Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-12
WRITTEN BY LISCOLNS HAND
Autographs and Letters Of Msrtyrsd Pres
ideut at City Library.
MANY OTHER SOUVENIRS or FAMOUS MAN
Copy Of New York Herald with story
Of Assassination, Also Poster
Offering Bie Reward for
Capture of Murderers.


I .dham Lincoln today. how few there are
in Omaha who know that by visit TO the
city library they can read words actually
written by the hand Of the martyr presi-
dent The Byron Reed collection. which Is
on the second floor Of the library building.
has a number Of interesting LAncolnia,
among which are several specimens Of the
presidents writing, not lengthy 10 be sure,
but attracting none the less on account
of brevity
The longest is an Informal note OF intro
duction. written on the adverse side of a
visiting card 1t says:
Secretary OF State Please see and con-
verse with General Kimmel who Il a state "a
Another place where Lncpln's signature
appears is at the end OF the document APP
pointing Cornelius A. waldorf TO be deputy
postmaster of Philadelphia. This is also
signed by William II. Seward. secretary
OF state.
This document and the note of introduce
ton are kept under glass in frame where
appear also the signatures Of George Wash
ington and Chester A. Arthur: also letters
and signatures OF Benjamin Harrison and
James A. Garfield. The public has easy
access to these souvenirs and It is said
they are inspected many times each day.
Mr.. LincoIn's Autograph.
Under lock and key, in company with
two copies of the New York Herald, telling
OF the shooting and death of the president,
are kept fac-simile copy OF the emRncipa-
ton proclamation, fac-simile copy of
letter from Abraham Lincoln to Park Ben
jamin. the author. and little piece of
paper on which the name Abraham Lin
coin" is written in the presidents chiro-
washington, d. c., April. 1862" The lat
ter paper was evidently sent out from the
presidents office in answer to a request
from some collector of autographs
The letter to Park Benjamin, which is a
fac-simile-but even a fac-simile is not to
be had at any price-is dated at Springfield,
ILL., November 10, 1890 and runs thus:
Park Benjamin, Esq: Your kind note OF
congratulauon was received In due course
and you are not disappointed In the hope
you express that l may set some value
upon II.
THAT my political position and personal
history are such as to meet the unselfish
approval of one possessing your high lit
erary fame and character is a matter OF
sincere pride with me. Yours very truly,
A. Lincoln.
From the evidence in the Byron Reed col
lection. the president had three ways of
writing his name. He wrote It Abraham
Lincoln" "A. Lincoln" and "A. Lincoln"
When he used the initial, he always began
the capital IL" without raising his pen
from the paper. The signature to the
emancipation proclamation and that to the
letter to Park Benjamin we're written with
the initial and with dash after the name.
He signed the official documents either with
his initial or his full name.
BronEe Medals of Lincoln.
Three bronze medals with Llncoln's head
on one side are kept in one of the bur-
glar proof cases of the Byron Reed coll
lection. One Is about two and three
quarters inches In diameter. one is con-
siderably larger than dollar, and third
is elliptical in shape and about one inch
in length.
The collection contains a copy, April Is.
1865 OF the New York Herald, which, with
100 compositors working at high pressure
under promise of reward. scooped all the
other New York papers on the story of the
assassination of President Lincoln. II
head writer Of today should use a similar
head on a similar story he would be al
lowed to drow his pay the same day and
sever his connection with the paper. If an
editor OF today should allow such a story
TO open in the same way. he would also be
looking for a Job the same day
Very sane and Unconditional that paper
looked. compared with some of the saffron
sheets Of this latter age. It is true the
head was composed OF ten decks and took
a half-column OF space, but It was only
one column in width and the Herald had
ten-deck heads every day. II the European
continent had sunk beneath the waves, the
Herald wouldn't have used head spread
over two columns. The front page OF the
Herald of April Is looked very like the
front page of the Herald of April IA. ex-
eept that heavy. black lines were run be-
tween the columns. There wasn't a pic
ture on the page, though It had four col
umns on the murder and two columns on
the war The distinguishing feature was
the word Extra" in large letters about
the middle Of the fourth column, where
Lincoln's death was announced.
The Herald's scoop.
The head writer was either limited b,
imagination, custom or printing facilities
for instead of announcing at the top OF
the page that President Lincoln was dead
he called attention to the column by IN,
one word, Important" The next decl
read. Assassination OF President Lincoln
and the third 1.-THE President Shot at tn,
Theater Last Evening" The remainder
OF the head told some Of the details of tn,
story.
Instead of stating in FIVE or six words II
a single paragraph right at the outset tina
the president had been killed. the edlto