heard OF that golden
empire. The advent Of Sally Bush in
her new role as Mrs. Thomas Lincoln
marked an epoch in Abe's life. IIith-
erto he had been growing very much
like Topsy. Now he was to know a
mothers loving care.
AS soon as she had attended to the
bodily wants Of her stepchildren.
''made them look a little more human"
as she expressed it, Mrs. Lincoln turned
her attention to the minds Of her new
charges. 1t was Il welcome surprise
to her, no doubt, to find that in his few
weeks Of rough schooling in Kentucky
under the tutelage Of Caleb Hazel
young Abe had picked up some knowl-
edge Of reading and writing, and his
foster mother decided that it was high
time that he should add to his attain
ments.
On Little Pigeon creek, Il mile and
q half from the Lincoln farm, the set
tiers had built a log schoolhouse, and
Hazel Dorsey had been hired to pre-
side therein. Dorsey. 1t was said, could
teach reading, writing and arithmetic.
and what more could be asked? The
news of these new educational advan-
tages meant much to oil the children Of
the backwoods, but it meant more to
Abe. 1t was the opening Of u wide
gate to him. He was growing faster
than ever now. Good Mrs. Lincoln de-
SPARED Of keeping him in clothes that
would fit him. Cloth of any kind was
scarce, and much of a boys wardrobe
had to be Of buckskin, and, however
loose Abe's trousers might be made. a
few hours In the wet fields or a fall into
q woodland brook suficed to render
them a tighter ft than any tailor could
fashion. Stockings were out Of the
question. and when on special occasions
or IN extreme cold weather shoes were
o. they were 'low cut" to a V
leather. There was apt to be a gener-
u eXpanse Of blue ankles and shin
bones between Abe's trousers and his
clumsy feet. This tendency to high
water pants was one which stayed
with him for many years.
The first term Of Dorsey's school was
mort The winter melted rapidly away.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07
Narrow Escape Of Lincoln, Eathe,

"arr"" Escape Of LincOln's Father.
lhere are times when a moment lost
might change the destinies Of nations.
FOR example. there was a time when
lhomas Lincoln. the father Of Abra-
num- was IN danger Of his life by In
olans. His father had just been killed.
ana n Of the savages was in the act
OF killing the son when an older brother
OF Thomas shot the redskin. 1t is in
terestlng to speculate on what the DELAY
" a momen at that critical time would
nave meant to this country.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

perfect, but the sentiment redeems
mere external imperfections:
o captain. my captain. our fearful trip IL
done!
The ship has weathered every rack; the
prize we sought is won;
m port Is near. the bells I hear. the
people all exulting.
While follow eyes the steady keel, the
vessel Grim and daring.
But, o heart. heart, heart!
Q the bleeding drops of red
Where on the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead!
Q captain. my captain. rise up and hear
the bells!
Rise up! For You the flag is flung, for
YOU the bugle trills,
For YOU bouquets and ribboned wreaths.
for you the shores a-crowding-
For you they call. the swaying mass, their
eager faces turning.
Here. captain, dear father,
This arm beneath your head!
It Is some dream that on the deck
You've fallen cold and dead.
Lowell. Whitman.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07
~OO~
Lincoln I'm
the Illinois
Legislature
BY WALTON WILLIAMS
90

7ITTLE has been said of Abraham
LincOln's service in the Illinois
~ legislature. Yet his eight years
in that body formed the foun'
dation for his political career. He was
defeated once, the first time he ran, al
h age Of twenty-three. But he receiv.
ed all except seven votes in his own
precinct and formed an acquaintance
with the people that carried him
through two years later.
His first race was in 1882. Lincoln
was just through his soldier experience
in the Black Hawk war. in which he
had been captain of a company. His
first appearance on the stump was
at a public sale at Pappsville, near
Springfield. Lincoln stopped a fist fight
by hurting one Of the trouble makers q
dozen feet through the air and then
spoke as follows:
Gentlemen and Fellow Citizens-I pre-.
sumo you all know who I am. 1 am hum
Ole Abraham Lincoln. l have been So
licited by my friends to become a candi.
date for the legislature. My politics are
short and sweet. like the old woman's
dance. am in favor Of a national bank.
l am In favor OF the internal Improvement
system and a high protective tariff. These
are my sentiments and political principles.
II elected / shall be thankful: IL not it
will be all the same.
After his defeat he became q mer.
chant in a small way and was also
postmaster for a short time. It was
some time in 1882 that he began the
study of law. He also spent a portion
OF the next two years as q surveyor.
In 1884 came the second race for the
legislature. In relation to this canvass
Mr.. Herndon, afterward law partner
and biographer Of the martyr presi-
dent. tells the following story:
He (Lincoln) came to my house near
Island Grove during harvest. He got his
dinner and went out in the field where the
men were at work. I rave him an intro.
duetion. n the boys said they could not
vote for q mar unless he could make a
hand" well. boys" said he. III that
Is all, ! an, sure Of your votes" He took
hold OF h cradle and led all the way
round with perfect ease. The boys were
and I don't think he lost q vote
In the crowd. The next day there was
speaking at Berlin. He went from my
house with DR.. Barnett. the man that had
me III this man Lincoln was. I
told him that he was a candidate for the
He laughed and said, Cant
the party raise better material than
said, "Go tomorrow and hear all
before YOU pronounce judgment" When
he came back I said. Doctor. what say
why. sir" said he, "he Is O
perfect take-in. He knows more thar
all Of them put together
Mr.. Lincoln was elected this time
in due course took his seat in the
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07
Whitman.

VIII Ldlu
FOUR GREAT POETS WHOM L1NCoLN's CA
REER INSPIRED.
My captain does not answer; his lips are
pale and still.
My father does not feel my arm: he has
no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchored safe and sound, it's
voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in
with object won.
Exult. o shores. and ring. o bells!
But I. with mournful tread.
Walk the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
Edmund Clarence Stedman's poem
on "The Hand Of Lincoln is not SO
we'll known as either Of the foregoing,
yet it contains many fine lines:
Look on this cast and know the hand
That bore a nation in its hold:
From this mute witness understand
What Lincoln. was-how large of mold.
The hand of Anak. sinewed strong:
The fingers that on greatness clutch
Yet. 10, the marks their lines along
OF one who strove and suffered much.
For here in knotted cord and vein
l trace the varying chart Of years.;
! know the troubled heart, the strain,
The weight of Atlas-and the tears.
10, as l gaze the statured man,
Built up from yon large hand. appears,
A type that nature wills to plan
But once in all a peoples years.
What better than this voiceless cast
To tell of such a one as he,
Since through its living semblance passed
The thought that baoe u race be free!
Almost every American poet since
Lincoln's day has rendered some need
of praise to the memory Of the great
liberator. Notable among these are
Alice Cary. Richard Henry Stoddard
and James Whitcomb Riley.
OF foreign tributes the most celebrat-
ell was that Of the London Punch. be-
ginning. You lay a wreath on murder
ed Lincoln's bier" and referring to
itself as a 'scurrile jester for the gibes
It had thrown at Americas true born
king Of men,"
One OF the most notable Of the Lin
coln poems is by Edwin Markham, the
author Of THE Man With the Hoe" It
refers to the elemental character Of the
man, made up of 1.-THE red earth" and
the patient greatness Of the rock"
Again he is likened to the pine tree that
rails with a great shout upon the
hills"
There are other verses innumerable
concerning the saint Of liberty" all
breathing forth the love and reverence
IN which he Is held by the whole peo-
pie. AS the years pass this chorus Of
song will swell until it grows into a
mighty anthem Of praise and thanks
giving that this latter day Moses was
'ent to our nation to liberate another
FACE and to lead US all through the
wilderness into the promised land Of
liberty and union.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

the legislature, and in the ensuing cam
paign his great powers began to be-
come manifest. Before the fight wac
over he had gained more than county
fame as a stump speaker, showing
something Of the powers as a debater
and orator which a few years later en-
abled him to overcome the foremost de-
batter In the country, Stephen A. Doug
las. One incident Of this campaign Is
worth repeating. There lived in Spring
field a rather grandiloquent parsonage
of the name of ForQuer. He had been
a Wing. but had turned Democrat and
soon after was appointed to a fat fed
eral office. He was the only man in
Springfield with Il lightning rod on bis
house. After one of Linco!n's speeches
FoTQlcr rose ana said, This young
man must he taken down, and l am
truly sorry that the task devolves upon
me-" after which lie proceeded in an
o%verbearing way to attack Lincoln and
his speech. In response Lincoln an
swered Forquer's arguments in a man
ner that seemed to the crowd as over
whelming. He then ended his reioinder
In these words:
The gentleman commenced his speech
by saying that this young man-alluding
to me-must be taken down. l am not SO
young in years as I am in the tricks and
trades OF a politician; but. live long or die
young. I would rather die now than, like
the gentleman. change my politics for a
$4,000 office and then feel obliged to erect
a lightning rod over my house to protect
a guilty conscience from the vengeance
Of an offended God.
Lincoln was elected in this campaian
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

nine men bers
from Sangamon
county in the
succeeding leg
islature, and as
they e all
over six feet In
height they were
known as 1.-The
long nine" Lin
coin, being the
tallest, was call
ed 1.-THE longest
of the nine," al
so 1.-The Sanga-
mon chief" It
was this delega-
ton that sue
ceeded in hav-
ing the state
capitol removed
from Vandalia
to Springfield,
and much Of the
burden of the
fight fell on Lin
coin.
\. Douglas was
a member Of
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

80 " OH MIN
FIREPLACE.
and with the coming of spring the bows
were needed in the fields. but before
The term was V Abe could "spell
down" any n in the school and could
read anything he could lay his hands
on. The long vacation was not wasted
by him. New families were arriving in
the woods, and many brought books,
some even whole libraries Of seven and
eight volumes. 1t was worth while for
Abe to walk miles and to bear a hand
at chopping or other work to get a
chance to borrow them and later read
them by the light Of the open fireplace.
He was already a story teller Of parts
md well versed in the backwoods learn.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

lower house, in
which body all
his Legislative
life was passed.
In the first SEES
sion he took lit
tie part. He
watched every
move keenly.
voted regularly,
b tut seldo m
spoke. lie was
getting on to
the ropes" He
was free from
political trick
cry, never de-
nounced mem
bers Of the OPP
position, was
honest. courte-
Gus and warm
He had
Il keen faculty
Of always pick
out the sail
emit point of a
under
and
never losing
SIGHT Of it, Even
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

Disturb our judgment for the hour,
But at last silence comes;
These all are gone, and, standing like q
tower,
Our children shall behold his fame,
The kindly earnest. brave, foreseeing
a
sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not
blame.
New birth OF our new soil, the first
American.
Even better known than Lowell's i'm
mortal ode Is Walt Whitman's poem,
published shortly after Lncolp's a..
Bassination. It is one Of the very few
thymed pieces written by whitman.
Even in this the rhymes are far from
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07
MY POLITICS ARE
short AND SWEET"

thus early In his career he showed his
remarkable perception Of principles
rather than men.
Shortly after the close of this session
occurred the sad death Of Anne Rut-
ledge that threw Lincoln into despair
and. according to his best friends.
brought him near even to the verge OF
madness.
1t was ut this time that Mr.. Lincoln
began the practice OF law, 6rst IN the
Justice courts. afterward al a circuit
rider. In 1896 he was nominated tor
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

them manners" Every pupil was
drilled in the proper method Of enter
ing a room and getting out Of it and in
the simpler social amenities.
Abe was already the acknowledged
best speller in the school. and the mas.
ter found it necessary to send him
from the oom during the spelling con.
tests lest his good nature tempt him to
prompt the less ready, n subterfuge
which Abe defeated by lurking behind
the schOolhouse and making gestures
through the window at the masters
back.
Another branch of learning in which
Abe excelled. If he was not it's only ex-
ponent, for the master did not approve
of such foolishness. was composition"
Abe's copy book. instead Of a slavish
imitation Of examples in penmanship.
became Il volume Of essays. The most
notable Of these effusions was a trea-
tise on cruelty to animals" the text
for which was provided by the sight Of
some Of his savage schoo!mates plac-
Ing live Goals upon n turtles back.
Paper was scarce in those days, and
Abe's writing material was often Il
wooden shovel. from which unsatisfac-
tory compositions could be erased BY
whiting, or Il Eastwood shingle. He
forced to be economical in words.
Not one could be written down until
he was sure that it best expressed his
idea. and here was planted the germ
OF that literary genius the full fruit Of
which was the mastery address ut
Gettysburg.
To his store of knowledge were soon
added the ARABIAN Nights Robinson
Crusoe" and incidents in the history Of
MS w country, all CLEANED from Dor
roWed books. Or these perhaps the
most priced was the Life Of George
Washington" the property Of Josiah
crawford, Il crusty neighhor who made
poor ABB work for him for three DAYS
10 pay for it when it had been spoiled
oy rain leaking through the chinks Of
the Lincoln cabin.
Ape had II teacher after Master
Crawford and her his schoolhouse
days ended. and he was graduated into
the higher school Of hard work and OK
per1'ncr, the university Of the world.
The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-07

Lincoln was elected in this campaign
by an increased majority. There were
The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1906-06-15
|PIPE LIVE
L VALUEG DOUBLE

CHARLESTON, June 14-M-
most 100000 more has been
placed upon the Tux duplicates as a
result of the assessment by the state
board of public works on the pipe
line and water and light companies.
The valuation ofsthe pipe line is fix
ed at $27. 762, 4gl,9S, and that Of
the water and Light companies ST.
s54,o79 OF. The total Of the two is
S29,O17 ISL. so.
The pipe line com panies returned
property to the value of $1s,lS9,-
ASA, and the state board doubled
this amount. The return made BY.
the water and light companies was
$79O,47S, while the figures of the
board are almost double. The
valuation given both CLASSES Of prop
erty by the board virtually equals
the entire railroad assessment for
the year 1904.
The pipe lines were assessed last
year by the local assessors, and the
aggregate value was SIS, 901, 1894. Last
wear the water and light companies
weer assessed at $3.50, 734. In 1904
the pipe line properties were valued
at less than $4,00O,000.
Among individual assessments
are the Wheeling Natural Gas Co.,
ST. ass, 05s.36; Eureka Pipe Line
Co, $5,176.037.s0; Hope Natural
Gas Co., $7,2ss,361.o4; Philadel-
phia Company Of West Virginia,
1850, o51. 48.
The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1906-06-15

Among the orders handed down
by Judge G. w. Lynch in circuit
court Thursday morning was one
granting d mandatory and an ordin-
ar injunction in favor of the Hope
Natural Gas Company against G. L.
and Mary Hurst, restraining the
Hurstg from blockading the way for
the removal Of oil well tools and
appliances on the Hurst farm and
from interfering with the employees
Of the company in the removal Of
the same: 1T appears that the COM
pany drilled a. well on the Hurst
farm a few years ago. 1t proved Q
small gasser and the company deem,
ed it not to be q paying well and
abandoned it. When the company
undertook to remove the tools, it
found the gates locked and was
otherwise interfered with. In de-
Gliding the question Judge Lynch
stated that much depended on
whether the well was q paying one,
and he decided the company was
the most capable to determine that,
and as it has abandoned the well, It
was evident it was not q payer
Judge Lynch rendered another
important decision in the case OF
Hiram ,. Burnside against the
BanF Of Fairnont and oailevs
Mrs. Mary Andrews sold 1000
acres Of land to j. d. Springer, with
q cash consideration and vendors
lien on the land for the residue OF
the purchase money. From time to
time Springer sold the land toiother
parties until he had but 2S6 acres
left. The purchasers seemed not
to know about the Andrews lien and
Springer himself retained Liens for
unpaid purchase money from these
buyers to him.
Mrs. Andrews brought suit TO- en-
force her lien and received judg-
ment and decree against, Springer,
and Burnside who was one Of the
purchasers, sued for an injunction
restraining her from collecting the
lien by sale of his lane, and asked
that Mrs. Andrews be compelled to
collect her debt from, Springer, be-
forai interfering with his land, and