The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-02-14
BY D. Lance,

Keeper n postmaster at Old Salem,
about a mile from the present town Of
Petersburg. From these persons l OBJ
tanned many interesting f:"ts about
seen published. Some of these are given
here.
Why He Skewed a Street Around.
Lincoln surveyed the townsite Of
Petersburg and a number of years ago
1t vas found that n Of h principal
streets had a bend Of several feet in
1t. When people expressed their sur
prise at such an apparent error In Iln-
coins work an old man gave the fol-
lowing explanation: -.
Il know why that street is crooked,
he said. AT the time Lincoln laid out
the town an old Irishman lived in a
cabin near the present city limits. The
old man was very much disturbed
when he found that Il part Of his shack
stood on the city street and might
V to be moved. But Lincoln, who
was a friend Of h old man, told him:
Don't you worry, Pat. Well just kew
the street around a Bit"
How Lincoln Got FIatboat Over Dam.
1t was at the town Of Old Salem,
on the banks Of the Sangamon river,
that Lincoln first took a modest part
In pubic life, and became well known
in he neighborhood. This town has
now entirely disappeared. Only very
few people could nov point out where
the store, the ~postoffice and the mill
once stood.
r. j. Onstot, now of Mason City,
ILL.,. was born in the tavern where Lin
coin boarded most OF the time while
he lived at Old Salem. Lincoln came
down the Sangamon river in a flat
boat in 1881. The boat stuck on the
milldam n a to be lightened to
80 - 40 D-A H. " .yatn- hnd
accumulated in the bottom Of the boat,
and the Salemites were troubled how
to get the water out without entirely
unloading the boat. Lincoln met this
emergency as directly as he met the
great historic emergencies in his later
life. He borrowed a stout anger of
Henry Onstot, the o and drilled
q hole through the bottom of the boat,
which was exposed, allowed the water
to run out, and plugged up the hole.
The boat was sufficiently l.ghtened to
be pulled owe the dam. The auger
Is now in the possession of r. J. On
stot, who showed it to the writer at
a recent interview.
A "Snowbird's" Recollection of Lincoln.
r. J.. Onstot was born in 1880, the
year known to all the old settlers of
Central Illinois as the year OF the
great snow The children born in that
SNth "SAS IbS W III oii'N'
birds.
"What is your first recollection of
Mr.. Tincoln?" / asked Mr.. Onstot.
THE first time i distinctly remember
seeing hun | must nave been about 4
years old. My mother had taken me
to the boa landing and l saw Mr.. Lin
coin walk on board the steamer over
a narrow gangplank, and | was very
much afraid that the tall, big man
would fall off into the water, and 1
expressed my fear to my mother"
Thinks Anne Rutledse Story a Myth.
What do you know about the sup
posed first love of Mr.. Lincoln, of Anne
R~utledge?" was another question |
asked.
l think that story is a myth" replied
Mr.. Onstot. Anne RutledGe's father
owned the Old Salem inn until my faith
er bought it in 1888. Lincoln boarded
for some time with the Rutledge family,
but as far as | have ever learned, Mr..
Lincoln was simply kin and friendly
towards Anne just as he was to the
other young women of the town. In 1888
The Rutledge family moved to a farm
about two miles from Salem"
Anne died at this place after a long
illness. 1t is true that II once sent
for Mr.. Lincoln to come and visit her.
But she frequently sent similar re-
quests to her other friends at Salem,
II Lincoln in complying with her re-
quest simply did an act of neighbOrly
kindness to this dying girl friend
Remembers Lincoln's Grammar Book.
What about the story that Lincoln
and Anne Rutledge used the same
grammar to study in?"
That is of the same order as the
matter | have just told you about. |
remember very well the grammar Mr..
Lincoln used in his studies under the
old Salem schoolmaster, Mentor Ora
ham. 1t was an old Kirkham's gram
mar, a well known book in those DAYS.
The copy Mr.. Lincoln used had a leath-
er back n belonged to my brother.
had a part Of the book in my possession
until 1865 or thereabouts. 1t had
Lincoln written slantingly across the
lily leaf in Mr.. Lincoln's handwriting"
How long did Lincoln board at your
fathers tavern?"
Fl stayed with us until 1887, when
he left Salem and moved to Spring.
field. My father moved to PETERSBURG
In 1889. BY that time Petersburg had
been located as the county seat of
Menard county, and everybody left Sa-
lem and went to Petersburg or some
other place
How Lincoln Illustrated Wife's Heiaht.
Lincoln always remained a friend of
our family. In later years, when he
attended court at Petersburg. he al
ways visited us. / remember we'll one
occasion in 1912 or 1S43, soon after his
marriage, Mr.. Lincoln was chatting
with my mother on the porch of our
house. My mother, who had never seen
Mrs. Lincoln. asked him MANY uues-
tons about her. To one of them as
to whether she was a tall or q short
woman, Mr.. Lincoln, who was standing
replied by stretching out his right arm
and saying: She a just stand under
my ARM"
SeoIded a Miller Who Neglected a Bow.
Another pioneer settler of Menard
county. who in spite Of his so years
still retains vivid boyhood recollections
Of Abe Lincoln, as he was called nv
the Salemites. is John Q. Spears, now
Of Tallula, Ill. He was glad to tell me
Of them.
AS a small boy, he was once sent TO
the mill with a sack Of grain, which he
carried on horseback. One OF the sons
Of the owner, who "aS tending the mill.
let the small boy wait for about half
an hour. After a while Lincoln hap
pened around. Seeing the small boy
much perplexed as to what to do with
the heavy sack Of grain, Lincoln at
once went into the mill and gave the
young miller a good scolding and told
him to attend to the small customer at
once.
This incident" said Mr.. Spears,
49,. .. H.--N