The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-15
War Veteran Once Ruled
Young Lawyers Place
Of Business
WAS A KIND EMPLOYER.
NEBRAskAN cHERlsHEs TOY
DRUM GIVEN BY MAN WHO WAS
TO BECOME THE NATIONS
IDOL.

Omaha, Neb., Nov. 14.-"When
was an Office boy for Abraham Lin
coin, back in Sprinfield, ILL.,, in 1854
to 1885, says Major E. w. Mcintosh,
of Omaha, there were no baseball
games for boy to go to, and the only
schemes / got to play on our boss
was when 1 could play hockey long
enough to go fishing.
"I guess I was the first office boy
Mr.. Linsoln ever had-at least l never
heard of him having one before me.
But he was mighty good boss, and
thought I ran that Office just as much
as the Office boy Of today thinks he is
the most important member of the
firm in any big Office in the country"
Major Mcintosh is an old soldier
in fact he is the last survivor OF the
very first Grand Army of the Repub-
lie post inaugurated, and Immediately
after charter had been drawn up and
the charter members signed their
names, back in Decatur. ILL.,, in April.
sign, and he was the first man ini-
tiated into the post.
when I was little boy I lived
right across the street from Lincoln"
says Major Mcintosh. "One day we
were playing soldier. I was beating
a tin pan for drum and was at the
head of a company Of half dozen
ragged little urchins, when Mr.. Lin
coin looked over the fence and said:
Boys, train up right. We may
need you some day"
AT Christmas which was only
little way off, Mr.. Lincoln gave me
little toy drum. I practised on that
drum from morning till night. And
wears afterward when l was a young
man and President Lincoln issued
call to arms, I was the first man to
take my stand in front of the court
house at Bloomington, ILL.,. and there
l beat the roll which called for volun-
teers. l didn't use the Lincoln drum
that day, but new one that could be
heard all over town. I have that lit
tie toy drum yet. 1t is my most treas
ured possession.
Il was just ten years old when
did my first work for Mr.. Lincoln.
That was to whitewash his fence. He
liked the work so we'll that he took
me- into his Office as errand boy, and
I remained with him two years. until
my father moved away from Spring
field
''I've always remembered one thing
Lincoln said to me. 1t was Work
hard, be honest, never gamble, keep
smiling and you will succeed. The
world has no use for a grumbler who
always keeps his head down and al
ways sees the dark side of life.'
of cow kicks over a bucket of
milk. just milk the next cow and keep
on smiling. Don't abuse the COW,
was another of Mr.. Lincoln's sayings.
Lincoln always looked like he
ought to have been arrested for run
ming boneyard And his wife was
homely as mud fence in wet wealth
er. He was always joking and his
wife never had anything to say. In
fact she used to think his jokes awful
and never could see any fun or wit
:. in anything he said.
81 went down to Washington one
time to see him. 1t was the third year
of the war, l believe. They were not
going to let me see him. but l got a
fellow to tell him that his Office boy
was down there and wanted to see
him. A few minutes later the fellow
came back and said he did not dare
to resist his Office boy in any thins
he wanted to do-and so I got to SCI
him. And that night I went around
to his home and took dinner will
him. We sat out in the kitchen ant
talked about Springfield when I wa
his errand boy. I never saw him af
ter that day.