Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-28

shown affidavit by John Hanks attested to- by
Governor Ogelsby. This is dated 1860, five years
before the president death. A photograph of Den
mis- Hanks who taught Honest Abe his alphabet
well as reading writing and spelling ranks high in
the collection of family portraits, including the
earliest known that would be pride to any
museum.
The prginaI reward bill offering $4,000 for
the capture of Booth, Harold and Surratt hangs
near the great iron key of the prison in which
these conspratoTs incarcerated. The assas-
sins spur which, catching in the flag that draped
the Lincoln box, threw him heavily, breaking his
leg; piece of the wall paper on the box part
of Booths crutch and pieces of the burnt barn in
which he was shot. strands of the ropes by whieh
consp1rators were hanged-all these and hundreds
of other objects are in the Oldroyd collection.
The family Bible, portion of which his mother
read to him when he was very young boy and
he but nine years of age, has its place. Mr.
Oldroyd has spent much time and money trying
to find earlier autograph, that this is accept
ed as the hrst The last autograph was written two
hours before Mr.. Lincoln shot The White
House carriage standing before the gate. Twice
Mrs Lincoln had sent word in to the president ask
ing him to hurry. At the door, someone greeted
the president and asked him for a pass to enter
Richmond which had been closed to travellers be-
cause of the Lee had surrendered at Appa-
matox five days before. Mr.. Lincoln returned to
his desk and wrote: mo pass is necessary to
thorize anyone to go to and return from Peters
burgh and Richmond. People go and return just
they did before the war" Signed A Lincoln
To secure this memento required fifteen years
constant watching and scores of solicitations by
Mr. OIdroyd The card bears a lock of hair cut
from the martyr while lying in state at the White
House.
A word about the collector. From start to
finish, Osborne H. Oldroyd has collected his Lin
coin mementoes alone No fund from congress
private society has been at the disposal of
this admirer of the great man whom he saw
His purse has been limited but his persever-
ance is of the never-say-fail brand.
Mr.. Oldroyd is seventy-six years old. He looks
about sixty. "One of the main reasons for my
cellence of health" said Mr.. Oldroyd, sis walk
ing-'hiking' the Boy Scouts call it. I'm a hiker
One of my vacations spent in hiking from
Cork to London distance of 200 miles. 1t
the year that / sixty-fOur. have walked to
New York many times, and have made few
tours to Boston. / keep to pace that registers
three miles an hour, but I find that it's better
for me to conform to union rules now-so am
an eght-hour-a-day man, whereas l used to walk
from dawn to dark-in vacation time, you
derstand"
A lover of nature Mr.. Oldroyd began collect
ing specimens when only a boy His education
was gained in Mount Vernon, Ohio, where he
lived until he volunteered in Company E, Tween
tieth Ohio infantry. In 1878, Mr.. Oldroyd went
to Springfield, Ill, in order to carry out thor
oughly as possible his work of collecting Lincoln
mementoes. He lived and acquired his treasures
in the Lincoln homestead until 1898 when state
politics brought about changes. Soon afterward
the memorial association of the District of Colum-
bia invited Oldroyd to Washington to set up
the collection in the house in Tenth street.