IINCQivIN'
BACKWOODSMAN
• STATESMAN
HE birthday of Abra- |
ham Lincoln brings j
to every American
citizen feelings of
reverence such as ;
perhaps arise on the
natal day of but one
other man who ever
served the nation.
Particularly In the
west, which gave to 1
the country the grpat
statesman, whose pa
trlotlc services Am
ericans will nlways
remember with gratitude, should the
day be an honored one. Reminis
cences of the life of this most distin
guished son of Illinois will be welcome
reading now.
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Vdnqits&n] d Bully.
fINCOLN'S extended repu
lation as a wrestler and
lighter frequently led him
into combats which he
would willingly have avoid
ed. One of these encoun
ters is tiiU3 described:
Scarcely had Lincoln
reached Coles County, and begun to
think what next to turn his hand
to, when he received a visit from
a famous wrestler, one Daniel Need
ham, who regarded him as a grow
ing rival, and had a fancy to try
him a fall or two. lie considered
himself "ihe best man" in the country,
and the report of Abe's achievements
filled his big breast with envious pains.
His greeting was friendly and hearty,
but his challenge was rough and per
emptory. Abe valued his popularity
among ‘ the boys" too highly to de
cline it and met him by public appoint
ment in the "greenwood,” at Wabash
Point, where he threw him twice with
so much ease that Needham's pride
was more hurt than ills body. "Lin
coln,’' said he, "you have thrown me
twice, but you can’t whip me." "Need
ham,” replied Abe, "are you satisfied
that I can throw you? If you are not,
and must be convinced through a
threshing, l will do that, too, for your
sake.” Needham had hoped that the
youngster would shrink from the ex
tremity of a fight with the acknowl
edged "buily of the patch;” but llnding
him willing, and at the same time
magnanimously inclined to whip hltn
solely for his own good, he concluded
that a bloody nose and a black eye
would be the reverse of soothing to
his feelings, and therefore surrendered
the field with such grace as he could
command.
t
Lincoln as a Voyajeur.
«F Lincoln’s trip down the
Mississippi on a flatboat
innumerable tales have
been told. Pprhaps the
best of these describes the
voyage which he made in
* the employ of a merchant
named Offutt:
Loaded with barrel-pork. hogs, and
corn, the boat set out from Sangamon
rown as soon as finished. Mr. Offutt
was on board to act as his own super
cargo, intending to pick up additions
to his stock along the banks of the two
Illinois rivers down which he was
about to pass. On the 19th of April
they arrived at New Salem, a little
village destined to be the scene of the
seven eventful years of Mr. Lincoln's
life, which immediately followed the
conclusion of the present trip. Just
below New Salem the boat "stuck,” for
dne night and the better part of a day
on Rutledge's mill-dam,—one end of it
hanging over the dam, and the other
sunk deep in the water behind. Here
■was a case for Abe's ingenuity, and he
exercised it with effect. Quantities of
water were being taken in at the stern,
the lading was sliding backwards, and
everything indicated that the
craft was in momentary danger
breaking in two, or sinking outright.
But Abe suggested some unheard-of
expedient for keeping it in place while
the cargo was shifted to a borrowed
boat, and then, boring a h%le in that.
1 ude
of
part of the bottom extending over the
dam, he "rlgged-up” an equally strange
piece of machinery for tilting and
holding it while the water ran out.
All New Salem was assembled on
shore, watching the progress of thin
singular experiment—and with one
voice affirm that Abe saved the boat;
although nobody is able to tell us pre
cisely how. The adventure turned
Abe's thoughts to the class of difficul
ties, one of which be had just sur
mounted, and the result of his reflec
tions was "an improved method for
lifting vessels over shoals.” Offutt
declared that when he got back from
New Orleans, he would build a steam
boat for the navigation of the Sauga
raon. and make Abe the captain; he
would build it for runners for ice,
and rollers for shoals and dams, for j
with "Abe in command, by thunder, j
she'd have to go.”
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Bern Comm *n;ler o! Men.
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N Incident. occurring
during the Black Hawk
war. well illustrates the
character, manliness and
chivalrous generosity of
Mr. Lincoln.
One day an old Indian
found his way into the
camp, weary, hungry and helpless.
He professed to be a friend of the
whites; and. although it was an
exceedingly perilous experiment for
one of his color, he ventured to throw
himself upon the mercy of the soldiers.
But the men first murmured, and then
broke out into fierce cries for his
biood. “We have come out to fight the
Indians," said they, "and by God we
intend to do it!” The poor Indian,
now. In the extremity of his distress
and peril, did what he ought to have
done before; he threw down before
his assailants a soiled and crumpled
paper, which he implored them to read
before his life was taken. It was a
letter of character and safe-conduct
from Gen. Cass, pronouncing him a
faithful man, who had done good ser
vice In the cause for which this army
was enlisted. But it was too late; the
men refused to read it. or thought it
a forgery, and were rushing with fury
upon the defenceless old savage, when
Capt. Lincoln bounded between them
and their appointed victim. "Men,"
said he, and his voice for a moment
stilled the agitation around him, "this
must not be done; he must not be
shot and killed by us." "But," said
some of them, "the Indian is a damned
spy." Lincoln knew that his own
life was now in only leas danger than
that of the poor creature that crouch
ed behind him. During the whole of
this scene Captain Lincoln seemed to
“rise to au unusual height" of stature
The towering form, the passion and
resolution In his face, the physical
power and terrible will exhibited in
everj* motion of his body, every ges
ture of his arm, produced an effect
upon the furious mob as unexpected
perhaps to him as to any one else.
They paused l’stened, fell back, and
then sullenly obeyed what seemed to
be the voice of reason, as well as au
thority. But there were still some
murmurs of disappointed rage, and
half-suppressed exclamations, which
looked toward vengeance of some
kind. At length one of the men, a
little bolder than the rest, but evident
ly feeling that he spoke for the whole,
cried out, “This is cowardly on your
part, Lincoln!” Whereupon the tall
captain's figure stretched a few inches
higher again. He looked down upon
these varlets who would have mur
dered a defenceless old Indian, and
now quailed before his single hand,,
with lofty contempt. The oldest of his
acquaintances, even Bill Green, who
saw him grapple Jack Armstrong and
defy the bullies at his back, never saw
him so much "aroused” before. "If
any man thinks I am a coward, let
him test it,” said he. "Lincoln,” re
sponded a new voice, “you are larger
and heavier than we are.” "This you
cnn guard against; choose your wea
pons,” returned the rigid captain.
Whatever may be said of Mr. Lin
coln's choice of means for the preser
vation of military discipline, it was
certainly very effectual in this case.1
There was no more disaffection in his
camp, and the word “coward” was
never coupled with his name again.
Mr. Lincoln understood hts men bet
ter than those who would be disposed
to criticise his conduct. lie has often
declared himself, that his life and
character were both at stake, and
would probably have been lost, had he
not at that supremely critical moment
forgotten the officer and asserted the
man. To have ordered the offenders
under arrest would have created a
formidable mutiny; to have tried and
punished them would have been im
possible. They could scarcely be call
ed soldiers; they were merely armed
citizens, with a nominal military or
ganization. They were but recently
enlisted, and their term of service
was just about to expire. Had he
preferred charges against them, and
offered to submit their differences to
a court of any sort, it would have
been regarded as an act of personal
pusillanimity, and Jiis efficiency would
have been gone forever.
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l!te Kotor’s Irtish.
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HE debt which the great
President owned to hts step
mother for her tender care
and constant love was al
ways gratefully acknowl
edged. A pathetic picture
of this gentle lady in her
last days is given as follows:
“Mrs. Lincoln was never able to
speak of Abe's conduct to her without
tears. In her interview with Mr. Hern
don, when the sands of her life had
nearly run out, she spoke with deep
emotion of her own son, but said she
thought that Abe was k'nder, better,
truer, than the other. Even the moth
er's Instinct was lost as she looked
back over those long years of poverty
and privation in the Indiana cabin,
when Abe’s grateful love softened the
rigors of her lot, and his great heart
and giant frame were always at her
command. 'Abe was a poor boy.' said
she, 'and I can say what scarcely one
woman—a mother—can say in a thou
sand. Abe never gave me a cros3 word
or look, and never refused, in fact or
appearance, to do aifVthing I requested
him. I never gave him a cross word
in all my life. • * • His mind and
mine—what little I had—seemed to
run together. • •. • He was here
after he was elected President.’ (At
this point the aged speaker turned
away to weep, and then, wiping her
eyes with her apron, went on with the
story. ‘He was dutiful to me always.
I think he loved me truly. I had a
sou. John, who was raised with Abe.
Both were good boys; but I must say,
both now being dead, that Abe was the
best boy I ever saw, or exp?ct to see.
i wish I had died tvhen my husband
died. I did not want Abe to run for
President; did not want him •lotted;
was afraid somehow,—felt in my
heart; and when ho came down to see
me, after he was elected Prelsdent. I
; still felt that something told me that
something would befall Abe, and that
i should see him no more.’
'is there anything In the language
| we speak more touching than that sim
! pie plaint of the woman whom we
must regard as Abraham Lincoln's
I mother? The apprehension in her
I heart’ was well grounded. She ’saw
him no more.’ When Mr. Herndon
i rose to depart, her eyes again filled
I with tears; and. wringing his hands
as if loath to part with one who talked
so much of her beloved Abe. she raid.
‘Gk>od-by, my good son’s friend. Fare
well.’ ’’ _
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Unique Stump Speech.
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fINCOLN’S unique methods
of campaigning are th«s
described by an eye-wit
ness. This was on the oc
casion of his first nomina
tion as a legislative eandi
\—^ date:
’’Mr. Lincoln’s first ap
pearance on the stump, In the
| course of the canvass, was at
Pappsville. about eleven miles west
i of Springfield, upon the occasion
j of a public sale by the firm of
Poog & Knap. The sale over, speech
making was about to begin, when Mr.
j Lincoln observed strong symptoms of
inattention in his audience, who had
taken that particular moment to en
gage in what Mr. James A. Herndon
pronounces 'a general fight.’ Lincoln
saw that one of his friends was suffer
ing more than he liked in the melee;
and, stepping into the crowd, he
shouldered them sternly away from
his man, until he met a fellow who re
fused to fall back; him he seized by
the nape of his neck and the stat of
his breeches, and tossed him ’ten or
twelve feet easily.’ After this episode
—as characteristic of him as of the
times—he mounted the platform, and
delivered, with awkward modesty, the
following speech:
“ ‘Gentlemen and Fellow Citizens. I
presume you all know who I am. I am
humble Abraham Lincoln. I have
been solicited by many friends to be
; come a candidate for the legislature.
My politics are short and sweet, like
the old woman's dance. I am in favor
of a national bank. 1 am in favor of
the internal-improvement system and
a high protective tariff. These are my
sentiments and political principles. If
elected. I shall be thankful; if not, it
will be all the same.’
“In these few sentences Mr. Lincoln
adopted the leading principle of the
Whig party—Clay’s ’American Sys
tem’ in full. In his view, as we shall
see by another paper from him when
again a candidate in 1834, the internal
improvement system required the dls
| tribution of the proceeds of the sales
; of the public lands amongst the states.
He says nothing of South Carolina, of
nullification, of disunion; and on these
subjects it is quite probable his views
were like Mr. Webster's, and his sym
pathies with Jackson. The opinions
announced in this speech, on all the
subjects touched by the speaker, w’ere
as emphatically Whig as they could
be made in words.”
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Lincoln’s Great Heart.
NK cold winter day. Lin
coln saw a poor fellow
named "Ab Trent” hard at
work chopping Tip “a
house,” which Mr. Hill
had employed him to con
vert, into firewood. Ab
was barefooted and shiv
ered painfully while he worked.
Lincoln watched him a few moments
and asked him what he was to get for
the job. Ab answered “one dollar,”
and, pointing to his naked and suffer
ing feet, said that he wished to buy
a pair of shoes. Lincoln seized the
axe, and. ordering the boy to comfort
himself at the nearest fire, chopped up
"the house” so fast that Ab and the
owner were both amazed when they
saw it done. According to Mr. Rut
ledge, “All remembered this act with
the liveliest gratitude. Once he, being
n cast-iron Domocrat. determined to
vote against his party and for Mr.
Lincoln; but the friends, as ho after
wards said with tears in his eyes,
made him drunk, and he voted against
Abe. Thus he did not even have an
opportunity to return the noble con
duct of Mr. Lincoln by this small
measure of thanks.”
RIGHT TO USE THE WATER,
State Board of Irrigation Overrules
Motion for Rehearing Case.
LINCOLN. Nel>.. Feb. 1.—The. state
board of irrigation overruled a motion
for a rehearing of the case of the
Farmers' and Merchants' Irrigation
company of Lexington against the
Gothenburg Water Power and irriga
tion company. This action grew out
of the extension of the canal owned
and operated by the Gothenburg com
pany. The contention was that, the
Gothenburg company had no right to
use water under its original claim for
purposes otherwise than those speci
fied in the grant. The extension was
eighteen miles in length, and the
company sought to turn the water
from the old canal into the new one,
instead of turning it bark into the
river. On a hearing several weeks
ago the board decided that the com
pany could use the allotted amount
of water tor irrigating purposes, even
in the extension.
In the case of Nicholas* McCabe
against Maude 1 Unman. appealed
from Lincoln c ounty, the hoard decid
ed that the abandonment of an irri
gating ditch forfeits all further rights
for the appropriation of water. The
I Unman ditch, which furnished water
for approximately 4.50(1 acres of land
near North Platte1, was abandoned af
ter it had been operated for several
years, and subsequently an attempt
was made to renew its operation.
HORSE DISEASE BREAKS OUT.
Forty-Seven Animals Succumb to Sick
ness in York County.
Columbus. xob„ Fob. i.—The fa
tality among horses in the northern
part of Platte county during the last
ten days or two weeks has been quite
alarming, the disease being some
thing with which the veterinary sur
geons seem wholly unable to cope.
County Superintendent L. H. Leavy
visited fourteen schools in the vicin
ity of Humphrey, Creston and Corn
lea last week, in each district mak
ing inquiry among the farmers as to
the loss of horses, and in this way
learned that twenty-two men had had
'forty-seven fatalities from the strange
disease, which manifests itself in at
lease some cases in blindness and loss
of consciousness to pain or insanity,
the animal plunging into barbed wire
fences and not being repelled by se
vere cuts, but with the coming out of
cold sweat quickly dying.
One seemingly siguiiicant fact men
tioned by a farmer and corroborated
by Mr. Leavy's subsequent observa
tion. is that tlie half dozen farmers in
the county supplied with flowiug wells
are free, not only from this disease
among horses, but have also been free
during recent years from cholera
among hogs.
BEET SEED FOR THE WEST.
Omaha Becomes the General Distribut
ing Point.
OMAHA. Neb.. Feh. 1.—Omaha has
been designated the distributing point
for all sugar beet seed that will be
planted in the states west of the Mis
sissippi river. Meyer & Kaapke of
this city are the distributing agents.
All sugar beet seed planted in this
country is raised in Germany. Al
ready consignments for the crop of
the earning season have begun to ar
rive in Omaha. It comes in bond and
after reaching here is under the con
trol of Collector Taylor of the customs
house until it is taken out and sent
to the factories, the managers of
which supply the beet growers.
To plant the western country with
sugar beets requires thirtv-flve to for
ty carloads of seed. Ten carloads
have come and another large lot Is
expected within the next few days.
The seed is put up in sacks, contain
ing 200 pounds each.
Large Acreage of Wheat in York.
YORK. Neb.. Feb. 1.—The farmers
of York county rejoice over the fine
fall of snow which has covered the
wheat fields in all directions. Over
50 per cent of cultivated acreage in
York county is in winter wheat, which
is the farmer's greatest mortgage lift
ing crop, and if there is an average
yield of 30 to 50 bushels an acre
there will scarcely be a farm mortgage
in York county next year.
To Discuss Land Leasing.
DENVER. Colo.. Eel). The
American Cattle Growers’ association,
composed of leading cattlemen of the
west will meet in Denver March 4
to discuss public land leasing and oth
er questions affecting the industry
The bill concerning land leasing now
before congress will be a matter foi
special consideration. The cal! foi
the meeting was issued today.
Power from Niobrara.
LINCOLN. Neb.. Feb. 1.—An appli
cation for permission to appropriate
water from the Niobrara river for a
power plant near Valentine was pre
senied to the secretary of the state
board of Irrigation, it is proposed tc
construct a plant with a capacity ot
8,000 electric horse power for opera
tion twenty-four hours each day. Ali
prior claims for the appropriation of
water from the Niobrara river were
withdrawn before Cornell filed.
TELLS HOW TO GROW FRUIT
Nebraskan Gives hcsultc of His Prac
tical Experience.
KEARNEY, Neb.. Feb. 3.—At the
second day's session of the Farmers'
institute representatives of Urn vari
ous cream separators, six in number,
had their innings right at the start
and gave demonstrations of the points
of superiority of their machines.
Among the interesting exhibits was
a collection of over forty varieties of
farm and garden seeds grown in Buf
falo county last year by H. C. Green
of Kearney. S. A. I). Henlin also
made an exhibit, of seeds and samples
of flavoring extracts. The subject of
“Orcharding," by J. L. Brown, was
particularly interesting, principally for
the reason that he discarded the ac
cepted theories and gave his own
practical ideas regarding tree planting
and fruit growing in central Nebras
ka, and particularly in Buffalo coun
ty. H. D. Watson entertained the
large audience with a talk on "Alfal
fa and Forage Crops."
The afternoon session was especial
ly interesting to stock growers be
cause of the lecture of Dr. Fetors of
the university experiment station on
"The Prevention of Animal Diseases.”
The lecture was confined to four
heads of the subject, suggested by the
audience, as follows: Cornstalk dis
eases in horses and cattle; blackleg
in cattle; tuberculosis or consump
tion. and cholera or swine plague. Dr.
Peters does not advance any theories,
but gives the facts regarding these
diseases as he lias found them in his
regular practice. "The Growing of
Pork for Market" was handled by O.
Hull of Alma.
Both Legs Frozen Stiff.
FREMONT, Neb.. Feb. 3.—An aged
man named John Fedora, who Uvea
at Ottumwa, la., and his young son,
Fred, had portions of their bodies
frozen near Leavitt, several miles
northwest of here. They were travel
ing to Wood Lake. Neb., where Mr.
Fedora has a son and daughter. The
two were to change ears from the
Union Pacific to the* Elkhorn at this
point, but for some reason were car
ried past to Ames. They got off the
train there., and as the hour was early,
were forced to walk around with the
temperature at thirteen degrees below
zero in order to keep warm. The
father was found lying helpless in a
feed yard near Leavitt, some time lat
er. both his legs having been frozen
stiff. The boy was close by. and his
cars had been bitten by the frost.
Neither of the pair had been able to
secure any shelter, as the depot was
locked tip and people were not yet
astir for the day when they arrived
at Ames.
Dairymen Are Interested.
LINCOLN, Neb., Feb. 3.—The dairy
men of Nebraska as well as the dairy
men of the entire country, are great
ly interested in the new Grout bill,
just reported by the committee on ag
riculture in the lower house of con
gress. A number of bills relating to
this matter were before the commit
tee. and there was considerable strife
and ambition among the authors of
the various bills as to which one
should receive the approval of the
committee. In fact it appeared as if
there might be a quarrel among the
representatives of the dairy interests
and thus prevent any legislation in
this direction.
This has been averted and the bill
reported favorably by the committee,
12 to 5, is entirely satisfactory to all
interested in the dairy industry.
Farmers Have Much Money.
M’COOL JUNCTION. Neb.. Feb. 3.
—Banks of York county, owing to
their not being able to secure any
notes at public sales of farm property,
consisting of horses, cattle, hogs, im
plements, grain and hay. have agreed
to charge $5 fee for clerking sales.
The average York county farmer has
become so prosperous that he has no
need to give a note, and it frequent
ly occurs that at sales amounting to
from $1,500 to $3,000 there is not a
note given.
Telephone Companies Consolidate.
HOOPER. Neb., Feb. 3—The stock
holders of the Hooper Telephone com
pany decided to consolidate with the
Farmers’ Telephone company, now op
erating forty miles of line in the
western part of the county.
Paroled Prisoner Rearrosted.
FAIRBURY, Neb., Feb. 3.—Frank
Ward, who was paroled from the peni
tentiary. w here he was serving a three
year term, after disappearing from
public view for several months, came
back to visit his relatives here and
was arrested.
Cold Snap Defies Game Laws.
SUPERIOR. Neb.. Feb. 3.—A man
who keeps tab on such thyigs says
that fully 75 per cent of the quail were
killed in the recent sudden storm. The
storm came so quickly that they
could not get to shelter.
Rural Telephone Company.
HUMBOLDT, Neb.. Feb. 3.—A new
stock company has been organized
with a capital of $2,500 to build a ra
nd telephone line from Dawson to
Middleburg.
