Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1907-04-18
Ward Hill Lamon,
Lincoln's Friend and Bodyevard
CHAPTER XIII.
Marriage to Mary Todd and His Ad-

|" lieves that Mr.. Lincoln's in
sanity grew out of a most ex-
traordinary complication of
feelings aversion to the marriage pro-
posed. counter attachment to Miss
Edwards and a new access Of unspeak-
able tenderness for the memory of Ann
Rutledge-the old love struggling with
new one. and each sending to his
heart sacrifcial pang as he thought
Of his solemn engagement to marry a
third person. In this opinion Mr.. Speed
appears to concur, as shown by his let
ter below. At all events, Mr.. Lincoln's
arrangement was nearly if not quite
complete. eve had to remove razors
from his room," says Speed. take
away all knives and other dangerous
things. 1t was terrible" And now
Speed determined to do for him what
Bowlin Greene had done on similar
occasion at New Salem. Having sold
out his store on the 1st Of January,
1S41, he took Mr.. Lincoln with him to
his home In Kentucky and kept him
there during most of the summer and
restored to be given his liberty again
at Springfield, when he was brought
back to his old quarters. During this
period "he was at times very melan-
choly" and, by his own admission, "al-
most contemplated self destruction"
1t was about this time that he wrote
some gloomy lines under the head Of
"Suicide," which were published in the
Sangamon Journal. Mr.. Herndon re-
membered something about them, but
when he went to look for them in the
office file of the Journal he found them
neatly cut out, supposed to have been
DONE" says he, "by Lincoln" Speeds
mother was much panied by the "deep
depression" of her guest and gave him
a Bible. advising him to read it. to
adopt its precepts and pray for it's
promises. He acknowledged this at
tempted service after he became presi-
dent by sending her a photograph of
himself. with this inscription: "To my
very good friend, Mrs. Lrcy G. Speed,
from whose pous hands I received an
Oxford Bible twenty years ego" But
Mrs. Speeds medicine the best ever
offered for mind diseased. was Of no
avail in this case. Among other things.
he told Speed. referring probably to his
inclination to commit suicide that he
had done nothing to make any human
being remember that he h.d lived ana
that to connect his nar1n with the
events Transporting in his day and gen
GRAFTON and so impress himself upon
them as to link his name with some
thing that would rebound to the inter.
est of his fellow man was what he de-
sired to live for" OF this converse ton
he pointedlv reminded Speed at the
time or just before the time be issued
the emancipation proclamation.
What took place after his return to
Springfield cannot be better told than
in the words of the friends of both
parties. "Mr. Edwards and myself"
says Mrs Edwards. "after the first
crash of things, told Mary and Lincoln
that they had better not ever marry:
that their natures. minds, education.
raising etc, were so different that
they could not live happy as man and
wife: had better never think Of the
subject again. All at once we heard
that Mr.. Lincoln and Mary had secret
meetings at Mr.. S. Francis, editor Of
the Springfield Journal Mary said
the reason this was sO-the cause why
it was--was that the world. woman
and man, were uncertain and slippery
and that it was best to keep the secret
courtship from all eyes and ears. Mrs.
Lincoln told Mr.. Lincoln that, though
she had released him in the letter spo-
ken of, yet she would hold the question
an open one-that is. that she had not
changed her mind. but felt as al
ways. IS s. The marriage of Mr.. Lin
coin and Mary was quick and sudden
one or two hours notice" How poor
Mr.. Lincoln felt about it may be gath
cred from the "reminiscences Of his
friend ]. Fl. Matheny, who says that
Lincoln and himself, in 1S42, were
very friendly; that Lincoln came to
Aim one evening and said, Jim, shall
have to marry that girl" He was
married that evening" but. Matheny
says, che looked as if he was going to
the Slaughter and that Lincoln had
often told him directly and individu-
ally that he was driven into the mar
rage; that it was concocted and plan
ned by the Edwards family; that Miss
Todd-afterward Mrs. Lincoln-was
crazy for a week or so, not knowing
what to do. and that he loved Miss Ed
wards and went to see her. and not
Mrs. Lincoln
The license to marry was issued on
the 9TH of November, 1912, and on the
same day the marriage was celebrated
by Charles Dresser, IN. G." With this
date carefully borne in mind, the fol-
lowing letters are of SURPRISING inter-
est. They are relics not only Of a
great man, but Of great agony.
The first is from Mr.. Speed to Mr.
Herndon and explains the circum-
stances under which the correspond
ence took place. ...
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