Show mem 12 MORI ES OF DAY told by ono who was acquainted quain ted with the great emancipator and his opponent Pou douglas glas JOHN LYMAN WILD CHILD ans M who la Is eighty two years old knew lincoln personally heard lincoln and douglas debate hns has a store of interesting ln in connected with her father in law nn an ardent abolitionist oj al well a ns toles tales of autant general of 0 illinois mrs childs maiden name was mary ellen anderson sho she was bom and reared near springfield clyed in that locality for eighty years and now resides in chicago yes I 1 remember when springfield was nothing ill but ut a mud hole when the horses were driven to I 1 lie court h house ouse unhitched tied to tho the back of tho the and fed there I 1 lived on a farm not far from town wo wo know tile tho in town and went in to tile tho p political oll roo in those days you knowd two would tnt tali together each trying to ret got voters lor ills his side I 1 heard lincoln null and stump polka folks said that douglas was the smartest man but that lincoln was the shrewdest I 1 heard douglas say to lincoln you sir used to sell whisky V 1 when lincoln got up tills this wa waa 1 ills answer to that yes I 1 did and white I 1 in ono one way you yon douglas lid dd in another you did tho drin drinking kInO douglas Io was a drinker they said ho he mode tho the best beat speeches when lie he wa under tho the influence the day my father introduced him to a little boy mho was for Dougl douglas ns though tho the boys fattier father was strong on tho the other side I 1 know ho he lind had been drinking this boys fattier father stephen child the boy had bad tho the same saine name was known all around na as an abolitionist tho the boy only ten years old for 1301 some 0 reason was not on that side once tho the father while tit at work ili ID tho the alela saw caw his team being driven by little stephen out to the road as fast as they could go no ile hollered for tile tho boy to bring tho the liar horses ses h ack but lit ho paid no attention after awhile mr child saw a gang ot of boys drive buck back to tho the house they had a pole in their wagon they took this out and pretty soon began trying to ralso raise it for a flagpole flag pole in front of the house mr child by tile tho way he later bo be clime camo my father in law went over and offered to help although W it was it hickory pole but ant little stephen no this Is n Deblo democrat crat pole kind and no abolitionist shall touch bourth it I 1 0 stephen find two cats tant lie 0 coiled called dodgins and lincoln lie he took fine care of douglas but lie ho used to bent beat lincoln unmercifully that was a long time ngo ago but bui lie he Is still livili and still remembers ills hla eats cats my father wits a democrat we ive 11 lived ved neighbor to the childs an and ono one day fattier father took little stephen to a meeting whore where douglas spoke after the lie meeting futher fattier had tile boy shako shake hands with douglas ft and lie he introduced him as a ten year old democrat eon of f nil an abolitionist on my father in law was an awful strong abolitionist ile iio sheltered colored people and helped show them tile the way north borth lie ile had it a horse named they said lie would put a colored runaway on the horse send it oft off and bo be pretty sure gure it would do what was as expected of it would run f 4 4 A 4 0 1 1 mrs john lyman chit child d I 1 along ilon steadily then klek kick up its heels lind throw oft off its lond load right at the door of another abolitionist 11 aay father ln in law used to tilde hide the runaways in ills cellar which had find no outside door just a trapdoor trap door in the house once lie he had a lot of them there and searchers came along suspecting him mr air child told them they welcome to search they looked all around hut but not in the right place that night he loaded tho the colored people in the bottom of the wagon piled on top bugs bags of hay and started out for salt creek on the trip nt at the side of tile the road ho he met a man who or a ride mr child raised ills hla whip and told him film to lo get out of the way that ho he want any anny one to ride and hurt his load ile he goethe got the people safely to salt creek thera in logan loann county then showed showell them thein the way w ny north yes I 1 know knew lincoln T mary ilary todd too slightly she was haughty after their mar marriage ringe it hurt tier her that lincoln was so plain and dressed so plain she wanted him film to dress up when I 1 first effiew him lie liked to wear tho the linsey woolsey lie he wits wag a homely man mail but drew people to him ile he was a great friend to the poor in made ade more over a rugged ragged boy or girl than any other kind everyone Eve around springfield sor rowed when lincoln was killed I 1 remember as though it was yesterday ills his body lying in state there in the state house and I 1 remember the day my husband and I 1 wont went to pay our respects that there was tile the big biggest gelt fight on tho the streets of springfield that I 1 had over ever seen colored people had flocked there from all sides they were present in such stich numbers they more than filled the sidewalks there really seem to be any room for tiny of the white people that wanted to go to the state house it was shouted that the colored people should go out into the road not take all the sidewalks A big tight followed there hero was mue much h noise and confusion but ut tho the police finally stopped it lincoln lay in state a day and n night ight an army of people had opportunity to pass along as lie he lay there with the guards about him roie liquid refreshments were sold bold in that general store in now new slem salom whore where lincoln worked copyright 1920 western newspaper union |