Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1911-02-15

NS SdSl dlllllVSl Sdly VI i@ih>o'' =
birth rolls around the number Of those
who have seen or talked with this
great-hearted man becomes less.
One speaker, when addressing a
great audience last week-made up
o. men and women associated with
past movements called upon thost
who had heard Abraham Lincoln t.
rise But a scattering dozen or so
came to their feet. In no audience
would there be more, even i'll Illinois.
Speaker Cannon and Senator Cullom
are very nearly the last men III active
public life who were personally con-
nected with Lincoln. The time has
come when all those who have even
the slightest personal "reminiscences
as to Lincoln ought to write 1t out
and publish it.
The following article is published
with the permission OF Mr.. Mails snail
Swayne, of kennett Square. Mr..
Swayne enjoyed the rare good fortune
of seeing the beloved President under
circumstances when 1t was posslDle
for the talk to follow the lines OF in
clination: we see his method OF rest
ing" and gathering power for the
next battle that he knew surely
awaited him.
We are particularly grateful for
these "reminiscences as each year goes
by. When added to this, there is
local interest, we find it particularly
precious. Mr. Swayne has spent the
greater part OF his life near kennett
Square. He is an uncle of Miss l.. Il.
Swayne, teacher in the Newark School.
"REMINISCENCES OF LINCOLN
BY A TREASURY CLERk>
During the year 1864 efforts were
being made in various ways to OBJ
tain money lor the purpose OF allie
WAITING the suffcrings OF soldiers con-
fined in the hospitals. Ear4y i'll the
year the Christian Commission held
fair for the object in the city oi Wash
ington. AS my contribution l pro-
posed modelling bas-renef portraits
of the President and some OF the Cab
met, principally Secretaries Seward.
Chase, Stanton and Wells. | had al
ready modelled basis o. Eeward and
Chase, and IN order to reach the PreSi
dent asked the latter for a letter CT
introduction to him, stating what |
had purposed dong. 10 this Mr.
Chase very kindly acceded. | then
sought an interview with Mr.. Lucun
who cheerfully consented to give me
the sittings.
After procuring the necessary ma
terial for my work | again went TO the
/ .f,.,
Office he was seated at his table writ
ing and after the usual salutaton ask
ed if | could take him as he was at
his WORK. / rephed that l. wished to
model the LETT side OF his tace, but
that the right was turned toward the
- hgnt. lie said II the lett side OF his
face was right he thought the other
must be a.so-lhat the analogy o
words reminded him OF the man whc
came to where the road forked ant
was told that if he took the left il
would be the right but il he took the
right it would be wrong. He ther
moved himself around III the most &C
cOmmOaatlng manner OCcaSlOndli,
reaching over his shoulder for anothe1
paper or document
AT another time on entering the OF
flee OF president Lincoln there was
present a very youthful looking army
ofhcer--a CoIOnel-who had lost leg
he carried crutcneS and seemed JUS
recovering from very severe wound
1t was very touching to Sc Mr.. Lin
coins manner toward hin--so tende;
and sympathetic. | learned afterward:
that the officer was the heroic Col
Uric Dahlgren, son OF the admiral
and that this, his first outing after
convalescence, was to pay LIS respect;
to his beloved COMMANDER in chief 4
Short time previously | had seen MIR
Lllr:uhl accompanied BY an escort q
,'vtr pass.l & along i,lw \ RI; ave
nuc, III Washington, on his way from
ealing on Gen. Sickels, who was ther
lying there desperately wounded, tc
make call on Col. Dahlgren. Mr.
Lincoln was not graceful rider, bu
on such occasions the mission, if no.
the man, appeared heroic.
Early in March, 1864 | received {
conditional commission to execute, ii
marble, portrait bust of the Presi
dent, which was to be disposed of iol
the benefit OF the Great Central Fair
soon to be held in the city OF Phila
delphia. From hindrsnces which
could not then foresee the model was
not completed until near the close o
the Exhibition.
For the purpose, the Solicitor OF the
Treasury Department very kindly al
lowed me the use of his library as q
temporary studio. 1t was located or
the third floor Oh the building anc
could be reached from the outside b,
a gangway OF fifty or sixty yards il
length. starting few feet from the
White House grounds and landing OF
porch or balcony at a height 0
forty or fifty feet from the ground, ant
while the studio was accessible from
the inside by two flights Oh stairs, tht
President almost invariably came b,
the gang-way.
On March IS, 1864, having arrang
ed with President Lincoln for model
ling the bust he came over through
rain TO keen the aDDOintment Ate