Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-06-15
A Dead Failure.

A Dead Failure.
All that winter QS32-33) Lincoln
struggled along with a bad partner and
a business which began wrong and
grew worse every day. Berry had no
qualities which atoned for his evil hab-
it's. He preferred to consume the liq-
uors on hand rather than to sell them
and exerted himself so successfully
that in a few months he had ruined the
credit Of the firm. squandered its as.
sets and destroyed his own health. The
store was dead failure, and the part
ners were weighed down with a parcel
Of debts against which Lincoln could
scarcely have borne up even with
better man to help him. At last they
sold out to two brothers named Trent.
The Trents continued the business for
a few months, when they broke up and
ran away. Then Berry, encouraged by
the example of the Trents, cleared out
also and, dying soon after, left poor
Lincoln the melancholy task of settling
up the affairs Of their i'll starred part
nerShip.
In all the preceding transactions the
absence Of any cash consideration is the
one thing very striking. 1t is fair il
lustration Of the speculative spirit per
vading the whole people. Green bought
from Radford on credit; Lincoln & Ber-
ry bought from Green on credit; they
bought from the Herndons on credit;
they bought from Rutledge on credit,
and they sold to the Trents on credit.
I'm :: 4 :, \
sad time enough in managing the
debts resulting from their connection
with this unllcky grocery.
Radford assigned Lincoln & Berry's
note to a Mr.. Van Bergen, who got
judgment on it and swept away all
Lincoln's little personal property. The
Herndons owed E. G. Blankenship for
the goods they sold and assigned Lin
coin & Berry's note in payment. Mr..
Lincoln struggled to pay by slow de
grees this harassing debt to Blanken-
ship through many long and weary
years. It was not until his return from
congress, in 1S49, that he got the last
dollar Of it discharged. He paid Green
his note of $3.50 in small installments,
beginning in 1889 and ending in 1910.
The history Of his debt to Rutledge is
not so well known. It was probably in
significant as compared with the 9th
GUS creditor, as he had always been
kind and considerate friend.
Certain that he had no abilities for
trade, Mr.. Lincoln took the best reso-
luton he could have formed under the
circumstances. He sat down to his
books just where he was. believing that
knowledge would be power and power
profit. He had no reason to shun his
creditors. for these were the men Of all
others who most applauded the honesty
Of his conduct at the period of his
greatest pecuniary misfortune. He talk
ed to them constantly Of the old debt.
'sthe national debit. ass he sometimes
called it-promised to pay when he
could, and they devoutly relied upon
every word he said.
Row Herndon moved to the country,
and Lincoln was compelled to change
his boarding place. He now began to
live at tavern for the first time in his
life It was kept by various persons
Rutledge, then by Henry Onstatt and
last by Nelson Alley. 1t was q small
log house covered with clapboards and
contained four rooms.
Mastering His Blackstone.
Lincoln began to read law while he
lived with Herndon. Some Of his ac-
quaintances insist that he began even
earlier than this and assert by way of
proof that he was known to borrow q
well worn copy Of Blackstone from A.
V. Bogue, pork dealer at Beardstown.
At all events now he went to work in
earnest and studied law as faithfully
as if he had never dreamed Of any 9TH
er business in life. AS a matter Of
course his slender purse was unequal
to the purchase Of the needful books,
but this circumstance gave him little
trouble, for, although he was short of
funds, he was long in the legs and had
nothing to do but to walk off to Spring
field, where his friend John T. Stuart
cheerfully supplied his wants. Mr.. Stu
arts partner, FL. G. Dummer, says, "He
was an uncouth looking lad, did not say
much, but what he did say he said
straight and sharp"
"He used to read law" says Henry
McHenry, ''in 1882 or 1888, barefooted,
seated in the shade of tree and would
grind around with the shade just oppo
site Berry's grocery store, a few feet
south of the door," He occasionally
varied the attitude by lying fiat on his
back and putting his feet up the tree"
situation which might have been un-
favorable to mental application in the
case Of man with shorter eXtremtties.
'The first time ever saw Abe with
a law book in his hand" says Squire
Godbey, che was sitting astride Of Jake
Bales wood pile in New Salem. Says
], ABE, what are you studyingT Law
says Abe. Great God almighty re-
sponded L" It was too much for God
hey. He could not suppress the bias
phemy at seeing such figure acquiring
science I'm such an odd situation.
A1ntee Graham aGBert1 thae Abe did