News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1916-04-19
REACHES HIS
18th BIRTHDAY

wi. =. D' sawyer 90 cdIS OlSs
Last Sunday-Presented with
f a Loving Cup by His Towns
s men-Last Surviving Delegate
to the Convention that Nomi-
mated Lincoln for President.
Sunday last, April 10th, was the ssth
birthday of COL E. B. Sawyer and in
! honor of that event several Of the citizens
of Hyde Park presented the distinguished
gentleman with silver gold-lined "lov-
ing cup" on which was engraved "Col.
E. B. Sawyer, April 16, 1916" 1t was
at first intended to have several citizens
call upon the Colonel when this cup was
given him, but the condition of his health
was such that it was deemed advisable
to delegate this event to few, and SO
half dozen called on him and were most
cordially received. The stay was of short
duration, but nevertheless it was a hap
py occasion and pleasure to take this
gentleman of the old school by the hand
and receive his greeting.
Col. awyer has been a lifelong resi-
dent of Hyde Park. He has always taken
great pride in his town and has aided to
the best of his ability in promoting enter
prises. Especially interested has he been
IN the Lamoille Central Academy. One of
the early organizers he has always advo-
Gated everything that was for the good
of the institution and is at present presi-
dent Of the board of trustees.
For several years he was clerk of the
county court and is the oldest member of
the Lamoille County Bar. He served as
! Colonel of the First Vermont Cavalry, |
| edited the Lamoille Newsdealer awhile |
and has practised law over half a century |
But perhaps more interesting than all |
else in this eventful life is the fact that |
Col. Sawyer is the last survivor of all the |
delegates to that memorable convention
which in 1860 nominated Abraham Lin
coin for the Presidency. Not another
delegate survives and we do not know as
there is another person living who was
present at that convention. A young
man in his early thrties he was one of
the ten delegates from Vermont. The
other delegates were Peter T. Washburn
of Woodstock, E. H. Briggs of Brandon,
E. D. Mason of Richmond, D. c. Redding
ton of ST. Johnsbury, John W. Stewart of
Middlebury, E. B. Barton of Manches-
ter, Hugh H. Henry of Chester, Wm He
bard of Chelsea and VIM. Clapp of St.
Adams.
In an inter view with the Colonel con-
c~rning this convention he said -
"The marble bust of Lincoln on my
desk serves to remind me that the ami
versary OF his birth is near and the events
of half century ago recur to me. L
first saw Mr.. Lincoln in Chicago July
10, 1858.
81 was the junior member, in years,
of Vermonts delegation to the eonven-
ton that nominated him for President
III 1860 and its secretary. One incident
which occurred outside the convention
hall amused me very much. Mr.. Sew
ards friends were much noiser than Mr..
Lincoln's. but not more active and ear
nest On the evening of the 18th of
May 1.-THE second day of the convention)
there came into the office of the hotel,
where some of the New Hampshire del
egates and myself we're CHARTERED, a very
loud mouthed young Steward b1ow-hard
that he had money to bet tn at
Seward, would be nominated on the first
ballot the next day. Jacob Bean, a
New Hampshire delegate, originally
Democrat and presumably not much
in love with Seward, accepted the chal-
lenge. Herose and approaching the bar .
counter, said, have a little money -,
which will hazard against your pile. :,
How much? asked blow.hard. Plac-
ing on the counter an old fashioned ;.
long, plethoric calfskin wallet he replied,
Three thousand dollars Breezy, look =
ing very silly, vanished amid salvo of
derision. Bean knew that no one could !.
be nominated on the first ballot, though =,
Greeley, who was personally very bitter 6,
against Seward, telegraphed the Tribune =,
that night that Seward would be nomi- a.
mated.
That day in the Wigwam, when the O,
platform was adopted excluding Father Il;
Sidding's approving that 'glittering az
generality, we hold these truths to .,
De self-evident,' etc., and the venerable a
nan walked out of the convention with 4,
bowed head and fearful eyes, his was II,
lot the only moist eye, and when that II
blank was replaced and he was led back &
o the platform the applause was up w
.oarious. His Exiles of Florida had IN
been read only lately and had laid bare G.
'ome of the slave powers vilest schemes. h;
AT the first some though it would ca
De appropriate to add the Decalogue as of
plank in our platform but after hearing ra