The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1909-05-14
LINCOLN VOTERS
REMINISCENT
Relate Circumstances I'm
der which Votes for Hon
est Abe were Cast.
SEVERAL VOTED FOR FREMONT
three of List also Voted for Taylor
in 1948 and for Every
President Since.

We puDllS n herewith portion OF the
letters written aud comments made by
the various Lincoln voters throughout
the county and mailed to the Northern
er in response to our request Tor con-
plete list of such voters
We regret our inability to get com
plete list from the entire county, but
feel amply repaid for our efforts IN ste
curing the list given herewith We sin
cerely trust that our dreams and antlc-
ipations for the organization OF Lincoln
voters club may be realized, feeling that
such a club would be mutually beneti
cial to its members and credit to the
county.
Following are the letters and list as
received, which We trust will be OF spec
ial interest to readers of the True
Northerner. There are several Fremont
voters in the list and three, ii. II How
I'd, of Bloomiugdale, Col. ID. Anderson,
of BerIa mont and Enos /. Chappell of
Paw Paw, who voted for Ia chariah
Taylor in lS4S
FROM KIRK W. MOVES, SOUTH HAVEN
10 response to your call for Lincoln
voters to report, will say: | voted for
Lincoln in South Haven in 1860. 10
1864 ! voted for him again under the
following circumstances: With 800 9TH
er volunteer officers of the Union army,
a that time locked up IN Confederate
prison at Danvllle, Va, there ranged
from a major general dowr to sub. I'd
lieutenant In the forenoon of election
day We organized an election board and
opened the polls in due form. | was
member Of the board. Our ballots
were written with a pencil on slips of
wall paper and were deposited in the
OF cloth covering Of cap which vas
the only head covering | aported at the
time We were a dirty lot M spite of
all We could do to he otherwise, but
our hopes and aspirations were not
bounded 10y the walls of Confederate
prison for We we'll knew that Sherman
with his luWuClble legluns were on the
way from Atlanta to the sea, sweeping
everything before them and coming our
way Over three hundred votes were
Cast, and Lincoln had a large Ajority.
The officers of CorCoran brigade,
mostly of New York Cit, voted for Nc
Clel an solid. After the votes were
counted and he result announced,
cheers tor Lincoln went up that nearly
raised the roof of the prison. We then
formed IN single column and marched
round and round the prison in a circle
shouting for Lincoln, GRAFT, Sherman
aGd Logan, and singing patriotic songs.
Soon the cry went up outside the prison:
Turn out the guard! Turn out the
guard. The Yapk's are trying to es-
cape!" In less than ten minutes the
prison was surrounded with rifles, car
bines shot-guns, pistols OF every make
and pattern, knives, clubs, and | saw
an old man with a pitchfork, but / do
not think it was Tillman. The COM
mander of the prison came rushing in
with body guard, commanded silence,
and asked what all the shouting and
singing meant. He was told we had
been holding an election for president
and had reelected Lincoln by big
majority Being a mild hammered, in
telligent man from Maryland, he re-
sponded: II that is all, go on with your
fun, but do not make too much noise"
We all gave him round OF cheers; he
then went out and ordered as motley a
crowd as the sun ever shone on to dis
perse. Thus ended our election.
| cast my first presidential vote IN
1852 for that splendid and gifted speci
men Of American manhood who blazed
the way and marked the lines for
the footsteps of the coming republi-
can party. A man who bearded the
lions of the south in their dens in the
senate of the United States and fearless
ly proclaimed the doctrine of free
homes, free speech and free men-John
p. Hale, of New Hampshire