Part 22 (2/2)

At a reception, a gentleman addressed him, saying: ”I presume, Mr. President, you have forgotten me?”

”No! your name is Flood. I saw you last, twelve years ago, at ----.

I am glad to see that _the Flood_ still goes on.”

The Draft Riots in New York, mid-July, 1863, had, at the bottom, not reluctance to join the army, but a belief among the Democrats, notably the Irish-Americans, that the draws were manipulated in favor of letting off the sons of Republicans. However, the Irish were prominent in resistance. The President said: ”General _Kilpatrick_ is going to New York to put down the riots--but his name has nothing to do with it.”

In 1856, Lincoln was prosecuting one Spencer for slander. Spencer and a Portuguese, Dungee, had married sisters and were at odds. Spencer called the dark-complexioned foreigner a n.i.g.g.e.r, and, further, said he had married a white woman--a crime in Illinois at that era.

On the defense were Lawrence Weldon and C. H. Moore. Lincoln was _teasled_ as the court sustained a, demurrer about his papers being deficient. So he began, his address to the jury:

”My client is not a negro--though it is no crime to be a negro--no crime to be born with a black skin. But my client is not a negro. His skin may not be as white as ours, but I say he is not a negro, though he may be a _Moore!”_ looking at the hostile lawyer. His speech was so winning that he recovered heavy damages. But being a family quarrel, this was arranged between the two. Mr. Weldon says that he feared Mr. Lincoln would win, as he had said with unusual vehemence:

”Now, by Jing! I will beat you, boys!”

By Jing! (Jingo--St. Gengulphus), was ”the extent of his expletives.”

Byron found a St. Gingo's shrine in his Alpine travels.

On paying the costs, Lincoln left his fee to be fixed by the opposing pair of lawyers, saying: ”Don't you think I have honestly earned twenty-five dollars?”

They expected a hundred, for he had attended two terms, spent two days, and the money came out of the enemy's coffer.

NOT SO EASY TO GET INTO PRISON.

William Lloyd Garrison, the premier Abolitionist, was imprisoned in Baltimore for his extreme utterances when a stronghold of the pro-slavery party. After the war, he visited the regenerated city, and, for curiosity, sought unavailingly the jail where he had been confined. On hearing the fruitlessness of his quest, the President said:

”Well, Mr. Garrison, when you first went to Baltimore, you could not get out of prison--but this second time you could not get in!”

”THEM THREE FELLERS AGIN!”

The gamut of possible atrocities in connection with fulfilment of the threats of secession being run through the rumors became stale and flat. Lincoln, receiving one deputation of alarmists with considerable calm, no doubt thought to excuse it by saying:

”That reminds me of the story of the schoolboy. He found great difficulty in p.r.o.nouncing the names of the three children in the fiery furnace. Yet his teacher had drilled him thoroughly in 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,' so that, one day, he purposely took the same lesson in Bible reading, and managed to have the boy read the pa.s.sages containing these names again. As the dull pupil came to them he stopped, looked up, and said:

”'Teacher, there's them three fellers ag'in!'”

LINCOLN THE GREAT AND LINCOLN THE LITTLE.

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