Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-13
AT LINCOLN FARM


Continued from First Page.)
las one of the former millions of slaves
to whom Lincoln gave freedom and the
representative of ten millions of gratified
negro citizens"
The president boarded his train for
Louisville at 3:45 p. m. expecting to arrive
at Washington about 2 p. m. tomorrow.
Cabin Center of Ceremony.
The tent which served as an audi
torium was roped off from the crowd,
which gathered around the hallowed spot.
In the center beside the platform for the
speakers and the machinery OF the corner
stone laying, is the cabin itself, a little
building not over sixteen feet square, built
of logs. notched and laid together, pioneer
fashion, The logs are worn smooth where
the bark has peeled off or rotted and now
they are a dirty leaden grey. The clap
board roof is in fair condition and the
puncheon floor patched as though shift
less Tom" as Abraham's father was known.
had knelt down one afternoon and done the
very chore.
Tall farmer boys and grizzled old men,
sprung up from the same soil, and nursed
at the same rough lands breast. gazed at
the % bin from daylight on. reinforced by
those OF the city jewellers who. had come
cut early to the scene. These native peo-
pie had known the cabin since childhood,
but they stared at 1t now in it's carnival
trappings as though it might at any time
glow from it's window holes with ths
genius that was in the place before the
Linz olns crossed into Indiana and young
Abe began that pilgrimage from which mis-
feet were not TO rest until he reached
Ford's theater.
HOdKenviIIe Center of World.
Early morning revealed that Hodgenville
had, with some trepidation, taken a tenn
porary position as capital of the world
The little place is a fair specimen of the
brisk Kentucky town, with a commercial
club. a mayor and corporation and q clean
main street. This, as well as the entire
residence portion, and every farm house
passed along the route TO the Lincoln
farm. was shot through with the colors in
the national ensign. How many thousand
yards OF bunting were used in la Rue
county today no one will ever know.
1t is an even three miles from the depot
to the farm, and the farmers. gloved and
holding the rein over the backs OF every
auadruped in La Rue, gave lifts to many
a centenary iubilator who had not call
culated the distance from Hodgenville it,
self TO the dedication site. As the cabin it.
self was the only antique on actual dis
play. many a horse. and perhaps a shay Or
two. which embere lincoln. passed
unsung.
BY the suggestion OF some OF the kindly
Kentuckians, whose Indigenous co-opera.
ton made the entire celebration possible in
a rural county, the native cabin was set
I'm a casket OF flowers. the gift of the
school children Of Kentucky.
sursins Crowd Around Tent.
The cabin stands a half mile inside the
gate of the farm and as none was allowed
to bring his vehicle within. this gate there
was a forking delta of humanity and color
setting toward and around the cabin durins
the time before the ceremonies and when
IL was seen that there was no more room
within the tent.
Five special trains that set out early
from Louisville kept the air in the LITTLE
town vibrant with their whistles uni
near the hour Of dedication. The first came
At T;3 O'Clock. with spectators aboard;
the second and third an hour apart and the
fourth arriving az II o'clock. brought Gov
ernor Augustus r. Wilson OF Kentucy and
his company and staff. A Ions drawn ouI