Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1918 — STORIES TOLD OF THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR [ARTICLE]

STORIES TOLD OF THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR

Today being the birthday anniversary of Abraham Lincoln, no doubt some intimate stories of the great emancipator will be pleasing to our readers at this time. The following stories have been selected from George R. Lambs Lincolnia: 'A western senator who had failed of a re-election brought his successor one day and introduced him to the president. Lincoln, ih reply, expressed his gratification at making the acquaintance of a new senator. “Yet,” he added, “I hate to have old friends like Senator W go away. And—another thing—l usually find that a senator or representative out of business is a sort of lame duck. He has to be provided for.” When the two gentlemen had withdrawn I took the liberty of saying that Mr. Wdid not seem to relish that remark. Weeks after, when I had forgotten the circumstance, the president said, “You thought I was rude to Senator W the other day. Well, now he wants Commissioner Dole’s place!” Mr. Dole was then commissioner of Indian affairs.

A telegram from Philadelphia was once received, setting forth that someone had been arrested there for obtaining $1,500 on Mr. Lincoln’s name. “What,” said Mr. Lincoln, “fifteen hundred dollars on my name! I have given no one authority for such a draft, and if I had,” he added, half humorously, “it’s surprising that any man could get the money.” “Do you remember, Mr. President, a request from a stranger a few days ago for your autograph, and that you gave it to him on a half sheet of note paper?” said Mr. Nicolay. “The scoundrel doubtless forged an order above your signature and has attempted to swindle somebody.” ' \ ■ ~ “Oh, that’s the trick, is it?” said the president. “What shall be done, with him? Have you any orders to give?” inquired the secretary. “Well,” said the president, slowly, “I don’t see but that he will have to sit on the blister bench.”

At the very outset of the war sundry wise men from New York urged Mr. Loncoln to draw away confederate armies from Washington by naval attacks upon southern seaports. It reminded him, he said, of a New Salem, 111., girl who was troubled with a “singing in her head,” for which there seemed to be no remedy, but a neighbor promised a cure if they would “make'a plaster of psalm tunes and apply to her feet and draw the singing down.” At the time when General Burnside’s force was besieged in “ Knoxville, Tenn., with an apparent danger of being Starved into surrender, a telegram came one day from Cumberland Gap, announcing that “Firing is heard in the direction of Knoxville.” \ “Glad of it!” exclaimed Mr. Lincoln. “Why should you be glad of it?” asked a friend, who was present, in some surprise. “Why, you see,” he exclaimed, “it rerpinds me of Mrs. Sallie Ward, a neighbor of mine. She had a very large family. Occasionally one of her numerous progeny would be heard crying in soine out-of-the-way place, and she would exclaim, “There’s one of my children that isn’t dead yet.”

Among the European soldiers who from time to time came over and offered to serve in the Union armies was one young man who, on receiving his commission as lieutenant, assured the president that he belonged to the oldest nobility of- Germany. “Oh,” replied Mr. Lincoln, “never mind that. You will not find that to be an obstacle to your advancement.”

Mr. Lincoln was one Jay asked: “How many men do you suppose the Confederates have now in th* field?” “Twelve hundred thousand,according to the best authority,” was the prompt reply. “tiood heavens!” exclaimed the inquirer. “Yes, sir, twelve hundred thousand. No doubt of it. You see, all our generals, when they get whipped,say the enemy outnumbers them three or five to one, and I must believe them. We have four hundred ' thousand in the field, and three times