Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1906-10-24
Shy Of the Ladies.


remember the first time saw Mr.. Lin
back tax for General James d. Henry.
l went from the tavern down to Jacob
Bales old mill, and then first saw Mr..
Lincoln. He was sitting on a saw log
talking to JACK and Rial Armstrong
and a man by the name of Hohammer
l shook hands with the Armstrong; and
Hohammer and was conversing with
them a few minutes. when we were
Joined by my old friend and former
townsman. George Warburton. pretty
tight. as usual. and he soon asked me
to tell him the old story about Ben
Johnson and Mrs. Dale's blue dye, etc,
which l did. And then Jack Armstrong
said, Lincoln, tell Ellis the story about
Governor j. Sichner, his city bred son
and his nigger Bob,' which he did, with
several others, by Jacks calling for
'hem. 1 found out then that Lincoln
was cousin to Charley Hanks of Is
land Grove. l told him knew three Of
the boys-Joe, Charley and John-and
his uncle, old Billy Hanks, who lived
river, afterward near Decatur"
This interview took place shortly aft
er the Black Hawk war, but it was not
until the next year 1888, the period at
which we have now arrived, that Lin
coin and Ellis became intimate. At
that time Ellis went there to keep a
store and boarded at the same log tav-
xx,ba 7 7
engaged in no particular business,
merely endeavoring to make a lawyer,
a surveyor and politician of himself,
gave great deal Of his time to Ellis
and Ellis business.
HE also used to assist me In the
store" says this new friend, ION busy
days, but he always disliked to wait
on the ladies. He preferred trading
with the men and boys, as he used to
say l also remember that he used to
sleep In the store, on the counter, when
they had too much company at the
tavern.
II well remember how he was dress
ed. He wore flax and tow linen panta-
loons-I thought about five inches too
but one suspender; no vest or coat. He
wore calico shirt, such as he had in
the Black Hawk war; coarse brogans,
tan color; blue yarn socks and straw
hat, old style and without band
"Mr. Lincoln was in those days a
very shy man of ladies. On one occa
sion while we boarded at this tavern
har fn mil M n
old lady and her son and three stylish
daughters, from the state of Virginia
and stopped there for two or three
weeks, and during their stay l do not
remember of Mr.. Lincoln ever eating
at the same table when they did. /
then thought 1t was on account of his
awkward appearance and his wearing
apparel"
Ofutt "Petered Out"
There lived at New Salem at this
time and for some years afterward a
festive gentleman named Kelso, a
schoolteacher, merchant or vaga-
bond, according to the run of his some
what variable luck When other people
got drunk at New Salem 1t was the
usual custom to tussle and fight and
tramp each others toes and pull each
others noses, but when Kelso got
drunk he astonished the rustic commu-
nifty with copious quotations from Rob
ert Burns and William Shakespeare.
authors little known to fame among
the literary men Of New Salem.
Besides Shakespeare and Burns, Mr..
Kelso was likewise very fond of fish
ing and could catch his game when no
other man could get bite. Mr.. Lincoln
hated fishing with all his heart. But 1t
is the testimony of the countryside
from Petersburg to Island Grove that
Kelso drew Lincoln after him by his
talk; that they became exceedingly In
innate; that they loitered away whole
days together along the banks Of tho
quiet streams; that Lincoln learned to
love inordinately our "divine William"
and "Scotia's Bard" whom his friend
mouthed in his cups or expounded more
soberly in the intervals Of fixing bait
and dropping line.
Finally he and Kelso boarded at the
same place, and, with another mer-
chant named SinchO, Of tastes congen-
ial and wits as keen as Kelso's, they
were always found together, battling
and arguing. Bill Green ventures the
opinion that Lincoln's incessant read
ing of Shakespeare and Burns had
much to do In giving to his mind the
skeptical tendency so fully developed
by the labors of his pen in 1S34-35 and
in social conversations during many
years Of his residence at Springfield.
Like Offutt Kelso disappeared sudden
ly from New Salem and apparently
from the recollection of men. OF Offutt
not a word was ever heard. To use the
expressive language of Mr.. Lincoln
himself, he literally ''petered out"
Mr.. Lincoln was often annoyed by
company. His quarters at the tavern
B ssssts ssssa Va