Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1906-10-31
Lincoln's Youth
Early Manhood
By WARD HILL LAMON,
His Friend. Intimate and
podydunrd
[coNTINUED.1
Lincoln Breaks Down.

occasionally 10 rest anu Sluuy. SOlle'
times he went to James Shorts, on the
sand ridge, sometimes to Minter Ora.
hams, sometimes to Bowlin Greene's,
sometimes to Jack Armstrong; and as
often. perhaps. to Able's or Row Hern
don's All of these men served him
faithfully and signally at one time OF
another, and to all of them he was sin.
cerely attached.
When Bowlin Greene died, in 1912
Mr.. Lincoln. then in the enjoyment OF
great local reputation. undertook to de-
liver a funeral grafton over the remains
of his beloved friend, but when he rose
to speak his voice was choked with
deep emotion he stood few moments,
while his lips quivered in the effort to
form the words of fervent praise he
sought to utter, and the tears ran down
his yellow and shriveled cheeks. Some
of those who came to hear him and saw
his tall form thus sway in silence over
the body of Bowln Greene say he look
ed SO helpless, SO utterly bereft and
pitiable that every heart in the audi
ence was hushed at the spectacle. Aft
er repeated efforts he found it impossi
BILE to speak and strobe away, openly
and bitterly sobbing, to the widows
carriage, in which he was driven from
the scene.
Mr.. Herndon's papers disclose less
than we should like to know concerning
this excellent man. They give us only
this burial scene, with the fact that
Bowlin Greene had loaned Mr.. Lincoln
books from their earliest acquaintance
and on one occasion had taken him to
his home and cared for him with the
solictude of devoted friend through
several weeks of great suffering and
peril The circumstances of the at
tempted eulogy are mentioned here to
show the relations which subsisted be-
tween Mr.. Lincoln and some of the
benefactors we have enumerated.
But all this time Mr.. Lincoln had
living to make, a running board bill to
pay and nothing to pay it with. He
was it is true, In the hands of excel
lent friends, so far as the greater part
of his Indebtedness was concerned, but
he was industrious by nature and want
ed to be working and paying as he
went. He would not have forfeited the
good opinion of those confiding neigh
bors for lifetime of ease and luxury.
1t was therefore most happy thing
for him, and he felt it to be so, when
he attracted the attention of John
Calhoun, the surveyor of Sangamon
county.
Calhoun was the type Of perfect
gentleman, brave, courteous, able and
cultivated. He was a Democrat then
and a Democrat when he died. At the
time we speak of he was one of the
most popular men in the state of ILL
nois and was one of the foremost chief
tains of the political party which In
variably carried the county and the
district in which Mr.. Lincoln lived.
He knew Lincoln and admired him.
He was well assured that Lincoln
knew nothing of surveying, but he was
equally certain that he could soon ac-
quire it. He wanted deputy with
common sense and common honesty.
He chose Lincoln because nobody else
possessed these qualities in a more en-
inent degree He hunted him up. gave
him a book, told him to study it and
said that as soon as he was ready he
should have as much work as he could
do.
Abe Becomes a Surveyor.
Lincoln took the book and retired to
the country-that is, he went out to
Mlnter Graham's for about six weeks,
in which time, by the aid Of that good
master, he became an expert surveyor
and was duly appointed Calhoun's dep
uty. OF course he made some money,
merely his pay for work. but 1t is a re-
markable fact that, with his vast
knowledge of the lands in Sangamon
and adjacent counties he never made
single speculation on his own ac-
count
1t was not long until he acquired
considerable private business. The ac-
curacy of his surveys were seldom, II
ever, questioned. Disputes regarding
corners" and "lines" were frequently
submitted to his arbitration, and the
decision was invariably accepted as
final. 1t often happened that his busi-
ness kept him away from New Salem
and his other studies for weeks at
time, but all this while he was gather
ing friends against the day of cleo
ton.
In after years-from 1914 onward
it was his good or bad fortune fire.
quently to meet Calhoun on the stump.
but he never forgot his benefaction to
him and always regarded him as the
ablest and best man with whom he
ever had crossed steel. To the day of
Calhoun's death they were warmly at.
tached to each other. In the times
when it was most fashionable and
profitable to denounce Calhoun, when
even Douglas turned to revile his old
friend and coadjutor, Mr.. Lincoln was
never known to breathe a word of cen.
sure on his personal character.