The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-12
LINCOLN'S
 CENTENARY Commemoration Exef- cises at Hodgenville. ROOSEVELT WILL BE THERE Universal Celebration of Annives- sary of Lincoln's Birth. President Roosevelt VIII Lay the ces- ner-stene of Memorial Build
 isg sn the Farm at
 HedsenyiiIe.
 

HedGenyiile.
 Hodgenville, Feb,. 1.-The centen- ary of Abraham Lincoin's birth will be observed generally throughout the United States but nowhere will the eommemoration exercises command more interest than those to be held in this little town tomorrow.
 Two miles from here on the Lincoln Farm, which has been purchased by a national assocfhtion. formed for the purpose, President Roosevelt will lay the cornor stone of 6 memorial build- ing now being erected by popular sub scription to mark Lincoin's birthplace and to protect for ell times the little log cabin in which the martyr Presi- dent was born.
 The centenary address on this oc- casion will be delivered by President Roosevelt. General Luke E. Wright. the Secretary, of War will speak on behalf of the Confederate soldiers. General Grant Wilson will represent the veterans of the Union Army and Lincolns native state will be repre- sented by Governor Augustus E Will son of Kentucky. Other addresses will be made by Bishop Galloway of Mss | Folk of Missouri.
 Hodgenvilie. which is near the geo. graphical center Of the State of Ken lucky and not far from the center of population of the UAited States, promi- ses to become new Mecca in Amert- ca and the Lincoln Farm a second Mount Vernon. Although Abraham Lincoln had other homes there is a sentiment about his birthplace that does not attach to any of them. He lived here for eight years ana before he left, knew very much of what Mark Twain calls "the model little farm that raised a man." He went swimming in the nearby creek and by the light from the huge fireplace in the little one room cabin he learned his first lessons.
 Rude Little Heme.
 It was in 1906 that Thomas Lincoln brought his bride. Nancy Hanks and established the rude little home that three years later was to welcome in- to the world the future President Their's was the rough life oe nianasFa: the farm was then As it now n ateriic piece of land and to mako beth efeds meet the older Lahcoih dfd Sdd idbs of, carpentry in stfie vicinity. besides working the farm, The actual fleees- saities of life were seldom lacking. but 1t was a life of severe poverty For some years Thomas Lincoln serv- ed as county supervisor of public roads an important position In that time. Land owners paid their poll tax with pick and shovel then, and on road mending days he used to take little Abe along both for company. and for help. There are timers here now who claim that there is not a section of the old pike within several miles of his home along which Abra- ham Lincoln has not played or on which he has not driven his OK team.
 At this time Kentucky offered few aliurments to poor man and fin 1s1G the LincOln's sold the little farm and moved to Indiana. Subsequently, Abra- ham Lincoln moved into illinois ana the rest is history. But through all the years that followed he never forgot his first home. He rarely re- ferred to 1t. but after he had become President of the United States he ia known to have said. When fise war is over I would like very much to visit my old Kentucky home. T re- member it we'll"
 But he never did return and the sar,,, and the little log cabin had a yaried history Thomas Lincoln sold the place to family named Great and it remained In their hands for over say. enty years. Its beautiful rock snrine, was apparently It's one redeeminG fea- ture and only recently has anvonA awakened to the realization that these liV acres had any value beyond their yield of corn and sorghum. From time to time newspapers have announced that the Lincoln birthplace farm was to be sold, but as 8 matter of fact if has only changed hands twice since Thomas Lincoln's original transfer. A few years ago 1t was given into the management of a Rev. J. W. Bingham who removed the log cabin to the ex- hibition at Nashville, and later sold 1t to some exhibitors who took 1t about the country as a travelling show. But year or two ago the logs were found in cellar at College Point. Long Is land. where 1t was stored. and with ceremony was restored to It's original site.
 Farm in Mitigation.
 The farm itself has been the subject of litigation for several years and ef- forts have been made by various inter- ests to use 1t for one purpose or an- other. Many schemes have been sug- gested from time to time, but none of them have borne any large national significance. Finally in 1905 1t was ad- vertised that Ion August 2S the Lln- coin farm was to be sold between the
 
 steps at public outcry and to the high est bidder"
 Mfr. Robert J. Collier of New. York City had been negotiating for the prop erty, and upon the appearance of this notice he despatched Mir. Richard Lloyd Jones to Hodgenville with instructions to buy the place If possible.
 The day set for the bidding was Monday and as the laws forbade Sun day railway operation in this neighbor- hood. Elizabethtown. twelve miles away, was as near as Mir. Jones could come by rail before Monday noon. At the little hotei in Elizabethtown Mir. Jones met two individuals who he learned were sent on the same mission as himself. One represented a promi- nent Eastern merchant. the othef a distilIing concern which recognized the commercial value of tbe pure water from the rock spring and the battle label bearing the inscription, Lincoln Birthplace Whiskey." Both had come with instructions to "Bid 1t in." and the sentiment which they displayed about their mission was intense. It eventually worked their ruin, for be- fore evening their patriotic enthusiasm had been stimulated to a high degree, and by midnight both were peaceably abed.
 Mir. Jones came here by buggy early the next morning and sought out the commissioner who was to conduct the sale. With the thought of the two gentlemen who were still resting in ltzahafhtnWn hA triad fO AaFauade kha