Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1910 — Lincoln and the Southerner. [ARTICLE]

Lincoln and the Southerner.

The Hon. 'George D. Wise, a former Congressman from Virginia, tells his friends an interesting story about Lincoln, In the spring of 1861 Mr. Wise and two other young Southerners, one of whom stood six feet four, were attending school in Washington. The morning the hews of the firing on Fort Sumter reached them, they decided that it was their duty to return at once to Richmond, theirhome, and enlist in the Southern cause. As Mr. Lincoln was to give a public reception that night, young Wise proposed that they attend, to see what sort of man the President really was. <=>■ “No,” said the tall fellow. “I for one won’t go near the rascal.” “But,” urged the third youth, who at once fell in Avith the suggestion, “there is going to be war, and Mr. Lincoln will undoubtedly rise to great prominence. We really owe it to ourselves to know something about the man.” __More_ abuse followed from the tall fellow. “Now look here,” broke in young Wise, after the argument had gone on for a spell, “Fred and I here are going to that reception to-night, and you are going with us.” The upshot of the matter was that the three young men went to the reception and lined up with several hundred others to greet President Lincoln. Of the three friends the tall fellow stood first in line, with his hands held resolutely behind” his back. “I’ll go,” he had finally said, “but I’ll never shake hands with him.” Slowly the three Southerners passed up with the line until the tall fellow stood opposite the President. His two friends waited breathlessly for the expected or the unexpected, they scarcely knew which. The President reached out his hand. The tall fellow, with his hands still behind him, looked the President straight in the eye, and with a proud toss of the head, passed on without taking the outstretched hand. Across the sad face of the President flashed a look of surprise and inquiry, and then a merry twinkle leaped to his ey?s, as he half-divined the cause of the slight. “Just a moment, young man,” he said, as the tall fellow was passing on. “How tall are you?” “I—l—l’m six feet four,” stammered the youth, utterly astounded at the question. “I believe I can match you,” returned the President; and then and there, before the assembled throng, he turned back to hack with the Southerner to determine which of the two was the taller. The Southerner outmatched the President. “Young man, I can’t match you,” the President was forced to admit, “but,” he added, putting out his .hand again and smiling kindly into the eyes of the young fellow, “I never let anybody taller than I am get by me without shaking hands.” ! And the Southerner, completely overcome, took the extended hand; nor did he ever again speak ill of Mr. Lincoln.— Youth’s Companion.