The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-29
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM A TON
BURE AU

Washington. D. C.
THE THINGS THAT LINCOLN USED.


THE THINGS THAT LINCOLN USED.
Washington, D. c., May GA few
days ago the negro cook in the kitch
en- of dairy lunch spilled
some fat on the fire and the result
ant blaze was extinguished with some
| difficulty. The unique feature of this
| trifling accident was that. had the
blaze got beyond control. it would
probably have destroyed a neighbor-
| ing house in which is kept the greatest
collection in the world of relics,
manuscripts and books bearing upon
coin.
This collection is the one owned by
Mr.. Osborne II. Oldroyd, who has
spent more than half a century in
| making 1t, and has been granted the
| privilege of keeping it in the house
| in Tenth street where Lincoln died.
The American people, as represented
| by their government, have shown no
| interest in the preservation of these
priceless relics, nor did Mr.. Oldroyd
receive any financial assistance In
gathering them. A bill has been in
| troduced in congress providing for
] the purchase of the collection, its
| proper preservation, and the parking
of the land about the house; and this
measure has been gathering dust for
| hole.
Two million dollars are being spent
| in erecting a Lincoln memorial in Po-
tomac park, but the few thousands
which would be necessary to safeguard
coming.
The relics in this collection number
more than 5000. No great man, in
perpetuation of his memory. has had
such a collection made Of the ~, homely
The house in which the collection is
kept. is modest three-story and
basement brick edifice. It was owned
and conducted as lodging house by
William Peterson at the time OF the
tragedy, and was directly across the
| street from the Ford theater, where
Lincoln was killed. One of the lods-
ers rushed to the front door in time to
see Lincoln borne from the tneater.
Dashing across the treet he directed
the men to carry their precious bur-
den into a back room-h1s room-aho
| lay it upon his bed.
This room has been preserved as 1t
was at the time of Lincoin's death but
the furniture and pictures have been
removed. These are still in the pos
session of the Peterson family. A large
number of drawings and other pictures
representing the death and scenes in
Lincoln's life hang on the walls, while
many relics are kept in glass cases.
The cook stove, the last to be used
| by the Lincoln family in the home at
Springfield, ILL.,; the black walnut
cradle in which the Lincoln family
were rocked. often by the great bony
hand of their father; the black hair
cloth chairs and sofa that had fur-
nished the Illinois home up to the
| time Of the family's removal to Wash
| inRton; a desk and a chair from his
law office and used by him in writing
! his inaugural address, and when ne
| formed his first cabinet before start
| ing for Washington in 1850; porch
settle: what-not fashioned from a
| walnut bedstead; statues and photo
graphs and drawings and other pieces
are in this one room. The next con-
tains the library-mainly one thou
sand volumes Of biography. and those
relating to the civil war. Here also
are five hundred newspapers as well
as three hundred and twenty maya
zines containing articles relating to
Lincoln's life and death. The sermons
and euiogies delivered at the time OF
dreds Original letters by and to the
| president are given a place of honor.
Scattered turnout the entire suite
are one hundred and one original
| photographs with as many more
| copies of pictures. autographs, steel
l
| nesses. Hanging conspicuously be-
| tween the pariors is black locust
fence rail split by Lincoln in 1880.
Near 1t is shown an affidavit by John
| Hanks attested to by Governor
Oglesby. This is dated 1850. five
years before the presidents death. A
photograph Of Dennis Hanks who
| taught Honest Abe his alphabet as
| well as reading. writing and spelling
ranks high in the collection IF family
portraits including the earliest known
| that would be a pride to any museum
The original reward bill offering
100000 for the capture Of Booth,
Harold and Surratt hangs near the
great iron Key of the prison in which
| these conspirators were incarcerated-
| The assassin's spur which. catching in
| the flag that draped the Lincoln box,
threw him heavily, breaking his leg;
| a piece of the wall paper on the box;
| a part of Booths crutch and pieces OF
the burnt barn in which he was shot;
strands of the ropes by which the
| conspirators were hanged-aH these
| and hundreds of other objects are IN
| the Oldroyd collection.
The family Bible. portions Of which
| his mother read to him when he was
j q very young boy and on the cover of
which Lincoln wrote his name when
| he was but 9 years of agey> has its
place. MI Oldroyd has spent much
time and money trying to find an
earlier autograph. SO that this is &C.
graph was written two hours before
Mr.. Lincoln was shot. The White
| House carriage was standing before
the gate Twice Mrs Lincoln had
| sent word in to the president asking
him to hurry. At the door, someone