Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-11

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the birthday Of our first mar
tyred Observation-Disclosures resu-
Iarly pack to overlooking the Lin
coin Museum, that modest h'i!'
bouce- now owned by the government
wherein Abraham Lincoln died on TINS
memorable date the three thousand aho
odd relies of the great civil war President
are open to the public gratis.
OF all places of interest in the great
white CAPITAL city this spot is the least
conspicuous and least advertised, and yer
the sightseer who once finds his way thlth-
or tarrles long to contemplate what is
probably the most complete aggregation OF
meuentoes ever dedicated to any hero OF
history ,.t.
After Tinr5ln's assassination on the night
Of April H. 1865, in Ford's Theater, lolu
street below + street, ledger ISSUING iIo'u
a house across the way saw the commotion
upon the pavement, elbowed his way 10
the side of the wounded Fresident-then pc
ting borne across the strickland dlfeclea
the carriers to bring their burden INTO
his lodging house No. SIC 10th street. rms
was done, and Mr.. Lincoln died there at
T:22 the following morning. The house was
then as now, a modest brick structure Oh
three stories and a basement 1t had oeeh
built In 1919 and at the time of the Tragedy
was owned by William Petersen, VINO hao
his tailor shop in the basement story anu
above Later a printing establishment dls-
placed the tailor shop. and thirteen years
ago the Lincoln Memorial Association rent
ed the building, installing within a coAee-
ton OF relics which has since grown 10
such proportions that biOgrapher OF Olu
Abe or a historian of his period might SIT
himself down therein and compile volumes
upon volumes without ever a need of sur
ring without.
x
The story of the collecting of these relics
Is almost as remarkable as the story which
they tell II Is the sorry OF probably the
most remarkable instance of American hero
worship on record. Prior to the civil war
there kept news depot at Mount vernon,
Ohio, young man. o. II. Oldroyd, who mad
a natural taste for collecting, and VINO pc
came so imbued with admira ton for Lin
coin during the latter's first campaign days
that he commenced accommodating all man
ner of news items, pictures, political car
toons and other material concerning the
''black republican" candidate. In 1861 he
enlisted In the Union army, was mustered
out in 1869 continued collecting his Lin
colniana thereafter ana in 1873 removed
TO Springfield. H., the home of the mar
tyred President. He rented the Lincoln
homestead and converted 1t into Il mu-
scum. Through his influence the property
was purchased by the state. Upon condt-
ton that ne should remain custodian as
long as he lived he bequeathed the colleC
the Altgeld admins tration he was replaced
by a friend of the governor, who by this act
deprived illinois OF rich heritage. Mr.. Old
royd packed up his relies. vacated the prem
ises and at the solicitation of the Lincoln
Memorial Association moved them into
their present quarters, as stated. In 1897
the government paid $4,000 for the 10Th
street house, but Congress did not see fiji TO
purchase the collection also. That they
might remain in the building. the collector
paid Uncle Sam 500 per month rental for
the building under an agreement that he
should charge the public a nominal admis
sion fee to partially reimburse him. The
admissions, only averaging $iT per month
during this time, the rental was no longer
eXaCted and the % cents now imposed upon
each visitor, on ordinary occasions, pro-
vides means for heating and lighting the
building and maintn ming the co .ectiouS.
Thus has the collector devoted forty-tive
years to this hobby, and every week or so
stlll adds an interesting item to his vast
accumulation. In his line he Is a veritable
Cousin PouS," and strange as II may
seem. he never heheld the great man 10
whose memory his life work has been dedi-
Gated
* Is
The visitor to the museum is admitted