The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1907-02-20
CHAPTER II.
Lincoln Wins During First Lovers Long
Absence.

u II r. LINCOLN was always wei
" come at the little tavern, at
Shorts, on the Sand Ridge,
or ut the farm, half mile
from shorts, where the Rutledges
finally abode. AIMS father was his
devoted friend, and the mother he call
ed affectionately "Aunt Polly" 1t Is
probable that the family looked upon
McNaInar's delay with more suspicion
than Ann did herself. At all events
all her adult relatives encouraged the
suit which Lincoln early began to
press, and as time. absence and appar-
ent neglect gradually told against Nc
Namar she listened to him with aug
menting interest until, i'm 1885. we find
them formally and solemnly betrothed.
Anh now waited only for the return of
McNamar to marry Lincoln. David
Rutledgc urged her to marry imme-
diately without regard to anything but
her own happiness, but she said she
could not consent to it until McNamar
came back and released her from her
pledge. At length, however, as Nc
Namar's temperance became more
and more hopeless, she took a different
view of II and then thought she would
become Abe's wife as soon MS he found
the means of a decent livelihood. Gam
told me once" says james NJ. in Il let
ter to II. b. Rutledge, in coming from
camp meeting on Rock creek, that ell
gagements made too far ahead some
times failed, that one had failed (mean-
ing her engagement with McNamap,
and gave me to understand that as
soon as certain studies were completed
she and LINCOLN would be married"
In the summer of 1885, Ann showed
unmsst;&able symptoms VI failing
health, attributable, as most OF the
nclshborhood believed, to the Distress
Ing attitude she felt bound to maintain
between her two lovers. On the 25th
OF August In that year she died Of
what the doctors chose TO call Drain
fever" In letter to Mr.. Herndon her
brother says: you suggest that the
probable cause of AIMS sickness was
her conflicts, emotions, etc. AS to this
l cannot say. !, however, have my
own private convictions. The charac-
ter of her sickness was brain fever" A
few days before her death Lincoln was
summoned TO her bedside. What hap
pened In that solemn conference was
known only to him and the dying girl.
But when he left her and stopped at
the house Of John Jones on his way
home Jones saw signs of the most ter
rible distress in his face and his con.
duct. When Ann actually died and
was buried, his grief became frantic.
He lost all self control, even the con.
seriousness of identity, and every friend
he had in New Salem pronounced him
insane, mad, crazy. "He was watched
with especial vigilance" as william
Green tells MS, during storms, fogs,
damp, gloomy weather, for fear Of an
accident" At such times he raved pit
eously, declaring, among other wild
expressions of his Wa, IL can never be
reconciled TO have the snow, rains and
storms 10 beat upon her gravew
Lincoln Practically Insane.
About three-quarters of mile below
New Salem, at the foot of the main
blum and in hollow between two lat
eral bluffs, stood the house of Bowlin
Greene, built of logs and weather
boarded. Thlther the friends OF Lin
coin, who apprehended a total abdica-
ton OF reason, determined TO transport
him, partly for the benefit of a mere
change OF scene and partly TO keep
him within constant reach of his near
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