Evening star., 1947-07-27
Embroidered Charm Proffered.


An old widow, whose husband
served on the U. S. Frigate President
in the War of 1872, wrote she was
sending Lincoln an embroidered silk
charm to protect him from being
shot. She, explained her husband
had stood exposed to four and half
hours of gunf1re while wearing a
similar one and was not hit.
OF special interest is the light
thrown by the collection on Lincoln s
relations with his generals. There
are more than 1900 letters from
general officers, often pesterlng the
President about minutiae Of field
administration. The collection is
exceptionally rich in materials re-
lating to selecting and harmonizing
the diverse elements in his cabinet.
There are firm letters to Stanton,
Chase and others when they threat
ened to get out OF line.
Papers selected by Lincoln scholars
as significant in their hasty survey
last night cover generally the span
from Lincoln's early manhood IN
Illinois, when he received SIS Tor
five days work as country road
surveyor, to the end of his life.
Dueling Episode.
At about that time the future
President was courting Mary Todd,
whom he later married. The two
apparently had been brought to-
gether by common interest in local
politics and had co-operated in some
satirical pieces in local newspaper
concerning James Shields, future
United States Senator. The angry
Shields challenged Lincoln to a duel
with calvary swords" The chal-
lenge was accepted. Lincoln and
Shields both appeared with their
seconds at the dueling ground, but
there their dispute was settled by
their seconds. The papers contain
detailed instructions from Lincoln to
his second. James Merryman, about
the selection of swords and other
matters.
There are numerous letters deal
ing with Lincoln's early years in
Illinois and national politics. This
include invitations to speak at var
ious towns, including the young but
growing city of Chicago.
There is a rough pencil copy of
Lipcoln's farewell address to his
Springfield neigf1bors as he took the
special train which was to carry him
to Washington to take the oath as
President. The speech was extern
poraneous but the President himself
wrote it partly from memory as the
train was underway. The remainder
later was dictated to his secretary.
Complained of Job Seekers.
No sooner was he in office than
patronage seekers drove him to a
frenzy. He wrote to his old law
partner, William Herndon of Spring
field:
IF our American society and the
United States Government are de-
moralized and overthrown, 1t will
come from the voracious desire for
Office, this wriggle to live without
toll, work and labor from which I
am not free myself"
The papers contain several OF
Lincoln's own requests for patronage
as when he requested the influence
of the Illinois Federal Judge, Ma
thaniel Pope, for a job in the Gen.
eral Land Office. Another letter is
to the Secretary of the Treasury
when Lincoln was a member Of the
House, protesting that He had not
been consulted when certain ap-
pointments dealing with Illinois had
been made.
Once he was in the White House
death threats became almost COM
monplace. In a special pigeon-hole
in his desk he had a collection of 80
of these threatening letters, which
are contained in the collection.
One Letter to His Wife.
The collection contains only one
letter from Lincoln to his wife. 1t
is about the loss of his son Tad's
pet goat and has frequently been
printed.
Among the scandals of the Lin
coin administration was the fact
that his -in-law, widow OF a
Confederate general who had been
killed in action, spent some time as
a guest at the White House. She
persuaded the President to give her
pass to enter Kentucky, but was
refused admission at the border be-
cause she refused to take the oath
of allegiance. Thereupon Mrs. En-
lily Todd Helm wrote an indignant,
letter in which she tells Lincoln that
his brother law is dead from
utter want and destitution . an
other victim of the frowns of more
favored relations" She renews her
plea to be admitted to Kentucky to
reclaim some property as eonly the
right which humanity and justice
n 1u,oy,e oivoc fo uyidouS onS pr-