Show Abe L Love Letters to Girl Who 1 Refused Him Found oud Emancipator Awed by Brilliant Mary Owens S Notes Reveal KANSAS CITY Dec 29 AP AP- AP Three love letters of Abraham Lincoln Lin Lin- coin coln to Mary S. S Owens of Kentucky who rejected his proposal of marriage marriage marriage mar mar- because he was deficient in I those little links which make up the chain of a womans woman's happiness have been uncovered here aid ad in jn St. St Joseph Joseph Jo Jo- Joseph JoI I seph Mo and will be published under copyright in the Sunday edition edi tion of the tho Kansas City Star Th The letters are in the possession of descendants of 01 Mary S. S Owens who became Mrs Jesse Vineyard and settled near West Weston n Mo They were brought to light accidentally by A. A B. B Macdonald of the tho Star I staff after being lost for years to to- historians who In ew of their theil ex- ex I ex-I but not of their whereabouts The c correspondence in which IAn Lin- coin held himself bound to keep his promises to tp toMary Mary Owens or to re release release re- re release lease her if she did not care to share I his poverty followed an an effort by Mrs Mis Bennet Abel sister of Miss Owens to bring them together af after after after af- af ter the death of 01 Ann Rutledge said eald S to have been Lincoln's first love The Tue sister took Miss Owens to live with her in New S Salem II K HESITANT LOVER 5 Lincoln at the time was a member Them mem ber l S er of o tho Illinois legislature and liis letters s to Miss Owens reveal e l him himas as a hesitant lover rath rather r av awed 4 of oV the lett letters rs written Dec 13 J 36 from fron V Vandalla Vandalia IlL nt where thre e legislature was was- meetIng meet meet- Ing Is Is Jn In the he of or Mrs Jesser Y Vineyard Kansas Kansas' City wIdow widow widow wid wId- ow of a grandson of Mary Maly Owens It told of 01 th the fight f to remove remove the st state te capitOl l' l to Springfield and Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln coin en ended Id d with a plea 5 Write back as as s scon as you get lils and and- if possible e say something that will plea please fI me for lor really IS I 1 S Continued 1 on page nage 5 I Abe ALe Lincoln's Love Letters Letts to to toI I Girl Who Refused Him Found I I Continued from froni page I 1 have e not ben hen pleased sed since I left lert you When the l legislature adjourned S In lB March 1837 Lincoln then 27 years ears old moved to Springfield andset and andset set bet Ul up a a. la law office The next of the letters in possesSiOn possession possession posses posses- sion of or George H. H Vineyard ard St St. Jo Joseph Jo- Jo seph h. h Mo Io banker was written may 7 1837 at Springfield TELLS OF LONESOMENESS JI I am quite as lonesome here as 1 ever was was was' anywhere in my lIte life Lincoln wrote in part I have been spoken t to by but one woman since Ive I've been here and should not have been by her herS l if she could have havo avoided it I I am often orten thinking about what we said of ot your coming coming- to live at Springfield I am om m afraid you would not be satisfied There is a a great deal of flourishing about in carriages here which It would be your OUr doom to see without sharing in It You have bave to be poor without the means of 01 hiding bIding your poverty po Do you believe you could bear that patiently Whatever er woman may cast her lot with nine mine should any ever do so so it is my Intention in In- In to do all in my power to tomake tomake make malte her happy and contented and there is nothing I can imagine tat t t would make me more unhappy than to fan fall in the effort I know I I should be much happier with you than the way I am provided I saw no signs of ot discontent in you What you have haye said sald to me may have been in jest or I may have haye misunderstood misunderstood misunderstood stood it If U so then let et it be foi fot for forgotten gotten if otherwise I much wish you would think seriously sly before jou ou decide For my part I have ha already decided What I have said saidI I will vili most positively abide by provided you wish it M My lh opinion is that you ou had better not do it You have not been accustomed to hardship and it a may be more mOte severe than you ou now imagine I know you are capable of thinking correctly on any subject and 1 if you deliberate deliberato deliberate ate ato maturely upon this before you decide then I am willing to abide by your decision MET MISS OWENS I August 16 of 01 the same year 1837 Lincoln had a meeting with Miss Owens In ir New Salem lii but it ap apparently apparently apparently ap- ap resulted in nothing definite for upon his return to Springfield the same da day he wrote asking her herto herto herto to make a a. decision as to their future fu future fu- fu ture relations The letter follows Friend Mary You no doubt will think it rather strange that I should write you ou a a. aletter aletter letter on oct the same day on oct which we parted and I can only account forIt forIt for forit it by supposing that seeing seeing- you lately makes makE's n woe ire e think of ot you more than usual at our late meetIng meetIng meeting meet meet- Ing we had but few expressions of ot thoughts You must know that I cannot see you or think o of you yot with I entire indifference an and yet it may maybe maybe maybe be that you are mistaken Ip Il regard to what my real feelings a f rd you are If It I knew you were not I should not trouble you with this let let- ter Perhaps any other man would know enough h without further Information information mation matlon but I consider it my peculiar peculiar liar Hal right to plead ignorance I and your bounden duty to allow the plea p S I OIl wan want in m all cases as s to do right II and most particularly so in all cases with women I want at this particular particular particular par par- time more than anything else to do right with you ou an anti and 1 if I knew it would be doing right as I rat rather suspect it would to let you alon alone I would do it And for the tho purpose of making malting the matter as plain as possible I now no say that you can now drop the subject dis miss your thoughts if Ie you ever had any from front me me forever and leave lea this letter unanswered without calling forth one accusing murmur from me And I will even en go further fur fur- I ther titer and say that if It it will add anything anything any any- thing to your comfort or peace of mind to do so it is my sincere wish I that you OU sho should I DEPENDS ON HER Do not understand by this that I wish to cut your jour our acquaintance I mean no such thing What I do wish is that our OUI further further- acquaintance acquaint acquaint- ance alice shall depend upon upon yourself If It such further acquaintance would contribute nothing to your happiness happiness happi happi- ness I am sure it would not to mine If Jf you ou feel yourself in any degree bound to me I 1 am now willing willIng will will- Ing to release you provided you wish it while on the other hand I am willing and even anxious to bind you ou faster if It I can be convinced convinced con con- vinced that it will in any considerable considerable consider consider- able degree add to your hapl happiness This indeed Is the whole question with me Nothing would make me more miserable nothing more happy happy hap hap- py than to know you were so In what I have havo now said said I think I cannot be bo misunderstood and tomake to tomake make snake myself understood is the sole object of this letter If U It suited you best to not answer answer answer an an- this this farewell farewell a long IonA lire life and anda a merry one attend you But if you conclude to write back speak peak as plainly as I do There can be neither harm nor danger in saying to me one anything you think just In the manner you think it My respects to your sister Your friend LINCOLN TELLS OF REJECTION Lincoln in a letter to Mrs O. O H. H Browning wife of ot his friend told of or orthe the rejection saying I 01 have come to the conclusion never again to think of marrying and for this reason I can never be satisfied with anyone who would be blockhead enough to have me Mary S. S Owens was married to Jesse Vineyard of Kentucky March 27 1841 and settled on a a. farm be between between between be- be tween Weston and Platte City Mo She kept and treasured the letters Writing of ot the courtship to W. W H. H Herndon Lincoln's former law partner who was preparing his biography Mrs Vineyard said My sister was very anxious for forus forus forus us to marry but I thought Mr Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln coin was deficient In those little links which make malte up the chain of ofa ofa ofa a womans woman's happiness Not that I believed it proceeded from a lack lade of kindness of ot heart but his training had been different from mine |