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Show 4 THE THINGS THAT LINCOLN USED By Frederic J. Haskin. . WASHINGTON, D. C, July 24. A few days ago the nero cook in the kitchen or' a dairy lunch spilleti some fat on the lire and the rcsuluint blaze was extinguished extin-guished with some difficulty. The unique feature of this trifling accident was that, had the blaze got beyond control, it would probably have destroyed a neighboring huuso in which is kept the greatest collection col-lection in the world of the relics, manuscripts manu-scripts and books bearing upon tiie life and death of Abraham Lincoln. This collection is the one owned by Osborne H. Cldroyd, who has spent more than half a century in making it, and has been granted the" privilege of keeping it in the house on Tenth street where Lincoln Lin-coln died. The American people, as represented rep-resented by their government, have shown no j merest in the preservation of these priceless relics, nor did Mr. Oldroyd receive re-ceive any financial assistance in gathering thern. A bill has been introduced in congress con-gress providing for the purchase of the collection, its proper preservation, and the parking of the land about the house; and this measure has been gathering dust for nine years in a committee room pigeon hole. Two million dollars are being spent in erecting a Lincoln memorial in Potomac park, but the few thousands which would be necessary to safeguard these relics are apparently not forthcoming. The relics in this collection number more than 3000. No great man, in perpetuation per-petuation of his memory, has had such a collection made of the homely mementoes of his everyday life. The house in which the collection is kept is a modest three -story and basement base-ment brick edifice. It was owned and conducted con-ducted as a lodging house by William Peterson Pe-terson at the time of the tragedy, and was directly across the street from the Ford theater, where Lincoln was killed. One of the lodgers rushed to the front door in time to see Lincoln borne from the theater. Da.hing across the street he directed the men to carry their prcious burden into a back room his room and lay it upon his bed. This room has been preserved as it was at the time of Lincoln's death, but the furniture and pictures have been removed. These are still in the possession of the Peterson family. A large number of drawings and other pictures representing the death and scenes in Lincoln's life hang on the walls, while many relics are kept In glass cases. The cook stove, the last to be used by the Lincoln family in the home at Springfield, Spring-field, III. ; the black walnut cradle in which the Lincoln children were rocked, often by the great bony hand of their father; the black haircloth chairs and sofa that had furnished the Illinois home up to the time of the family's removal to Washington; a desk and a chair from his law office and used by him in writing his inaugural address, and when he formed his first cabinet before starting for Washington in ISG0; a porch settle; a whatnot fashioned from a walnut bedstead; bed-stead; statues and photographs and drawings draw-ings and other pieces are in this one room. The next contains the library mainly one thousand volumes of biography, biog-raphy, and those relating to the civil war. Here also are five hundred newspapers, as well as three hundred and twenty magazines mag-azines containing articles relating to Lincoln's Lin-coln's life and death. The sermons and eulogies delivered at the time of the funeral fu-neral are counted by the hundreds. Original Origi-nal letters by and to the president are given a place of honor. Scatterd throughout the entire suite are one hundred and one original photographs, with as many more copies of pictures, litho.mv phs, steel engravings, statues and other .ikenesses. Hanging conspicuously between the parlors is a black locust fence ruil, split by Lincoln in 1S30. Near it is shown an affidavit by John Hanks, attested attest-ed by Governor Oglesby. This is dated, 1860, five years before the president's ' death. A photograph of Dennis Hanks, who taught Honest Abe his alphabet, as well as reading, writing and spelling, ranks high in the collection of family portraits, por-traits, including the earliest known that would be a pride to any museum. The original reward bill offering $100,000 for the capture of Booth, Harold and Sur-ratt, Sur-ratt, hangs near the great iron key of the prison in which these conspirators were incarcerated. The assassin's spur which, catching in the flag that draped the Lincoln bo-., threw him heavily, breaking break-ing his leg; a piece of the wall paper on the box; a part of Booth's crutch and pieces of the burnt barn in which' he was shot; strands of the ropes by which the conspirators were hanged all these and hundreds of other objects are In the Oldroyd Old-royd collection. The family Bible, portions--of which his mother read to him when he was a very young boy and on the cover of which Lincoln wrote his name when he was but 9 years of age, has its place. Mr. Oldroyd Old-royd has spent much time and money trying try-ing to find an earlier autograph, so that this is accepted as the first. The last autograph was written two hours before Mr. Lincoln was shot. The White house carriage was standing before the gate. Twice Mrs. Lincoln had sent word in to the president asking him to hurry. At the door, someone greeted the president and asked him for a pass to enter Richmond, which had been closed to travelers because be-cause of the war. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox five days before. Mr. Lincoln Lin-coln returned to his desk and prote: "No pass Is necessary to authorize anyone to go .to and return from Petersburg and ! Richmond. People go and return just as : they did before the war. I (Signed) "A. LINCOLN." To secure tnis memento required fifteen fif-teen years' constant watching and scores of solicitations by Mr. Oldroyd. The card bears a lock of hair cut from the martyr mar-tyr while lying In state at the White house. A word about the collector. From start to finish, Osborne H. Oldroyd has collected col-lected his Lincoln mementoes alone. No fund from congress nor private society has boen at the disposal of this admirer of the great man whom he never saw. His own purse has been limited, but his perseverance is of the never-say-fail brand. Mr. Oldroyd is 76 years old. He looks about tiO. "One of the main reasons for my excellence of health," said M r. Oldroyd, Old-royd, "is walking 'hiking,' the boy scouts call it. I'm a hiker. One of my vacations was spent In hiking from Cork to London, a distance of I2UO inlles. It was the year that I was 64. I have walked to New York many times, and have made a few tours to Boston. I keep to a pace that registers three miles an hour, but I Jind that It's better for me to conform to union rules now so I am an eight-hour-a-day man, whereas I used to walk from dawn to dark in vacation time, you understand." under-stand." A lover of nature, Mr. Oldroyd began collecting specimens when only a boy. His education was gained in Mount Ver-noii, Ver-noii, Ohio, where he lived until he volunteered vol-unteered in K company, Twentieth Ohio infantry. In 1S73 Mr. Oldroyd went to Spring lield, 111., in order to carry out as thoroughly as possible his work of collect- ing Lincoln mementoes. He lived and , acquired his treasures in the Lincoln homestead until .1N93, when- state politics brought about changes. Soon afterward the Memorial Association of the District of Columbia invited Mr. Oldroyd to Washington Wash-ington to set up the collection in the house in Tenth street. It was the association's ldra to have the collection purchased by the government. govern-ment. One such bill was introduced in 1909. Nothing developed, however, and the collection is still a private one. Sixty feet away from the room in which Lincoln Lin-coln died are three kitchens of restaurants restau-rants and a hotel. More than one recent fire scare has caused alarm! over the danger dan-ger that threatens these relics. Possibly thin Lincoln collection may yet be purchased by a private citizen and turned over to the government as a bating bat-ing memento of the savior of his country and the martyr to humanity's and democracy's democ-racy's cause. |
