Evening star., 1947-07-26
LincoIn's Papers, UnseoIed Today, Reveal
Threats and Friends Concern for Safety
By Thomas R. Henry

eApI eSSlOl1S VI CONCERN 1Or MS
safety are prominent among the
Lincoln papers in the
Robert Todd Lincoln collection
made public today at the Library
of Congress.
The collection, left sealed since a
few days after the Civil War Presi-
dents death, was shown to the press
in advance of being placed on ex-
hibition at 4:30 pm.
Many of the communications from
persons with designs on the Presi-
dents life were anonymous. So
were some of the warnings. "A lady"
in Baltimore considered it her duty
to warn him she had heard of a
league of 10 persons there who had
sworn he never would pass through
that city alive.
An anonymous threat contained
the words:
Your days are numbered: you
have been weighed in the balance
and found wanting. You shall be a
dead man in six months from date
December 31st 1868. Thus saith the
good spirit"
Embroidered Charm.
An old widow, whose husband
server on the U. S. Frigate Presi-
dent in the War of 1872, wrote she
was sending Lincoln an embroidered
silk charm to protect him from be-
ing shot. She explained her hus-
band had stood exposed to four and
a half hours of gunfire while wear
ing similar one and was not hit.
The collection was opened at
1901 am. and was studied through
the night by Lincoln scholars.
The papers, comprising about
1880 items, were hailed as a not
able addition to the Nations store
of Lincoln mementos. The experts
who examined them agreed they
composed one of the most compre-
hensive groups of writings bearing
on Lincoln's presidency in existence.
Roy P. Basler, a we'll known Lin
coin expert and one of the group
permitted to examine the papers,
told reporters:
II have found nothing and as far
as know none Of the other men
who examined the papers last night
found anything that would alter
our advance impression that the
papers would serve chiefly to round
out matters of interest to historians" ;"
Cabinet Clear of Plot.
Mr.. Basler said nothing was
found that would implicate any
member of Lincoln's cabinet in
the plot to assasslnate him. He said
there was only indirect reference to
stories questioning Ltncoln's par
entage.
The preliminary examination in
dicated nearly 1000 items, including
official documents, were written by
Lincoln himself. Also included are
about LOO letters from members of
his cabinet, 1900 from Civil War
generals and hundreds of others
from editors and authors of the
period.
For the midnight opening of the
safe about 80 eminent Lincoln
scholars gathered in a locked room.
DR.. c. Percy Powell, of the Library's
manuscript division, twirled the
combination lock and the door flew
open. Behind it were 30 large vol
umes bound in blue buckram with
red leather labels on their backs.
1t was exactly 81 years after the
death of Robert Todd Lincoln, son
of the President, who had left the
papers of his father to the Nation
with the stipulation that they should
not be opened until this period
had elapsed.
Deed of Gift Is Read.
Before DR.. Powell started to open
the safe at minute past midnight.
Luther H. Evans, Librarian of Con-
gress, read the deed of gift with
which Mr.. Lincoln turned these
papers over to the library 1t gave
as a reason for the imposed secrecy
the fact that his fathers letters
contained references to the "im-
mediate ancestors of persons now
living"
Far into the night the scholars,
headed by Carl Sandburg, Lincoln's
chief living biographer, were al
lowed to examine the papers.
The papers have been neatly
bound and carefully indexed by DR..
Powell under stipulation in a let
ter from Robert Todd Lincoln just
before he died to Herbert Putnam,
former librarian of Congress, allow
ing a member of the staff access to
the papers under a pledge of strict
secrecy. Glimpses over the shoulders
of these men revealed only that the
papers are quite varied. There were
long letters on folded sheets of white
See TJNCOT page AL