Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1886 — Lincoln’s First Dollar. [ARTICLE]

Lincoln’s First Dollar.

One evening when a few gentlemen, among whom was Mr. Seward, had met in the executive chamber without official business, and were telling of the past, the President said: “Seward, you never heard, did you, howl earned my first dollar ?” “No,” said Seward. “Well,” replied he, “I was about 18 years of age, and belonged, as you know, to what they call down South the scrubs. People who do not own land and slaves are nobody there. But we had succeeded in raising, chieiiy by my labor, sufficient product, as I thought, to justify me in taking it down the river to sell. After much persuasion I had got the consent of my mother to go, and constructed a flatboat large enough to take the few barrels of things we had gathered down to New Orleans. A steamer was going down the river. We have, as you know, no wharves on those Western streams, and the custom was, if passengers were at any of the landings, they were to go out in a boat, toe steamer stopping and taking them on board. I was contemplating my new boat, and wondering whether 1 could make it stronger or improve it in any part, when two men came down to the shore in carriages, with trunks, and, looking at the different boats, singled out mine and asked: ‘Who owns this?’ I unanswered modestly: ‘I do.’ ‘Will you,’ said one of them, ‘take us and our trunks out to the steamer ?’ ‘Certainly,’ said I. I was very glad to have the chance of earning something, and supposed that each of them would give me a couple of bite. The trunks were put on my boat, the passengers seated themselves on them, and I sculled hem out to the steamer. They got on board, and I lilted the trunks and put them on the deck. The steamer was about to put on steam again when I called out: ‘You have forgotten to pay me.’ Each of them took from his pocket a silver half-dollar and threw it on the bottom of my boat. I could scareel v believe my eyes as 1 picked up the money. You may think it was a very little thing, and in these days it seems to me like a trifle, but it was a most important incident in my life. I could scarcely credit that I, the poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day, and as by hone t work I had earned a dollar the world seemed wider and fairer before me. I was a more hopeful and thoughtful boy from that time.” —W. D. Kelley, in New York Star. Custom and his kingly office oblige the Prince of Wales to wear some se T ’ enty odd suits of clothes.