Evening star., 1927-05-12

pFeSlQeDL VINO was not fTGSluC0t yet.
1t was Lincoln. Though was barely
acquainted with him. yet / feel that
I knew him well. That feeling is
common in Illinois. | went to Illinois
in 1858, the year made famous in his
| tory by Lincoln's debates with Doug
las. and began the practice of law in
the same judicial circuit where Mr..
| Lincoln had practiced for many years,
and where he had many clients and
| intimate friends. In fact, everybody
in that part of Illinois knew Mr.. Lin
coin, on knew much about him, so that
no man could be with them long with
out feeling that he, too. was ac-
quainted with him.
"My first meeting with Mr.. Lin.
coin was in June, 1860. when the Re-
| publican State convention was held
at Decatur to select delegates to the
national convention. I lived at Tus-
cola, and with party of young chaps
drove across the prairies to Decatur
| to attend the convention. The dis
| tance was about 40 miles and we
travelled in a two-horse farm wagon.
Meeting With Lincoln.
when we drove into Decatur and
through Main street one of our party,
Archie Van Deven, said, There's
Abe and called out to Il tall man on
the sidewalk, .Howdy. Abe to which
Mr.. Lincoln. responded with like ia
miliarity. 'Howdy, Arch A little
later one Of our party wanted to send
a telegram and we went to the rail-
road station. where the only telegraph
office in the town was located. There
we met Mr.. Lincoln and Van Deven
expressed surprise at seeing him and
asked if he had come to the conven
ton. Lincoln looked at his questioner
for a moment and then with a drawl
replied: I m most too much of a, can
didate to be here, and not enough of
one to stay away.
1.-THE convention was held the next
day in an open space or lot between
two buildings. Posts made from sap
lings had been set into the ground at
the open ends of the lot as a support
for a roof of green boughs to serve
as a shade. and rough boards were
placed on short lengths of logs to
|
The convention was practically out
of doors. / went to the convention
and was in the crowd outside the line
of supports for the roof of boughs.
Soon after the convention was opened
there was a call from the platform
to open a passage and let John Hanks
and Dick Oglesby through, who car
ried two big walnut rails that had
been split by Lincoln and Hanks. The
crowd surged back and Hanks and
Oglesby carried the rails to the plat
form, where they We're placed, with
cotton streamer bearing the legend:
These rails were made by John Hanks
and Abraham Lincoln in $780,
Passed Over the Crowd.
"a little while later in the proceed
ings there was another announcement,
this time from the outside: Mr.. Lin
coin is here He had appeared on
the outskirts of the crowd, was in
stantly recognized and his presence
announced TO those on the platform.
The cry went up to bring him to the
platform, but there was no way Of
getting through the crowd that filled
the whole place and surrounded the
platform. Oglesby was talking, but
what he said was drowned by cries,
Make way for Mr.. Lincoln The
crowd refused to give way, and some
one shouted. Pass him along, boys
and soon ] saw him coming in re-
ctimbent position over the heads OF
the crowd, his body held by scores OF
hands, being passed along. / had
heard of such proceeding, but never
in my life had seen a man passed
along over the heads of a crowd. Mr..
Lincoln's extreme height and his
spare figure made a picture that was
not soon forgotten. Strengthening
himself and mounting the platform
where Ogiesby was still speaking,
Lincoln sat down. He had hardly
become seated when some one shouted
Let Abe speak, but Lincoln refused
to talk. He was asked il he had split
the rails that had been brought on
the platform and he replied: John
Hanks says / split those rails. I don't
know whether we did or not, but we
have made many better one
Not Spoiled by H0nOrs.
II did not see Lincoln again until
after his election as President. AL
ready there We're threats of war, OF
secession and of assassination. but he
was the same cordial. unassunling.
seemingly commonplace man of that
day in Decatur. I was on the train
going from Tuscola to Mattoon and
met Mr.. Lincoln, who was also on the
train, going to Charleston to pay
last visit to his stepmother, who lived
at Pennington, few miles from that
place. He was, of course, the most
distinguished man on the train and
he was constantly surrounded by peo-
pie who wanted to shake hands and
have word with him. But he was
just one of the passengers in the day
coach. He had no bodyguard, and
Senator Tom Marshall of Coles Coun.
ty was his only travelling companion.
| was again introduced, but exchanged
only a few words with him, because
every one was anxious to meet him.
That was the last time 1 saw Lincoln.
/ was not in Washington during his