| Show LINCOLN CO I UI Ir YO YOUTH U Incident of War Presidents President's Life Before He Became Known t I I to Fame t I W PILOT ON SANGAMON RIVER Journey of the Talisman With the Future Future Future Fu Fu- Fu- Fu ture Statesman at the Wheel Marked Epoch in the History of the tho West HE world Is unwilling that TIlE T any shred of Information about the personal life and public career of Abraham braham Lincoln Lin Lin- coln coin the war war president and mart martyr r of now more than half halt a century ago I Ishall shall be lost Books and monographs dealing with the character and the opinions of Abraham Lincoln multiply from year to year The Boston firm finn of publishers Houghton company some time ago sent the time well known artist Lester Hornby to Illinois to make a series of sketches of the places associated with the thc of Lincoln In his home state Some of these drawings were published in the time Century Magazine Magazine Maga Maga- zine zinc and the they appear In the volume Issued by the publishers named with the title IL Lincoln in Illinois The writer of this book Is Octavia Roberts Rob Rob- Roberts erts she Is a native of Springfield III Ill the city that will ever be associated associated associated with the memory of the great president Excerpts from this book appear upon upon up up- on this page with one of the Hornby drawings In the volume th the reader sees Lincoln Lincoln Lin Lin- coln coIn as a yo young ng man achieve one of his first triumphs The story Is well told as the following quotation will show Lincoln Steamboat Pilot The month mont is March In the year 1832 The scene Is prairie land In Inthe Inthe inthe the river bottom of Illinois When the spring shall give place to summer the prairIe will be covered cO with grass so high that the tho head of a man on horseback horseback horseback horse horse- back will iJ be barely discernible j but today tollay a man on foot can be seen plainly plain plain- Jy ly from the tho crown of ot his coonskin cap to the edge of ot his buckskin breeches though cap and feet arc are some sonic six feet teet four apart The Tho man who strides along the he road Is young young twenty twenty three years ears no more He De Is lean but wiry a n. back back- woodsman every inch of him A man mar with a set purpose one watching him bin would say as he lie strides on and on or over the time rough road that leads leads to to r a pioneer settlement on the Illinois river called Beardstown Once in this town he lie mixes sociably sociably socia soda bly with the yoU young g. g m men n t. t tells JIs them that he has come from the settlement of New Salem on time the bluffs of the Sangamon to s see e the time landing of the tiit Talisman a steamboat hourly expected expect ed from Cincinnati on her maiden voyage voyage voyage voy voy- age into the interior of Illinois To Tc further questions he answers that he was born In Kentucky raised in InI In In- I rIT 1 T Ti i V. V 5 4 l Corner of Lincoln's Sitting Room Inthe in inthe inthe the House at Eighth and Jackson Streets Springfield III Ill dlana diana and that he has but recently come to Illinois to seek his fortune When at last the steamer at four miles an hour cle creeps ps Into Beardstown and throws out her gangplank amid rejoicing the young stranger Is the first to board He lIe seeks out out- the time captaIn captain cap cap- tam tain explains that he ho has recently made a n voyage from New Salem to New ew Orleans In a flatboat and knows the Sangamon the tributary stream up whose waters the Talisman n next purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses to go as f few w m men n can claim to tol l now it and he proposes himself as pilot to guide tl tic e steamboat up waters that only the hopeful call navigable The name he gives the captain Is an unknown one one Abraham Abraham Lincoln The bargain is struck The pilots pilot's pay pay for forthe forthe the time round trip from Beardstown on the Illinois Illinois' to Springfield on the Sangamon Sangamon San San- gamon is to be 50 Abraham Lincoln takes the wheel Down the Sangamon On and on goes the Talisman creep creep- creepIng creeping ing lag down the shallow stream picking its way among the obtruding snags of fallen trees avoiding the shallows If the young can make make this vo voyage age the promoters of the expedition expedition tion believe that the markets of the East will vilI be open to Springfield and the adjoining settlements for freight no longer will have to be hauled overland overland over over- land to St. St Louis On and on chugs the steamboat Inthe in inthe the time rIght bright March weather past groups of cheering pioneers wh who lined along aloag the rivers river's banks use use their theli axes to good purpose to clear obstructions in inthe inthe inthe the way of the first and anti only steamboat steamboat steamboat steam steam- boat that ever came carne up the time Sangamon I The Inspirer of the time expedition one Captain Bogue a mill owner on the time Sangamon points out his mill as a likely landing place but the crow crowd on the shore is landmark enough to the time theman theman man maii at the wheel who has dwelt durIng during during dur dur- ing most of his twenty three three years in lonely places He looks with interest at the group of men women and children children chil dill dren that line the shore shouting and cheering In their to see a steamboat come up the the Sangamon Many Inny arc are on horseback but some some some- and the tile youth notes it with interest profound are profound are flourishing in car car- One equipage has a lemon lemon- yellow body bolly black leather top and steps covered with carpet that can be lowered for a ladys lady's descent Young Lincoln had not seen the like before The readers reader's attention Is is called to Lincoln's defeat for the legislature his Ills experiences experIences' In the Black Hawk war his life as a storekeeper In New Salem and the romantic episode athis of at his love for and loss of at Anne May Rut Rut- ledge In those days clays board cost 1 a week II and good Illinois laud land could be bought at an nn acre The Time reader render moves on with LI Lincoln to Springfield Spring Springfield field he lie now becomes a member of ot the legislature and arid the writer gives many details of ot th the life In the capital capi capi- tal till associated with the home at the corner torner of Eighth and Jackson and the events connected with the old State house bouse where Lincoln was defeated defeated defeated de de- de- de by Lyman Trumbull and where later still Lincoln lost the sen- sen to Stephen A. A Douglas only to win the presidency over his old- old time rival I |
