| Show WHEN LINCOLN STUDIED L1W Some of the Stories of the Youth of the War President A son of the man who enabled Abraham Lincoln to read law and then gave him the advice which started him on his public ca leer was giving some interesting reminiscences reminis-cences recently at the Kimball The narrator nar-rator was Mr Joe Hewitt of Galveston Mr Hewitt is a native of Natchez and was a gallant daringyoung soldier His father Judge Hewitt was a native of Kentucky and removed to Illinois when a young man He formed a law partnership with Col Baker who had bee through the Mexican war and who was killed at the head of his regiment by a Texas regiment in the fight at Ball Bluff Hewitt and Baker were prominent lawyers Young Lincoln was running a small grocery store In the same town or near by He had picked up a knowledge of surveying and would go off for a week or a month with his compass and chain On these trips he would leave his store in i the hands of a clerk Once he was gone four weeks When he returned he found the store closed His clerk had sold out and skipped with the funds Lincoln was badly broken up In his distress ho won to Judge Hewitt for advice Lincoln told r < i i Lck 4 his woes and ended by declaring that he did not know what to do You would make a success at the law Abe Why dont you study and get admitted mitted to the bar said Judce Hewitt III cannot support myself and buy law books > Judge Lincoln replied Turning to Colonel Baker Judge Hewitt said You have no objections colonel to Abes using our library have youl Colonel Baker was perfectly willing Lincoln thought he could support hIm self while reading law by teaching night school and he decided to begin the study for the law had been his ambition He did teach at night and studied during the day in Hewitt Bakers office After he was admitted he rode the circuits with these lawyers II have heard my father say that Lincoln used to provoke them all by tolling stories and singing songs at night when the rest of them wanted to go to sleep Colonel Baker was the only one who could stop him The colonel would rip out some vigorous oath and Lincoln would laugh and shut up ando and-o to deep Long before tho war Judge Hewitt removed re-moved to Natchez where he became prominent prom-inent in his profession He lost sight of Lincoln When Quitman was first sent to Congress from Mississippi Judge Hewitt gave him letters of introduction to some members he knew He did not know that Abraham Lincoln was in the House and was surprised to receive a letter from him inquirIng why he had not given Quitman a letter to him II you have forgotten the old days in Illinois I have not Lincoln wrote When the Yankees took Natchez they turned Judge Hewitt and his daughters out of their beautiful homo and would not allow them a single thing except the clothes they had on The Hewitts were absolutely without shelter and persohal effects except as their friends assisted them Adolph Meyora Natchez merchant was in Washington just about that time and he met President Lincoln who asked hIm if he kuew Judge Hewitt Meyer said ho did and Mr Lincoln told him that when he went back home he wished him to tell Judge Howitt that if he wanted any protection to telegraph him and he should have it If all the armies in tho United vere required to give it Judge Hewitt would not ask Lincoln for any favor and at the end of the war when he recovered hIs home it was almost a wrook Not a single book of his library which had been the largest and finest private one in the tate was loft Atlanta Constitution |
