The Calumet news., 1911-11-08
name Of woman the hapless, the fair
haired Nancy Hanks.
Nails False Stories.


Nails False Stories.
No falser, fouler story ever gained
currency than that which impeaches
the character of the mother Of Abra-
ham Lincoln. II had never any founda-
ton whatsoever. Every known fact
fatty contradicts it. Every aspect Of
circumstantial' evidence stamps II
preposterous lie.
1t was period of heroic achieve
ment tempered by religious fervor. II
was a plous, God fearing neighborhood
Of simple hard working men and wom-
en-. Debauchery was unknown. Dou-
BILE living was impossible. Thomas
Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. as l have
shown. came Of good people. Histori
cally IL would not matter who were
the parents Of Abraham Lincoln any
more than il matters that he whom the
English monarch Is proud TO call his
progenitor was a BASTARD but IL offends
the soul Of a brave and just manhood
and 1t should arouse in the heart of
every true woman a sense Of wrong
that so much as a shadow should rest
upon the memory of the little cabin in
which Nancy Lincoln gave to the world
an immortal son, born in clean. un-
challenged wedlock, nor thought OF
taint 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 fnavha cop,aVVle~o hax-opd tho
stars among the angels Of the choir in
visible. will look upon the scene, serene
and safe at last in the bosom of her
Father and her God!
Friendship For Uncle.
His story of the love-life of Lincoln
and his relation with Joshua Fry
Speed, an uncle Of the donor of this
statue, i'm the early days at Spring
field. Illinois, was illustrative and in
teresting.
1t 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
J I'm Hay who seem to have to a
surprising degree the genius Of friend
ship. the Pythias, the Pylades, the
! Horatios of the world. II is
hardly too much to say that he was
the only. as he certainly was the last.
intimate friend that Lincoln ever had.
They knew the inmost thoughts
Of each others hearts and each de-
pended upon the honesty and loyalty Of
the other"
The story CT the way their intimacy
began and now rhey came To abide to-
gcther relates that, entering Speed 5
store in Springfield. saddle-bags on
arm, the just-arrived Lincoln ascer-
tanned that the domestic outfit he re-
quired would cost the enormous sum
of seventeen dollars. II had no idea II
would cost the half of that" said he
"and I haven't the money To pay for
it; but. if you'll wait on me till Christ
mas and make anything I'll pay; and
lif / don't, | can't" Then said Speed
Il can do better for you than that.
have all the things you want and
sleep on bed that's big enough for
1.-TWO. You just come and bunk with
me and it shall cost you nothing" He
lpointed the way around a pile of boxes
land barrels and up a flight of stairs
Lincoln went as directed and quickly
returned but without the saddle-bags
Speed" said he i've moved"
Lincoln's Love Affairs.
Conscience and Destiny had JOINED
forces to write a drama such as may
not be found elsewhere outside the
pages of romance; as compact and uni
fed as a Greek tragedy; mystical anC
weird. but real. Speed was short. o
stocky build. not given to loquacity. Z
little abrupt i'm speech to the end of hi
days. Lincoln was very tall and angu
lar, conciliatory, patient, not eve
wanting the persuasive word He nigh
have described himself and his fricn,
as he once described himself and hi
wife. as the long and the short OF IT,
The first and most serious affair o
life TO them was marriage The anna
tory matters which engaged and en-
lgrossed them were not many. but the
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