New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-16
Truth OF the Song Episode.

Neither General Mcclellan nor any one
else made any objections 10 the singing.
tine place was not on the battlefield. the
tim. was sixteen days after the battle. no
dead body was seen during the whole time
the President was absent from Washing
ton. nor even a grave which had not been
raiucd on since It was made.
Among the nine legal briefs In Lincoln =
writing are the one in which b" defended
| Mclean County agains. the Illinois Central
/ Railroad before the Supreme Court and the
/ famous will case ia tho Circuit Court OF
Sangamou county. when he defended the
viii against tho attacks Of three daughters
Of the testator and their husbands. His
own letters. however. form 10 the lay mind
perhaps the most interesting part OF the
whole collection They number between
twenty-five and thirty and cover period
from about 1915 10 the time Of lis assassina-
ton II was possible yesterday 10 obtain
only tho mcrcst idea OF their variety, owing
to the fact that the collection has not yet
been cataIogued or even classified.
There follows letter To his father.
quoted i'm full:
Washington. December q. 1875.
NJ Dear Father. Your letter OF the 1th
was received night before last very
chperfully send YOU the syl which sum YOU
say is necessary TO save your land from
sale IL IS singular that YOU should have
forgotten q judgment against Nou. And u
T. more singular that the platntlf should
have Jet YOU forget II 50 long-pdrticularly
AZ I suppose you have always had property
enough 10 satisfy a Judgment of that
amount Before YOU pay II, II would be
well To be sure YOU have not paid IT or at
least that You cannot prove you had paid
- a. MGtNgs and all the
'''' '''''7' 4 LINCOLN.
Then there is this letter to his brother,
in part:
Dear Johnson. Your request for $50 |
do not think ii best To comply with now,
at the various times when nave heipen
YOU little YOU have said To me, We can
get along very well now" but in very
short time find YOU IN the same difficulty
again Now. this can only happen by
some defect IN your conduCt-What that
defect is | think ! know; you are not
lazy. and still YOU are an ldler
Won are now In need OF some ready money.
and what / propose is that you should go
10 work tooth and nail. for somebody VINO
will give you money Tor II anu
then To- secure you fair reward for your
IA Dor / now promise YOU that Tor every
dollar Won will between this and the hrst
Of next Nav get for your labor ! VIII then
vi VI 20, nne other dollar You
have always been kind 10 me ana ! do not
mean To be unkind 10 you on the Coh-
trarv. if YOU will follow my advice you
will find it worth more than eisht I'M, ,heT
$50 to YOU. Anectionately your br0tneF'
\. LINCOLN
Another letter written to Jesse w. Fell
at the time Of his nomination gave brief
and modest account OF his own life.
SncakinC Of his first elective office back
in Illinois. he said:
Then came the SLACK Hawk war, anu
I was elected a captain of Volunteers
sniccess which gave me more pleasure
than any [ have had since.
other interesting items I'm the collectlon
are thousands Of letters from the men
who surrounded Lincoln during the war
and before the last pass ISSUED oy LIN
colin To Colonel Lamon four days before
his death sud several pcFsonal sour rhI
Amonr the noSsihle purchasers of the col
lection MI smith cited Henry r. hunt
ington. Robert J. Collier and Clarence n
Mackay