The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-04
Continued from saturday,
CHAPTER v.
cunous Confession From Lincoln on
Mary Owens Affair.

In person, for early In Deem
her he was called away to his seat in
the legislature: but, II his tongue was
silent In the cause. his pen was busy.
During the session of the legislature
of 1S3G-3T Mr.. Lincoln made the nc.
quaintance OF Mrs. o. II. Browning
whose husband was also member.
The acquaintance ripeRed Into friend
ship. and that winter and the next Mr..
Lincoln spent ~ great deal Of time In
social Intercourse with tile Brownings.
Mrs. Browning knew nothing us yet OF
the affair with Miss Owens, but US the
latter progressed and Lincoln became
more and more involved she noticed
tile ebb Of Ills spirits and often rallied
him as the victim of some secret but
consuming passion. With this for his
excuse, Lincoln wrote her after the
adjournment Of the legislature full
and connected account of the manner
In which lie had latterly hern making
"a fool or himself. For many reasons
the publication OF this letter Is an ex-
tremcly painful duty. II 1t could be
withheld ami the act decentfy recon.
ciled to the conscience Of biographer
protesting to be honest and candid It
should never gee the light in these
pngcs. Its Grotesqne humor. its coarse
exagGeratlons in describing the person
OF II lady whom the writer was willing
to marry. Its ilnputatlon OF toothless
and weather. beaten old aye to wo.
man really young and handsome, Its
utter lack OF that delicacy OF tone and
sentiment which one naturally expects
II genleman to adopt when he thinks
proper to discuss the merits OF his late
mistress-ail these and its defective
photography It would certainly I've more
agreeable to suppress tllun to publish.
But II we begin by emitting or mutt
lating document which sheds SO
broad n light upon one part OF Ills life
anu one phase of his character why
may we not do the like us fast and as
often as the temptations arise? And
where shall the process cease? A BIZ
ography worth writing at NIL Is worth
writing fully and honestly, and the
writer who suppresses or mangfes the
truth Is no better than he who bears
false witness In any other capacity.
In April, 1888, Miss Owens finally
departed from Illinois, md ID that
same month Mr.. Lincoln wrote Mrs.
Browning: ~
Springfield, April !. 1S2s.
Dear Madam-without npooGixing for
being cgottsticai. shalt make the history
or so much OF my life as has elapsed
since saw yousthe subject Of this letter.
And by the way, I now discover that In
order to give a full and IntelligibIc ac-
count OF the things have done and suf-
Tered since l saw you. shall necessarily
have to relate some that happened before.
It was. then. In the autumn OF 1896 that
married lady OF my acquaintance and
who was great friend OF mine. being
about to pay VISIT 10 her father &
other relatives residing In Kentucky, pro.
posed TO me that on her return she would
bring sister OF hers with her on condi-
tion That ] would engage TO become her
erother~!n-law with all convenient dis
patch. l, OF course, accepted the pro-
posal, for you know could not have done
otherwise had really been averse to Il,
but privately, between you and me, was
most confoundedly we'll pleased with the
project. had seen the said sister some
three years before. thought her lntellI-
gent and agreeable and saw no good OBJ.
lection to Flooding life through hand In
hand with her. Time passed on, the lady
took her journey and In due time re-
turned. sister in company. sure enough
This aStoniahed mo little. for It APP
peared to NE that her coming so readily
showed that she was n tribe too willing:
but on reflection II occurred to me that
she might have been prevailed on by her
married sister to come without anything
concerning me ever having been mention
ed TO her, and No I concluded that, X no
other objection presented Itelf. would
consent to wave this. All this occurred
to hon ring of bar rrI,. t,,-
neighborhood. for, be 1t remembered. 1
ma not yet seen her except about three
years previous, as above mentioned. In
few days we hnd an Interview, and, al.
though I hud seen her before. she did
not look us my imagination had pictured
her ! knew she was oversize, but she
now appeared a fair match for FaIStaff.
l knew she was called an odd maid" and
! felt no doubt of the truth OF Mt least
half of the uppelation. but now. when
beheld her. | could not fof my life avoid
thinking OF my mother. and this not FROM
withered features for her skin was too
Iull OF fat to permit OF Its contracting
into wrinkles but from her want OF teeth.
weather beaten appearance In general and
from kind Of notion that ran in my
head that nothing could have commenced
at the size OF infancy and reached her
present bulk In less than thIrty-ave or
FORTY years. and. in short. was not ut
all pleased with her. But what could
do? had told her sister that I would
take her for better or for worse. and I
made n point of honor and conscience in
all things TO stick to my word. especially
IL others had been induced to act on II.
which In this case had no doubt they
had. for I was now fairly convinced that
no other man on earth would have her,
and hence the conclusion that they were
bent on holding me TO my bargain.
well" thought !. 81 have said It, and,
be the consequences what they may, Il
shall not be my fault II I fall to do it."
At once determined to consider her ms
wife. and. this done. ali my powers OF
discovery were put to work in search OF
Projections in her which might be fairly
sett on against her defects. I tried to i'm.
agine her handsome. which but for her
unfortunate corpnlency was actually true.
Exclusive OF this mo woman that I have
ever seen has finer face also tried
TO convince myself that the mind was
much more to be valued than the person.
and In this she was not inferior. as
could discover. to any with whom had
been acquainted. 80
Shortly after this. without attempting
10 come to any positive understanding
with her. sat out for yandalia. when