Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1909 — Celebrate die Lincoln Centenary. [ARTICLE]

Celebrate die Lincoln Centenary.

About 125 people, old soldiers, their wives afi4 soldiers’ widows, -members of the Ladies of the G. A. R, and members of the families of all, enjoyed a fine supper prepared by the G. A. R. ladies Fiiday night and spent a most enjoyable evening in commemoration cf the life of Abraham Lincoln, whose birth occurred a hundred years before. A number of those present discussed the life of America’s foremost man of all generations, and the review of the great life and wonderful accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln prove very interesting and before tie tlpae for adjournment almost every person present had contributed to the praise of Lincoln either by reciting some incident of his life or by quoing from sqlme of his speeches. During the course cf tie i e-parks of one of the speakers it was requested that all those prerent who had ever seen Abraham Lincoln r?ise to their feet. John Kresler, Join Zimmerman, J. M. Wasson, Thos. Crockett and Mrs. Katie Lee responded. Mr. Kresler had first seen .Lincoln as he reviewed the Army of the Potomac for the first time on. Nov. 7, 1861. McClelland was in command of the army and the President and his son “Tad” road beside the general Other occasions. John Zimmerman saw Lincoln at Lancaster, Pa. In • 1861, as he was on his way to Washington to be inaugurated. Cap f . J. M. Wasson was a prisoner s>t war “for a considerable length of time, and it was at the close of the war, on April 5, 1865, that he saw Lincoln

on the wharf at Cedar Pointy below Washington. ’This was just nire days before his assassination. Thos. Crockett was net quite distinct about the occasion that he saw Lincoln. He was a soldier and is su e that some time during the'r campaign a train bearing Lincoln went thi ough some place where his regiment was stationed, but he is unable to distinctly recall the place. Mrs. Lee saw him when she was a little girl, ■at Bloomington, 111., at a big republican rally. Mrs. S. R. Nichols saw the body of Lincoln as it laid in state at Indianapolis, as it was being brought back to Springfield, 111., for burial. J. C. Thompson, of Fair Oaks, was present, and spoke of some lecollections of the war period, in a most pleasing way. Capt. Wasscn, John Kresler, Henry Wood, Mrs. E. P. Honan, Mrs. A. L. Padgitt, Mrs. Julia A. Healey, Mrs. J. *C. Porter, Mrs. M. E Spitler and others contributed to the enjoyment of the evening by short speeches. Several of the older men present had voted for Lincoln, some in the field and some when home on a furlough. The evening was both pleasurable and profitable and was a worthy tribute to the "man of the hour” during the crises that threateded to overthrow our nation.