Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-09-08
TREE AND NAME
IN HALL OF FAME
John Finn, Well Known Decorahian
and blackberry Tree Planted in
Honor Abraham Lincoln
Gets Much NOtoriety
PICTURE IN HALL FAME
AT WASHINGTON, d. G.
Letters Keep Coming to Him From
All Over the United States.
Many People to His Home
10 Inspect Tree.
Continued from first page.

Continued from first page.
for facts and information regarding
the planting of the tree and also for
Il Photograph of himself Their ar
tide will go into various newspapers
and magazines in this country, as
we'll as in similar publications in
European countries.
On Saturday Mr.. Finn received a
letter from ]. c. Cressey a former
resident here, enclosing an editorial
about the tree from the Grand
Forks, N. D. Herald, which we print
below:
Points a Lesson.
Perhaps no more unique memorial
was erected to Abraham Lincoln
than when John Finn, of DEBORAH,
Iowa, went into the woods and found
blackberry shoot which he trans
planted in front of his home follow
ing the assassination of the presi-
dent.
That tree has been nominated for
a place in the Hall of Fame for
trees with a history which is being
compiled by the American Forestry
Association of Washington.
That tree teaches a powerful les
son as to what could be done to-
ward correcting the forestry situat-
ion in this country. Fifty-fve years
seems a long time to look ahead but
John Finn can span the years and
span them quickly. There stands the
tree, a towering lesson and a warn
ing.
America must wake up and have
forest crops just as the country has
wheat and corn coming every year.
The way to do that is to have an
intelligent national forest policy.
Washington, d. c.
Aug. 2S,192O.
Mr.. John Finn.
DEBORAH, Iowa.
Dear SiT:-Mr. O.. II. Oldroyd of
SIG, 10th street, N. w, of this city,
Adjutant General Dept, Potomac G.
A. R. Collector and owner of the
Lincoln Memorial Museum, located
as per his address, opposite the old
Ford Theatre, in the Peterson Man
sion, where President Lincoln was
taken after having been assassinated
by John Wilkes Booth and in which
be died, Comrade Oldroyde has
spared no expense in making his
historical collection worthy in the
memory of that great and good Am
erican, whose name will be enshrin-
cd in the worlds history for all
time.
I, too, am great admirer of
Father Abraham, having served dur
ing the civil war in the Sth Ohio
Infantry Vols. 1st Brig, Sd Div. W
S. Hancock's I'd army corps, for over
31a years.
l want to congratulate You for
having the forethought of planting
the memorial in honor of that great
and good man whose memory is re.
Tered by, all the nations of the
earth.
/ have Hollands Life of Lin
coin" which l have read and re-
read. and never tire of reading of
that good and sanity man. 1t was
my pleasure to have been presented
with The Tribute of the Nations of
the World, in honor of Abraham
Lincoln, published by act of cong
ress, illustrated, morocco bound,
very valuable. Kept it several years
and then presented it with several
other books to my home library.
Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio.
am pleased to note that the
small blackberry bush has developed
to tree of such large proportions
and will be listed in the Hall of
Fame, and your name shown there
on.
! have met others bearing our
name, plain John Finn. Formed the
acquaintance of Mr.. John Finn in
1858. He held the prefix of Honor
able, as Mayor of st. Louis, Mo. He
died about IL years ago. His family
yet reside at st. Louis.
My age is II years, was born in
1914.
Wishing you good health and your
share of the comforts to be had
whilst here, beg to subscribe my
self.
Your friend and namesake,