The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-02-14
BY b. LANCE.

town OF Petersburg, ILL.,, met a num-
Dor Of old settlers who had known
Lincoln personally while he was store
keeper and postmaster at Old Salem,
about q mile from the present town of
petersburg. From these persons ! OBJ
tanned many interesting facts about
Lincoln's early life which / have never
seen published. Some of these are given
here.
Why He skewed Street Around
Lincoln surveyed the townsite Of
Petersburg and a number of years ago
It was found that one of the principal
streets had a bend of several feet in
1t. When people expressed their sur
prise at such an apparent error in Lin
coins work an old man gave the fol-.
lowing explanation:
i know why that street is crooked, y
he said. At the time Lincoln laid out
the town an old Irishman lived in a
cabin near the present city limits. The
when he found that e part of his shack
stood on the city street and might
have to be moved. But Lincoln, who
was a friend of the old man, told him:
Don't You worry, Pat. Well just skew
the street around Bit"
How Lincoln Got Fiatboat Over Dam.
It was at the town of Old Salem,
that Lincoln first took modest part
in public life, and became well known
in the neighborhood. This town has
now entirely disappeared. Only very
few people could now point out where
the store the peStoffice 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 and had to be lightened to
get it over. A great deal Of water had
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 auger of
Henry 0nstot, the cooper, and drilled
a 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 lightened to
is now in the possession of r. ]. On
slot, 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
year were often referred to as snow
birds.
What is your first recollection of
Mr. Tncoln?' asked Mr.. Onstot.
1.-THE first time | distinctly remember
seeing HIM | must have been about 4
years old. My mother had taken me
to the boat landing and l saw Mr.. Lin
coin walk on board the steamer over
narrow gangplank, and I was very
much afraid that the tall, big man
would fall off into the water, and /
expressed my fear to my mother"
Thinks Anne Rutledge Story a Myth
What do you know about the sup
posed first love of Mr.. Lincoln, of Anne
Rutledge?" was another question 1
asked.
| 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 l have ever learned, Mr..
Lincoln was simply kind and friendly
towards Anne just as he was to the
other young women of the town. In 1883
The Rutledge family moved to a farm
about two miles from Salem
Anne died at this place after long
illness. 1t is true that she once sent
for Mr.. Lincoln TO come and visit her
But she frequently sent similar re-
quests to her other friends at Salem,
and Lincoln in complying with her re-
quest simply did an act of neighborly
Kindness to this dying girl friend
Remembers Lincoin's Grammar Book.
What about the story that Lincoln
and Anne Rutledge used the same
grammar to study IMP
That is of the same order as the
matter 1 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, well known book in those days
The copy Mr.. Lincoln used had leath-
er back and belonged to my brother. I
had a part Of the book in my possession
until 1865 or Whereabouts. 1t had
Lincoln written slantingly across the
fly leaf in Mr.. Lincoln's handwriting"
How long did Lincoln board at your
fathers tavern?"
He stayed with us until 1897, when
ne 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
Merard county, and everybody left Sa-
lem ana went to Petersburg or some
other place"
How Lincoln illustrated Wife's Heioht
Lincoln always remained a friend of
our family. In later years, when he
attended court at Petersburg, he al
ways visited us. remember well 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 ques-
tons about her. To one Of them, as
to whether she was tall or a short
woman, Mr.. Lincoln. who was standing.
replied by stretching out his right arm
and saying: she can just stand under
my ARM"
Scoided Miller Who Neglected Boy.
Another pioneer settler Of Menard
county. who in spite Of his so years
sun retains vivid boyhood recollections
the Salemites, is John @. Spears, now
Of Tallula, III. He was glad to tell me
OF them.
As small boy, he was once sent to