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Yellow Creek Stories

Robert W. SCHILLING

Chapter XX

Lincoln In The Yellow Creek Country

Abraham LINCOLN, what an illustrious name, four-score years after his death, still bearing all the laudable connotations expressed by the cardinal virtues molded into the make-up of a single man. He possessed, as few men did, that rare talent of straight thinking and then putting his thoughts into understandable language of such clarity that the common people could readily comprehend, easily remember, and seldom forgot what he said.

Our first president knew this land of ours, but he never sat foot on Yellow Creek soil because he always traveled by river. Likewise, Lincoln traveled the length of this township by railroad, a few rods westward of Washington's route, a century later. Neither as president ever saw or touched the Yellow Creek country, and although Washington knew its history and location better, Lincoln traveled along the banks of Yellow Creek the greater distance.

When Lincoln left his home in Springfield, Illinois, on Monday, February 11, 1861, in his touching farewell speech he said these prophetic words,

"I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail,"

As described by a local newspaper on February 20, 1861,

"Lincoln is not by any means a handsome man. His mouth and nose are rather large for symmetry. His countenance, however, is not inexpressive, not unpleasing. In heighth he is probably six feet two inches, with a fair breadth of shoulders, and though spare and apparently loosely put up we should not wonder if he could split rails or navigate a flatboat."

His entire journey to Washington was fraught with much danger. Many changes were made in his route, to outsmart those who would kill him, and so expertly was this accomplished that he was in the capitol city before it was known by his friends or enemies. Great was the relief of his friends when this code message, "Plums delivered nuts safely," was the signal of Lincoln's safe arrival at Washington.

What wonderful progress this Illinois lawyer made in the estimation of the people of America and the world. Contrast the appraisal placed on Lincoln by Edward STANTON, that master insulter of anyone who disagreed with him. At a lawsuit in 1854, in which Lincoln was associated in the case, he "blurted out" so that Lincoln could not help hearing these insulting words,

"I will not associate with such a damned gawky, long-armed ape as that. If I can't have a man who is a gentleman in appearance associated with me in this case, I will abandon it."

These insulting words no doubt hurt Lincoln's feelings at the time, but in later years Stanton had plenty of time to repent for his rashness

Eleven years later Lincoln, the lawyer, became Lincoln, the president, and to his great friend and spiritual advisor, Bishop SIMPSON, he said when his burden of sorrow and trouble was almost unbearable,

"I never shall live out the four years of my term. When the rebellion is crushed my work is done."

It was a rainy day on February 14, 1861, when at eight o'clock in the morning Lincoln left Columbus, Ohio, and arrived in the town of Steubenville that afternoon. This was the same town where the lawyer Stanton was born, a town of six thousand population. The town was festively decorated for this occasion, and there was a large crowd at the depot to greet the president-elect. A committee had chosen Judge William R. LLOYD of the Probate Court to deliver the welcoming address. Lloyd's speech was embroidered with the usual flowery eloquence of that day. Although Lincoln had only a limited stay, Lloyd took up almost half of the time with his address. Among other things the Judge said,

"You are here on the boundary of what evil-minded men would render hostile nations. That peaceful river wandering at its will, separates Ohio, the queen of the West, from Virginia, the Mother of Presidents—the parent of Empires. That river divides the land—but thank God, it does not divide the hearts of the people."

Lincoln listened attentively, and patiently, for the Judge was taking much time in his speech, while Lincoln knew his time was getting short for an appropriate answer; besides, the schedule called for the appearance of the president-elect in Pittsburgh that evening. At last Lloyd's speech ended, when the tall, gaunt son of Illinois arose and said, among other things,

"Mr. Chairman and Fellow Citizens—In the short time I have allotted to me, I shall not be able to make a full and proper response. Though the people have made me by electing me, the instrument to carry out the wishes expressed in the address, I greatly fear that I shall not be the repository of the ability to do so. Indeed, I know I shall not, more than in purpose, unless sustained by the great body of the people, and by the Divine power, without whose aid we can do nothing.

By your Constitution, you have another chance in four years. No great harm can by done by us in that time. If anything goes wrong, however, and you find you have made a mistake, elect a better man the next time. There are plenty of them. In that time there can be nobody hurt."

At this last word spoken, the engine whistled the signal that it was time to move towards Wellsville. Lincoln understood the signal and ended his speech quickly by saying,

"Ladies, gentleman and friends, I thank you for this kind and overwhelming reception and I bid you farewell."

Now Lincoln boarded the little train of one baggage car and three passenger cars, drawn by a wood-burning engine called the "Comet." Lincoln showed evidence that his speech was not satisfactory to him, and so stated this fact. But he did know that he had won the understanding sympathy of the only elements of the republic on which true greatness can be built—the masses of ordinary people who found in the projection of their faith in themselves.

It was said that while en route to Wellsville, one of the welcoming committee, who had boarded the train at Steubenville (perchance an office seeker), to accompany Mr. Lincoln to the former town, took him severely to task for so often alluding to the people in rebellion (already six states had left the Union) as "friends." This fact was one of Lincoln's grave delusions that he failed to ever give up.

This gentleman pointed across to the east side of the river at New Cumberland, and with evident anger in his voice stated, loudly,

"There's the dam rebels across the river, that's these secessionists right name!"

Lincoln only chuckled at this blunt remark, and then in his high-keyed drawl added his usual effective answer,

"Well my friend, when I was postmaster in New Salem in the summer of '33, two aged widowed sisters came to me with a problem for solution. Seemed that one sister had a dream, that the two sisters had died and both arrived in the celestial city paved with gold. On that glorious occasion there was a great heavenly procession, when the whole city of the redeemed marched by, from Adam to Beelzebub.

Now, one sister made a profound curtsy as each one passed before her, and even when the tailed gentleman with the horns passed by, she bowed equally as gracious. Do you think, Mr. Lincoln, this sister inquired, that sister Polly should have bowed to the last named man? Well, I said, I'll see what Polly says, and she answered, "Mr. Lincoln, I have found out by a life of practice that it always pays to be polite, at least it makes no enemies."

By this time the train had crossed the bridge at Yellow Creek and soon was to be in Wellsville. On this memorable Thursday afternoon the train arrived at exact schedule time, 3:30 P.M., and stopped at the station house, then on Broadway in the center of the town. The citizens of the town were notified of Mr. Lincoln's arrival by the firing of several cannon along the riverfront. Quite a sizable crowd had collected along the street as the little old wood-burning "Comet" and his train of three cars hove into sight; a mighty cheer was given for the little-known Illinois politician.

Soon from the platform of the rear call a tall, rawbone, smooth-faced, homely man made his appearance, and spoke to the audience in a rasping tone of voice,

"Ladies and Gentlemen: I appear before you merely to greet you and say farewell. I have no time for long speeches, and could not make them at every stopping place without wearing myself out. If I should make a speech at every town, I would not get to Washington until some time after the inauguration, I would like to get there a few days before the 4th. of March."

At about the time Lincoln ended his statement, an inebriated Irishman ran up and accosted him with,

"Mister Linkin, I didn't vote for ye, but I must shake your hand onny how, an' wish ye much luck—"

"Who did you vote for?" asked Mr. Lincoln kindly.

"Mister Dooglas"—replied the Irishman proudly.

"Well then let me tell you and your friends here to help me keep the ship of State all right four years, and then you may have to vote for Mr. Douglas, but if your nation goes to ruin, Douglas can never be President."

At this instant the train began to move and Mr. Lincoln bowed, waved them farewell and was bound for Pittsburgh. At Freedom his train was held up for three hours by a broken axle on the tender of a westbound train. At eight o'clock the "Comet" arrived proudly in Allegheny, her appearance welcomed by a burst of cannon fire.

The day proved to be dark and rainy; and after making several short addresses, he stopped at the Monongahela House until the following day, when he used the same suggestive paragraph as part of his speech that morning, as follows:

"Let the people on both sides keep their self possession, and just as other clouds have cleared away in due time, so will the great nation continue to prosper as heretofore."

What faith this great man had in his fellow man, for even now the War Department was in the hands of traitors to "Lincoln's nation" and Lincoln's people." At that very moment they were stripping the Pittsburgh arsenal and shipping everything they could lay hands on to the seceding states. Vacillating old James BUCHANAN was bound, gagged and hog tied, so he was both afraid and unable to turn his hand. The loyal people of Allegheny County clipped these rebel bees from completely robbing the arsenal of all its guns and cannon by threatening to sink the boats that were carrying it away.

Lincoln left Pittsburgh for Alliance on Friday. In Wellsville his train had to stop to change engines. His presence was quickly noted, and quite a crowd collected about the train. Mr. Lincoln was requested to say a few words but politely refused because of his short stay. At this time a man stepped forward and offered the president-elect a couple of nicely polished apples, when a small boy in the crowd yelled out,

"Say, Mr. Linkin, that man's running for postmaster."

The donor of the apples beat a hasty retreat, amid screams of laughter from the assembled people and to the amusement of Mr. Lincoln. In a few moments the train was on its way toward Alliance.

When Lincoln was assassinated, STANTON, overcome with emotion as he stood by his dying Commander-in-Chief with tearful eyes and noting his final breath, sobbed,

"Now he belongs to the ages."

Shortly after when Bishop SIMPSON of Stanton's home town of Cadiz delivered the funeral oration he said in deeply solemn tones,

"Mothers shall teach thy name to their lisping children.

The youth of our land shall emulate thy virtues.

Statesmen shall study thy record and from it learn lessons of wisdom.

We crown thee as our Martyr and Humanity enthrones thee as her triumphant son.

Here, Martyr, Friend, farewell!"

In four bloody years Lincoln rose from a country lawyer to our greatest president—now one of the few great men of all history whose name gains luster by the passing of time.



 

 

Janice Garlock Donley
700 Tenth Street • Oakmont, PA 15139 USA

412-828-6557• jdonley@garlock-elliott.org


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