Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-11-10
LINCOLN WAS SOUTH'S FRIEND
SAYS WATTERSON IN TRIBUTE
Declares That if He Had Lived There Would Have Been no
Era of Reconstruction, With Its Mistaken Theories, Re-
preSsiye Agencies and Oppressive Legislation

matters that he whom the English
| monarch is proud TO call his progenitol
was a bastard: but 1t offends the SOU
Of a brave and just manhood, it should
arouse in the heart OF every true woman
a sense OF wrong that so much as 3
shadow should rest upon the memory OF
the little cabin in which Nancy Lin
coin gave to the world an immortal
son. born in clean unchallenged wed.
lock. nor thought OF faint or shame
anywhere.
Let no one Of those that gather there
go thence without a heart salute to the
gentle spirit OF Nancy Hanks Lincoln.
that maybe, somewhere beyond the stars
among the angels of the choir invisible.
will look upon the scene. sserene and
safe at last in the bosom of her Father
and her Cod
His story of the love-like of Lincoln
and his relation with Joshua Fry Speed,
an uncle of the donor of this statue in
the early days at Springfield, IN, was
illustrative and Interesting. He said:
II is of record that he stood closer
to Joshua Fry Speed than to any other.
The ties of early manhood between the
two were never broken. To the end
Lincoln could turn to Speed certain TO
get the truth. equally sure OF SOUND
counsel and unselfish fidelity
He was one of those men," says John
Hay. who seem to have to a surpass-
ing degree the genius of friendship. the
Pythias. the Pylades. the Horatios of the
world. - II is hardly too much
to say that he was the only as he GER
tainly was the last. intimate friend that
i Lincoln ever had. 49, They knew
the Utmost thoughts OF each others
hearts and each depended upon the hon
esty and loyalty OF the other" .N4h'
The story OF the way their intimacy
began and how they came to abide to-
gether relates that. entering Speed $
store'in Springfield. saddle-bags on arm,
the just arr4ved Lincoln ascertained that
the domestic outfit he required would
cost the enormous sum of ST.. II had
no idea IL would cost the half OF that
said he, land haven't the money TO pay
for it; but If you'll wait on me till
Christmas. and I make anything, I'll
pay: and II / don't. can't" Then
said Speed II can do better for YOU
than that. have all the things you
want and I sleep on a bed that's big
lenough for two. You Just come and
bunk with me and it shall cost you moth
ling" He pointed the way around pile
of boxes and barrels and UP a fright of
stairs lincoln went as directed and
quickly returned. but without the sad
dle-bags. Speed" said he. "Tve NOV
DRAMA is WRITTEN.
Conscience and Destiny had Joined
forces to write drama such as may
not be found elsewhere outside the pages
Of romance; as compact and unified as a
Greek tragedy; mystical and wierd. but
real Speed was short. of stocky puiId,
not given to loquacity. a little abrupt
/ In speech to the end of his days Lin
coin was very tail and angular, concil-
iatory. patient. not ever wanting the
pursuasive word He might have de-
lscribed himself and his friend as he once
described himself and his wife, as 1.-THE
long and the short of it,"
The first and most serious AFFAIR of
life TO them was marriage. The anna
tory matters which engaged and en-
crossed them were, not many, but they
cut deep Lincoln had already had what
/ he thought was his finishing stroke I'm
the death OF Ann Rutledge, when he met
Mary Todd. Speeds love passage with
Fanny Henning was to- come later.
Each as the sequel showed suffered the
common lot of heartache. as each in
turn and in the hour of trouble de-
livered to the other fraternal wisdom
and comfort
4
the Hay-Nicolay biography. Abraham
Lincoln became engaged TO be married
to Miss Mary Todd, of Lexington, Ken
lucky. . The engagement was
not In all respects a happy one. as both
parties doubted their compatibility.
- His affection for his bethrothed.
which he feared was not strong enough
to make happiness with her secure; his
doubts which yet were not convincing
enough TO induce him to break OF all
relations with her; HIS sense of honor
which was wounded in his own eyes by
his own act: his sense of duty which
condemned him in one course and did
not sustain him in tho opposite course,
combined TO make him profoundly and
passionately wretched. To his friends
who were unused to such finely
wrought and even fantastic sorrows.
his trouble seemed so exaggerated that
they could only account for IL on the
ground of insanity
But he was not mad. Speed picked
him up bodily, as Il were, and carried
him OF to Kentucky and into the bosom
Of mis- own happy and pious family cir
Gle. where he quickly recovered his
equanimity, returning To Springfield
himself again. II was Speed, who on
this home visit met his fate. and, in
perturbation of spirit. exchanged places
with Lincoln. Lincoln who became the
physician Of his friend. and, out Of his
own experience administered the need
ed medicine of thoughtful and tender
| sympathy.
The correspondence is yet extant re-
vealing the innermost throes of two
natures exquisitely strung and stretch
ed TO their tension. neither Hamlet, nor
Werther. closer upon the edge of the
precipice. which happily was withheld
/ from them. Their period of travail en-
dured for nearly two years. from 1870
10 1872 the close of the latter year
finding each OF them safely married.
Less than 20 years thereafter-two short
decades-Lincoln. elected president OF the
United States. wrote to Speed "It is like
a dream. isn't H?''
TELLS OF INUGURATTON
Mr.. Watterson told graphic story of
the coming OF Lincoln TO Washington and
his first Inauguration His narrative
J took the form of a personal Renaissance.