The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-03

fence or floor. We got little paper at the
country town, and l made ink out Of black
bury briar-root and a little copperas in 1t. 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 had
no geese them days. After he learned to write
he was scrawln' his name everywhere; some
times he would write it in the white sand down
on the crick bank, and leave 1t till the freshet
would blot it out"
"Ah Dennis, that name Is written now, not
in sand high on the heroic roll in Liberty's
proud temple above the names of all save one
Next to the name Of the immortal Washington
blazes the signature of the blameless ruler and
matchless man, Abraham Lincoln. That plain
name is now a kinger title than is worn on
EARTH
"Yes, that's So and rightly, too. Not for his
greatness; he wasn't the greatest man that ever
lived, but he was the honestest. | reckon he
never did mean act. could see he didn't know
how an he never learned"
"Did you have any idea of his future great
ness?
"No it was new country. and he was raw
boy; rather a bright an likely lad, but the big
world seemed far ahead of him. We were slow
goin' folks. but he had it in him, though we
never suspected it."
did he take to books eagerly?"
.No we had TO hire hin, at first. But when
he got taste it was the old stOry-we had to
pull the sow's ears to git her to the trough and
pull her tail to git her away. He read a great
deal and had wonderful memory, wonderful.
Never forgot anything"
"What church did Abe attend?"
1.-The Baptist. I'll tell you circumstance about
him. He would come home from church and put
a box in the middle of the cabin floor and re-
peat the sermin from text to doxology I've
heard him do it often"
"Was he a religious man?"
swell, he wasn't in early life religious man
He was moral man, strctly-never went to
froics never drunk liquor, never used tobacco
never swore. But in after life he became more
religious; but the Bible puzzled him, especially
the miracles He often asked me in the timber
sittin' around the fireplace nights, to explain
scripture. He never Joined any church or secret
order"
How did the lad fare for food and clothing?'
"Plenty, such as 1t was rcorn dodger. bacon,
and game, some fish, and wild fruits. I've often
seen him take dodger to the field and gnaw at
it when blowing. We had very little wheat -four
The nearest mill was IS miles: a boss mill it
was. with plug pullin' a sweep around: and
Abe used to say his hound could stand and eat
the -four all day fast as IT was made and
then be ready for his supper. For clothing he
had jeans he was grown before he wore all.
wool pants"
DIG you move WIN MIN TO lllnOlS!'
Yes; bought little improvement near him.
six miles from Decatur. Here the famous rails
were split that were carried around in the cam.
paign. They were called his rails; but nobody
can tell about that. l split some of EN- and we
had a rail frolic and folks came and helped us
split. He was a master-hand maulin rails
heard him say in speech one day about these
rails-Tf didn't make these / have made many
just as good Then the crowd yelled"
"Were you his crony and companionY'
YES I was the only boy in the place. all
them years. and we always together"
One more question: did he get his rare sense
and sterling principles from one parent or both?n
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 a
foul oath and was bruisin' the bitter morsel in
her sweet mouth, when Nancy called Thomas =
and said: Listen, husband He stopped that
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 was
a mothers boy"
So / babe the old man good-by PRESSING
once more the palsied hand that guided the per
that wrote the Emancipation Proclamation
&C by Western Newspaper Union.l