Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1884 — Where Lincoln Kept His Money. [ARTICLE]

Where Lincoln Kept His Money.

Abraham Lincoln, while a resident of New Salem, 111., followed various avocations. With all the rest he was “storekeeper” and Postmaster. On a certain occasion one of his friends, having learned that an agent of the Postoffice Department and a “drummer" were in the village—the former to collect what was due the Government from Lincoln, as Postmaster, the latter to receive from him, as trader, what he was owing the firm represented by himself—and knowing that Lincoln was never overburdened with spare funds, went to the store and offered to lend him a sum sufficient to meet the claims he was so soon to be called npon to settle. “Yon are very kind,” said Lincoln, “but I do not think I shall require your assistance.” Within a few minutes the agent entered their presence, and Lincoln took an old stocking from a drawer, out of which lie poured a lot of copper and silver coin—the latter mostly in pieces of small denomination. “There is the very money I have taken on account of the postoffice,’’ he remarked to the agent, “and I think you will find it the exact amount due yon.” It was, to a cent. This business had hardly been concluded when in came the “drummer.” Lincoln had recourse to another o!d stocking, with a similar re mit. So soon as the two were again by themselves the friend said: “I suppose were a third ored tor to present himself a third stocking would enable you to settle with him,” smilng. ‘‘Yes," returned the future President. “Lqok here," and he held up throe other stockings. “In each of these is

the sum I severally owe to three parties, the only persons in the world to whom lam pecuniarily indebted. I sec you are amused at my method of trans acting business. I never allow mysel to use money that is not mine, however sorely pressed I may be, and intend to be prepared to pay my bills when they become due, without delay or inconvenience to those whom I owe. The simple system which I have adopted—using a stocking to represent each ens tomer, and placing in it the money to be passed to the creditor himself at some future day—renders the former unnecessary and the latter impossible.” —lndianapolis Sentinel.