The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-17
BILLY BROWN
AND LINCOLN
"reminiscences of a T0Wnsman
of the Much Lamented
President.

Billy Brown is Miss Ida Tarbelrs
--latest discovery. Billy Brown was
friend of Abraham Lincoln. Billy
Brown still lives and his story in the
American Magazine almost makes
Lincoln seem alive, too.
Miss TarbeH lets him tell it in his
| own words AS, for instance, in this
picture of the parting between Lincoln
md his fellow townsman when the
President came to Washington to take
up his duties:
"Of course he seemed pretty cheerful
always" says Billy Brown. He want
no man to show out all he felt Lots OF
them little stuck up chaps that came
out here to talk to him said, solemn1y
as owls He don't realize the gravity
of the situation
"Them's the words, gravity of the
situation. Think of that, Mr. Lincoln
not realizing. They ought to heard him
talk to us the night he went away. I'll
never forget that speech-nor any man
VINO heard it.
looked, standin' there on the end of his
car. He'd been shakin' hands with the
crowd in the depot, laughin' and talkin'
just like himself, but when he got onto
that car he seemed suddint to be all
changed. You never seen face SO sad
in all the world.
that minute-woe. He knew he was
leavin' us for good; nuthin' else could
explain the way he looked and what he
said. He knew he never was comm
back alive.
'It was rainin' hard, but when we
saw him standin' there in bare head,
his great big eyes lookin' at us so lovin'
and mournful, every man of us took off
his hat, just as If he'd been in church.
You never heard him make speech,
of course? You missed lot. Curious
voice. You could hear it away Off
kind of shrill, but went right to your
heart-and that night it sounded sad
der than anything I ever heard.
you know I always hear it to this
day, nights when the wind bowls
around the house. Ma says it makes
her nervous to hear me talk about him
such nights, but I can't help it, just |
have to let out.
HE stood a minute looking at us and
man in this town that heard him that |
ever forgot what he said, but I don't |
believe there's man that ever said |
it over out loud-he couldn't without |
cryin'. He just talked to us that time |
out of his heart.
Somehow we felt all of a suddint |
how we loveS him and how he loved |
us. We hadn't taken any stock in all |
that talk about his bein' killed, but |
when he said he was goin' away not |
KNOWN when or whether ever he |
'ON IL Just SOt CUlu dill over |
Il began to see that minute and |
everybody did. The women all fell to |
sobbin' and a kind of groan went up,
and when he asked us to pray for him
don't believe there was man in
that crowd, whether he ever went to
church in his life, that didn't want to |
drop right down on his marrow bones
and ask the Lord to take care of |
Abraham Lincoln and bring him back
to US, where he belonged.
Ever see him again?' Yes, oncet
down in Washington, summer of ga.
had a brother in Washington, clerk
in a department-awful set up cause
he had an off1ce-and when I got down |
there told him I'd come to visit Mr.. |
He says: William, be you fool? |
Folks don't visit the President of the |
United States without an invitation, |
and he's too busy to see anybody but |
the very biggest people in this Admin
lstration. Why, he don't even see me- !