The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-12

Did President Speak Washington Illinois Street, Is Issue
Pioneers Differ on Details of
Visit; Even Tablet
Is Wrong.
BY ARCH sTEINEL

10 WI Why's
BY ARCH STEINEL
A BRAHAM LINCOLN split the
N heart Of rails and political is
sues with equal ability, and now
on his 10th birthday anniversary
Indianapolis pioneers are splitting
on whether Lincoln spoke on the
Illinois or Washington street side
of the Claypool when he visited the
city Feb. II, 1861.
If he spoke on the Illinois side
of the Claypool- the old Bates
House-Mrs. John N. Shaw, 1906
Park avenue, has q relic of 81 at
| tached to her mansion that would
| earn many dime from the picketS
of sightseers if it was CONNER
cialized.
For it has been discovered that
Mrs. Shaw's late husband, former
president of Kingan & Co., bought
the porte cochere which was orig
inally the entrance to the Old Bates
house when Lincoln stopped off in
the city on his way to Washington
to become President. Mr.. Shaw
added the porte cochere to the west
wing of his home. where it still
stands.
1t was under this porte cochere
that Lincoln walked to and from
the Bates house. 1t was on the root
of the canopy that he took his
morning constitutionals and greeted
crowds of curious Indianans who
f1ocked to the corner of Washington
and Illinois streets for but glimpse
of the nations executive.
But at this juncture-What was
history before-becomeS controversy
MFRS. SHAW has been under the
4V4 impression that Lincoln spoke
from the porte cochre. She is borne
out by j. B. Cockrum, attorney
who has interested himself in
things historical in Indianapolis.
I've always been of the opinion
that he spoke from the Illinois
street side of the mansion" Cock
rum said.
Mrs. Henry B. Lawrence of the
Claypool and a pioneer resident, be-
lieves Lincoln spoke from the Wash
lngton street side of the old Bates
house and on a spot now marked
by bronze tablet.
The city's only available history
on Lincoln's visit is incorporated in
news stories from the city's two
daily papers in 1861-the indian
apolis journal and the Indiana
Daily Sentinel.
Both the Journal and the Sen
tinel agree that the Lincoln pro-
gram in 1861 billed him to speak
from the south balcony of the old
Bates house. This would place his
talk from q second floor balcony
window on the Washington street
side OF the Claypool and Just above
the bronze tablet that now marks
the spot,
The day following his address the
Journal reiterated that he spoke on
a south balcony of the old Bates
house, but the Sentinel, Demo.
cratic in politics, ignored the site
of his address.
f0N Feb. 10, 1861, the Sentinel in
~ an article describing Lincoln's
leaving the city says that while
awaiting his carriage to go to the
train, he greeted a crowd of people
from "a balcony" The presumption
led some city historians to believe
that the logical place for him to
have greeted citizens would have
been the roof of the prote cochere-
the main entrance to the Bates
house.
They deduce, further, that when
he left his train at Washington
street and the Lafayette tracks,
paraded through the streets of the
city to go to his room at the Bates
house that the parade's route
brough him south on illinois street
to the porte cochere of the hotel
and that entering the hotel he ap-
peared almost Immediately on "a
balcony and spoke to the assem-
bled throng. 1t is claimed that he
spoke on the Illinois side because the
balcony" on Washington street
could not have held the crowd OF
satellites that followed the Presi-
dent.
1T is pointed out that the bronze
l. tablet which now marks the spot
where Lincoln spoke errs, in that,
it carries words which he did not
say in his one speech at the Bates
House.
The Journal and Sentinel of Feb
IL, 1861, bear out this contention by
placing the words quoted on the
tablet: Il appeal to you constantly
bear in mind that, not with poll
ticians, not with presidents, not
with office-Seekers, but with you is
the question: Shall the Union and
shall the liberties of the country
be preserved to the latest genera
tlon?" as having been said when
ne LETT his train at Washington
street and the Lafayette tracks to
begin the parade through the city's
streets. The speech which he made
from the balcony on the old Bates
mouse did not carry these words, it
is contended.
The tablet was placed on it's pres
ent spot in 1907.
q
r any one asks about Lincoln's
l. visit to Indianapolis on Feb. ii
and u, 1861, one can avoid argu-
ment by saying that he knows:
First that ha r.naSa 4...A