Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-02-02
Lincoln, the YOUNG Statesman
Ifl Louisville, K-u.)

upon my shoulder and make me swing corners
swift and his arms SO long and strong My
how he could chop. His would fash and bite
into a sugar tree or sycamore. and down 1t
would come II you heard him fallin' trees In
cearn' you would say there was three men az
work by the way trees fell. But he never was
sassy or quarrelsome. I've seen him walk Into q
crowd of sawn' rowdles. and tell some droe
yarn, and bust them all up. 1t was the same
when he was a lawyer: all eyes, whenever he
rz we're on him; there was suthin' peculiar
some about him.
..What did you teach him to write with2"
sometimes he would write with piece OF
charcoal or the pint OF burnt stick on the
fence or floor. We got little paper at the
country town. and I made Ink out OF black
bury brar-root and little copperas In It, 1t
was black but the copperas would eat the paper
after awhile made his first pen out of turkey
buzzard feather thems good for pens. we mad
no geese them days. After he learned to write
he was scrawlin' his name everywhere; some
times he would write 1t In the white sand down
on the crick bank. and leave 1t till the freshef
would blot 1t out"
did you have any Idea of his future great
nessan
NO. 1t was new country, and he was raw
boy rather bright unlikely lad but the big
world seemed far ahead of him. We were slow
pen' folks. but he had 1t In him. though we
never suspected It."
did he take to books eagerly?"
mo. we had to hire him at first. But when
he rot taste. 1t was the old story-we had to
pull the sow's ears to git her to the trough and
pun her tall to gilt her away. He read great
deal and had a wonderful memory, wonderful.
Never forgot anything
How did the lad fare for food and clothing7"
"Plenty, such as 1t was-corn dodger, bacon.
and game. some fish. and wild fruits. I've often
seen him take dodger TO the field and gnaw at
1t when blowing. We had very little wheat -four.
The nearest mill was IS miles; boss mill 1t
was. with plug pullin' a sweep around; and
Abe used to say his hound could stand and eat
the flour all day as fast as 1t was made and
then be ready for his supper For clothing he
had leans: he was grown before he wore all.
wool pants"
.Dld YOU move with him to Illinois?"
"Yes bought little improvement near him.
six miles from Decatur. Here the famous rails
were split that we're carried around In the cam
pagn They were called his rails; but nobody
can tell about that split some of EN- and we
had rail frolic and folks came and helped US
split He was rmaster-hand maulin rails
heard him say In speech one day about these
rails-'If didn't make these, have made many
lust as good Then the crowd yelled"
One more question ibid he get his rare sense
and sterling principles from one parent or both?'
Both. his strong will from his father. I'll
tell you an incident His father used to swear
little. and one day his baby girl picked up
foul oath and was hruisn the bitter morsel In
her sweet mouth when Nancy called Thomas !
and said: Listen, husband He stopped thai
habit thar; never swore again. But Abe's kind
ness, humor love OF humanity. hatred of slavery
all came from her. | am free to say Abe wat
mothers boy
SO I babe the, old man good-bys pressing
once more the palsed hand that guided the pei
that wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.
90 by western Newspaper union1