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THE MolTESTSY PLAtSDEALlOl, McilEXkr. ILL. -r' ' -- -~-»w?M *>&&'Wgtr*r<a }';^f.--v,-<--.,".^.:r-Xt!f. "?? V V V V ;:> - * /#$ x ' . V;r.l »s ^ mm m s •* 4 >i :::-M :*:>>$ ; .:•» JTHIS great man loved three women at different periods. The first died. The second rejected his proposal. The third he married. His biographer* say he w a s a q u e e r lover. One of the President's Few Smiling Moods BRAHAM LINCOLN was a lover, but he was an unusual lover Just as he was unusual in every other way. His first recorded affair of the heart, an emotion deeper than the calf love of half-grown youth, came when he was twenty-two years old and clerking in a store At New Salem, 111. Ann Hutledge, tavernkeeper'g daughter, was the girl. The second affair came when he was about twenty-six. It began as a Joke, after Lincoln had become a lawyer and was practicing at Spring­ field, but It caused him untold worry--because the girl, Mary Owens, was fat and he didn't want to marry her. The third affair "took." That is, Mary Todd became Abraham Lincoln'! wife, when he* was thirty-three years old. *t ucu uo nao a yOuiu iu j,ud n uuo ui suulIiofD Indiana, Lincoln had his sentimental vaporinga, one of which appealed so strongly to his sense of romance that he wanted to *write a story about it. This vaporing was the kind most of us have along about the time the down on our upper lip begins to toughen. It is doubtful if Ann Rutledge evjr loved Lin­ coln. She simply appreciated his sympathy and affection--she h&d been Jilted by James McNeill, who tiFed of her and went East to escape his obligation. Her father, James Rutledge, one of the founders of New Salem, kept a tavern, and there Lincoln went to board when In 1831 he left his home and became clerk in a store there. At breakfast, dinner and supper he sat by the eide of the tavernkeeper's daughter. He was twenty-two; she was less than twenty. She was sad of heart and he tried to cheer her. Lincoln's sympathy ripened into deep affection, but the girl was faithful" for more than a year to the memory of McNeill. Even If the girl had been willing, Lincoln watt tn no position to marry. He was very poor. He was one of the first to volunteer in the Black Hawk war. When the war was ended he re­ turned to New Salem, ran for the legislature and was defeated. His financial condition was so muddled at this time that he seriously contem­ plated becoming a blacksmith in order to make a living. An opportunity came to him to get an in­ terest in a store without putting up any real money. He was a wretched storekeeper and his partner was no better. The business, did not flourish, but his courtship did. He and Ann Rut­ ledge sat at night on the tavern steps or walked along the roads around the little settlement. They were young and youth is the age of glamour. Lincoln was beginning to think of a career as a lawyer. He believed he would be able in a year or two to support a wife. Ann could not forget McNeill, but the devotion of Lincoln prevailed and she consented to marry him. The summer of their engagement was the hap­ piest, perhaps, in all of Lincoln's life. Ann Rut­ ledge was beautiful in face and figure and charm­ ing in every way. She was not tall and was rather delicate. At times when she would be­ come a little weary, Lincoln, whose strength was unusual, delighted in taking her up in his arms and carrying her as if she were a child. With their engagement everything seemed to brighten for Lincoln. He was appointed post­ master, he began to make a little money doing survey work, and In the fall he was elected to ther legislature. The young couple decided to get married In the spring. Ann, anxious to complete her educa­ tion, decided to go to Jacksonville to attend an academy there during the winter. Meanwhile, Lincoln went to Springfield to attend the session of the legislature, continue his law studies and prepare for his admission to the bar in the spring. He was In Springfield when he got a message that nearly broke his heart. Ann Rutledge was dead. At the academy she contracted a fever and died in a few.days. Lincoln was predisposed to melancholia. The death of the woman he loved so much almost upset his reason. He never fully recovered from his grief. Ann Rutledge had been dead two or three years when Lincoln became engaged again. In Spring­ field there lived a Mrs. Able, with whom he was well acquainted. She had a sister, Mary Owens of Kentucky, who visited Springfield for a short time and to whom Lincoln had been introduced. Mary Owens was bright, clever and buxom. She returned to Kentucky and Lincoln probably forgot her. But one day Mrs. Able informed him that she was going to Kentucky and then, in a spirit of banter, she said to Lincoln: "I'll bring Mary back if you'll agree to marry her." "Marry her? I'd be delighted," said Lincoln. Mrs. Able went away and a month or so later she was in Springfield again and she had her Bister with her. Lincoln went to call. When he saw Mary Owens he gasped. The girl had grown enor­ mously. She had become outrageously fat. "Well, I've brought her back for you to marry according to promise," said Mrs. Able. She was Joking, but Lincoln wasn't sure wheth­ er it was a jest or whether she was serious and was cloaking her feelings in the light man­ ner in which she spoke. He called regularly upon Miss Owens and paid to her all the attention he thought an engaged man should. It was not pleasant, however, for she was enormous In size. To make the situation still more absurd, he was very tall and very thin. The contrast between the two was enough to make any person smite, no matter how gloomy he might be. Lincoln worried greatly over the situation. He felt that he was in honor bound to marry the lady, but he dreaded the taking of such a step. But while Lincoln had due regard for the sanctity of his promise, implied or otherwise, he tried hard to make Miss Owens understand that he was not a desirable partner for life. He wrote to her some of the queerest love letters that per­ haps any man ever penned. He told her over and over again what a miserable life she would have with him. In one of them he said: "1 am afraid you would not be satisfied. There is a great deal of flourishing about in carriages here In Springfield, which It would be your doom to see without sharing. You would have to be poor without the means of hiding your poverty. Do you believe you could bear that patiently?" Another time he wrote to her; "I know I should be much happier with you than the way I am, provided I saw no signs of discontent in you. What you have said to me may have been in the way of Jest, or I may have misunderstood it. If so, then let It be forgotten; If otherwise, I wish you would think seriously before you decide. What I have said I would most positively abide by, provided you wish it. My opinion is that you had better not do It You have not been accustomed to hardship and It may be more serious than you now imagine. I know you are capable of thinking concretely on any subject and If you deliberate maturely upon this before you decide, then I am willing to abide your decision." Lovers' Tears and Quarrels. Evidently Miss Owens had some spirit She sent a reply to one of his letters that stunned him. She rejected him incontinently, and she piqued his pride in doing' it, for she told him that he was "deficient in those links which make up the chain of a woman's happiness." You would not think of Lincoln as a dancing man, yet he did at times indulge in that pastime. There are some records extant in proof of this. They take tbe form of cotillion notices printed at the time he was thirty years old and a little before his meeting with Mary Todd. Like Mary Owens, Mary Todd was a Ken- tucklan, and, like Mary Owens, she had a sister LINCOLN'S TRUE KINDLINESS. Mrs. Amanda Kuhn died some months ago in Philadelphia at the age of eighty-four. During the Civil war her husband was wounded and she went to the hospital at Washington with her only baby to nurse him. He recovered, but she stayed to nurse others. There Lincoln saw her and Was deeply impressed with the woman's devotion to the needs of the injured. Her baby attracted him, and, realizing that the child was a burden and anxiety to the loyal nurse, he arranged for Its care in the White House while the mother was busy in the hospital. That was like him. It is merely another story of the many that mark Lincoln as the biggest man the modern world has known. Mrs. Lincoln Dressed for the F i r s l Inaugura l ^ Ceremonies in Springfield. Her sister was the wife of Ninlan W. Edwards, one of the most prominent men of Springfield. Miss Todd was bright, witty, highly educated, ambitious, and at once became the belle of Springfield. Few young women have had more great men suitors for their hand than had Miss Todd within one month of her arrival. Among those who paid ardent attention to her were Stephen A. Douglas. James Shields, who later was senator from three states and who made a glorious record in three wars; Abraham Lincoln, and a dozen others. The Edwards family protested against Miss Todd's partiality for Lincoln. They thought his family was plebeian; they thought, too, he was too grave a man. But Miss Todd loved Lincoln and they became engaged. They were not altogether happy In their en­ gagement. alias iouii woo joa'iuuD CI«Ctlr.o. She loved balls and parties, frivolities of all sorts that are so dear to women. Lincoln did not care much for those things and was shockingly thoughtless and Inattentive for an engaged man. When there was some merrymaking, if he didn't want to go, he didn't think she'd care. She, how­ ever, thought it a slight. She complained that he neglected her. Then, to make him feel bad about it, she would go with Shields or with Douglas. There were tears, reproaches, quar­ rels. They would make up and fall out again. A11 this had a very bad effect upon Lincoln. He became extremely morbid. He began to search his soul to answer the question as to whether or not he would make the woman's life unhappy. They were to have been married on January 1, 1842. Something happened and the wedding did not take place There was a story, which was credited to W. H. Herndon, that Lincoln failed to appear, but this has been pronounced untrue by those who ought to know. It is more likely that one of their many quarrels led to the break between them. Some of Lincoln's letters written about this time disclose his sufferings. In one of them be says; "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell. I fear I shall not. To remain as 1 am is Impossible." Reconciliation and Marriage. One of his friends in Kentucky invited him there in the hope of cheering him up. He had a hard time arousing Lincoln from his melancholia, but he finally succeeded in a manner he never expected. The friend fell in love himself and began to feel qualmish as to whether he would make his beloved happy. He became so miser­ able over his doubt in this regard that Lincoln tried to Cheer him up, and in trying to cheer his friend, Lincoln cheered up himself. When Lincoln returned to Illinois he was much better. He and Miss Todd met and there was a reconciliation. On November 4, following, Lincoln and Mary Todd were married. While the marriage cere­ mony was being performed one of the greatest storms in the history of Springfield was raging. "Did you ever write out a story in your mind?" Lincoln once asked a friend. "I did when I was a young fellow. One day a wagon with a lady and two girls and a man broke down near us, and while they were fixing up they cooked in our kitchen. The woman had bookB and read us stories, and they were the first of the kind I ever had heard. I took a great fancy to one of the fcirls, and when they were gone I thought of her a great deal, and one day when I was sitting out in the sun by the house I wrote out a story In my mind. "I thought I took my father's horse and fol­ lowed the wagon, and finally I found it, and they were surprised to see me. I talked with the girl and persuaded her to elope with me; and that night I put her on the horse and we started off across the prairie. After several hours we came to a camp, and when we rode up we found it was tbe onj we had left a few hours before, and we went in. "Tbe next night we tried again, and the same thing happened--the horse came back to the same place; and then we concluded that we ought not to elope. I stayed until I had per­ suaded her father to give her to me. I always meant to write that story out and publish it and I began once, but I concluded it was not much of a story.' But I think that was the be­ ginning of love with me." mm THE LATEST RECRUIT His Whole Life a Tragedy Lincoln's whole, life was fraught with tragedy, declares a biography. A nature overburdened with melan­ choly, a face masked by the tragic muse, a life never free from the bur­ den of poverty, in his birth and early life apparently the sport of the fates, it was enough for this strange man to have lived a great life, it but adds to his grandeur to have him die a noble • death. Strangulatus pro Republica pnight w«U be his reiuiem. If a finite being ever showed the omnipotent power of prescience, Lincoln surely had premonition not only that he had been set aside for a given task but that it was to end in death. Plunged into a fratricidal war, him­ self a victim, Lincoln was a man of peace- I cannot close without remind­ ing you that upon Pennsylvania soil in 1861, before the first gun was fired, when viewing the State militia at Har- rUburg, Lincoln said: "it »>»»h be mj endeavor to preserve the peace of this country so far as it can possibly be done consistently with the mainte­ nance cf of the institutions of this country. With my consent this coun­ try shall never witness the shedding of one drop of blood in fraternal strife." Happiness Within. It Is difficult to make a man miser­ able when he feels he is worthv of h'jnself.--Lincoln. > VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. Said Abraham Lincoln in 1859: "As the Author of man makes every indi­ vidual with one head and one pair of hands, it was probably intended that heads and hands should co-operate as friends, and that that particular head should'direct and control that pair oi hands." It took over fifty years for the country to grasp the full signifi­ cance of this pithy saying. In fact, we have not yet fully griped it--Ths Outlook. ~ preparedness ftECR-UlTiNG OFFICE I I-->r WASHINGTON STAR. "ZEP" FALLS INTO SEA BELIEVED AIRSHIP DISABLED BY DUTCH SHELLS. Crew of British Trawler, Fearing Cap­ ture, Refused Aid--Twenty- Two Perish. London, Feb. B.--Thirty-five more deaths in British waters, resulting from the Zeppelin raid, are reported. Twenty-two of the victims are Ger­ mans, members of the crew oi a diri­ gible. believed to have been the Lrl9, which fell into the North sea. Thirteen men of the crew ot the collier Franz Fischer were drowned when the collier was sent to the bot- tow in two minutes by a bomb dropped by one of the Zeppelins returning from the raid made on England. Only three men of the Fischer were saved. The story of the fate of the wrecked air craft Is told by the crew of the steam trawler King Stephen, Captain Martin, which arrived at Grimsby. Aid was refused the Germans because they outnumbered the crew of the trawler. It is considered likely that the Ger­ mans have drowned by tbis time. The fishermen say that early on Wednesday morning in the North sea their attention was attracted by fi shes of light apparently from a ship's sig­ nal lamp. They made for the spot and found a huge mass of wreckage. They stood by until the light im­ proved, when it was seen that the wreckage was that of the Zeppelin L-19. The cabins and a part of the envelope were under water, but a large part of the envelope was Boat- In* On the platform on the top of the envelope seven or eight Germans were seen. These hailed the trawler in English, calling; "Save us. Save us. We will give you plenty of money." As the trawler carried only nine hands and the Germans numbered about twenty-two. Captain Martin de­ cided that it was not safe to take so many enemies aboard, particularly as the trawler was unarmed. He feared that his crew might be overpowered by the Germans. The captain there­ fore proceeded to report the position of the airship to the proper authori­ ties, adequate assistance being sent afterwards, and put into Grimsby. It is believed that the Zeppelin was one of those participating in the raid of January 31. The fishermen had been at sea several days and were not aware of tbe raid. The Zeppelin probably was disabled by the Dutch coast artillery, which fired on it while it was attempting to return to Germany over Dutch terri­ tory. Fifty shots, some of which, It Is be­ lieved, hit, w°re fired at a Zeppelin Wednesday morning as it flew low in a fog over the island of Am eland, off the coast of Holland. BERLIN SAYS L-19 IS MISSING Zeppelin Has Not Returned From Raid --British Trawler Refused to , Rescue Crew. Berlin. Feb. 7.--An official communi­ cation on Friday admits Zeppelin Lrl9 has not returned from a reconnoiter- ing flight and that inquiries concern­ ing the airship have been fruitless. Reports from Amsterdam confirm the fear that tbe airship has been lost Kaiser on Western Front. Copenhagen, Feb. 8.--A report from Berlin states that Emperor William has been on the western front for some time, and was in the neighbor­ hood of the Belgian frontier when the attacks on Loos took place. Volunteer Firemen Killed. Babylon, N. Y., Feb. 8.--John R. Higbie, banker, and Chief Leon Pettit of the Babylon volunteer fire depart­ ment, were killed when a fire engine on which they were riding was struck by a Long Island train. TO FREE PHILIPPINES AMENDMENT WINS IN SENATE BY ONE VOTE. President Authorized to Surrender All Rights to Islands Within Four Years. Washington, Feb. 4.--Vice-President Marshall on Wednesday cast a decid­ ing vote in the senate on the Philip­ pine bill, helping to pass the Clarke amendment to withdraw the sovereign­ ty of the United States from the is­ lands not sooner than two years and not later than four. Fifteen Democrats voted against it By the terms of the Clarke amend­ ment the president would be author­ ized to surrender all rights to the Phil­ ippines and recognize an Independent government Instituted by the people in not less than two or more than four years after approval of the pending measure. Provision is made, however, that the president may exieuu iiiiitj lOf wua- drawing from the Islands if conditions of internal and external affairs with re­ gard to stability of the proposed gov­ ernment should warrant such action. He might extend it until the adjourn* mont of a new session in congress, in order to afford congress another op­ portunity further to consider the sub­ ject Provision making ft optional for the United States to retain sites for coat> ing stations and a naval base in the event of independence was included. Efforts to recommit the bill tailed by a vote of 60 to 29. By a vote of 49 to 31 an amendment by Senator Kenyon of Iowa was adopt­ ed to strike from the Clarke amend­ ment all plans for guaranteeing .the sovereignty of the Islands, either by the United States alone or by treaties or other International agreements. FLASHES OFF THE WIRE Amsterdam, Feb. 5.--Malls of the Dutch steamer Medan,~ which arrived at Rotterdam from New York on Wednesday, were taken off and held in England. Mexico City, Feb. 5.--Defying orders of the Carranza authorities, the Union of Clerks has called a strike in Mexico City. As a result 16 of the union lead­ ers, most of them I. W. W. agitators, were arrested. Sofia, Feb. 7.--The Bulgarian parlia­ ment has been asked by the state at­ torney for authority to arrest 13 of its members, adherents of M. Ghenadieft, former foreign minister, on charges ot accepting bribes from a French agent JAP SHIP SINKS; 160 PERISH 8teamer Daijin Maru Collides With British Vessel--Sinks in 8even Minutes. Shanghai., Feb. 7.--The Japanese steamer Daijin Maru, 1,576 tons, col­ lided with the British steamer Linan Wednesday night and sank shortly aft­ erward with a loss of 1150 lives, accord­ ing to maritime advices received here. The Linan was badly damaged and had to put into Hongkong. The col­ lision is said to have occurred about 125 miles from Hongkong. Reynolds Out of Danger. Chicago, Feb. 8.--George M. Rey­ nolds, president of the Continental and Commercial National bank, re­ ported as seriously ill at Ix>s Angeles, is out of danger, according to reports received here on Saturday. Italian Reserves Recalled. Rome, Feb. 7.--All the men born In 1881 who belong to the cavalry have been recalled to the colors. Men born in 1882, 1883 and 1884 and belonging to the engineer regiments and men born In 1885 also have been recalled. Prussian Losses 2,337,096. Copenhagen, Feb. 7.--The Prussian casualties lists for January contain 36.500 names, bringing the total Prus­ sian losses to 2.337.096. The January lists contain the names of five gen­ erals killed and two wounded. Food for Montenegrins. Rome, Feb. 8.--M. Radovich, the Montenegrin minister, has requested the American Red Cross society to un­ dertake the feeding of the people des­ titute in Montenegro. There are 20,000 he says without food. Fire at Waynesburg, Pa. Waynesburg. Pa., Feb. 7.--Fire, en­ tailing a loss of $100,000, destroyed the Miner block, tbe McGurgin block, the American bank and the Sayers building. The plant of the Democrat- Messenger was a total loss. Chicago Bandit Kills Man. Chicago, Feb. 7.--Thomas Crelgb- ton, forty-five years old, a brother and employee of Michael Creighton. owner of a saloon at 5«>59 South Stake street was shot and cimost instantly killed by a ion# hqldui man. WONDERFUL PROGRESS , IN CANADA lis?! " • S - " >4< >'. V -s - *5 ;.y • 4 •i'£ 1 '.W -• M-i 1 «?. ! -t . '.of- 'M it! . • R to Over the Hfft-SptemM Bank Clearings, and the Crop \j^; Returns Reveal Vast Posst* . bllities for the Future. "There are opportunities tor invest­ ment in Canada now that may prove attractive to American capitaL Land prices in the west are low and wages less than on this side of the line, and whatever the outcome of the war, the future of the Dominion is assured as one of prosperity in the development of its vast resources." Chicago Tribune. A short time ago the Canadian gov­ ernment asked for private subscrip­ tions to a loan of fifty million dollars. ! Less than a month was given for com­ pletion of the subscription. On No­ vember 30th, the day upon which sub­ scriptions were to cease, it was found that 110 million of dollars had been subscribed or 60 million dollars more than the amount asked. If there were any so pessimistic as to imagine that Canada was passing through a period of hard times the wonderful showing of thi3 subscription should put aside all doubts of Canada's rapidly increas­ ing prosperity. The bank clearings of Winnipeg for 1915 were a billion and a half of dol­ lars. Think of it Then, in addition, there were the bank clearings of the other cities throughout Western Can­ ada. Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw also show big increase in clear­ ings. The Winnipeg statistics show that the city has done the biggest financial, commercial and industrial business in its history in 1915. A billion and a half are big clearings, representing business on a per cap­ ita basis of over $7,000 per head tor every man, woman and child in the city, and has gone ahead of big man­ ufacturing cities like Buffalo, and runs a close second^ to Detroit It has shown bigger bank clearings than the middle west cities of Minneapolis and Duluth, and has exceeded Los Angeles, Seattle and other noted ship­ ping centers. It is now side by side with the ten biggest cities in North America in amount of bank clearings. But because the war helped Canada recover quickly from a natural eco­ nomic depression it does not follow that, at the end of the war, the coun­ try must suffer a relapse, anl straight­ way return to a state of inactivity and hard times. A Winnipeg paper, with a wall- known reputation for conservatism la economic matters says: Canada's undeveloped fields shook! prove a mighty factor after the war is adjusting the courtry's business trom one period to another. The staggering figures of this year's crop, showing in­ creases in production of 50 per cent over larit year, give a slight idea of the future wealth stored in vast stretches ' of prairie plain yet untouched by the plow. The Northwest Grain-Dealers' As­ sociation on September 1 estimated that the wheat crop of the three Prairie Provinces would amount to 250,800.000 bushels. On November 10 that esti­ mate was Increased to 307,230,000 bushels. The Dominion government on September 13 estimated the West- ; ern wheat crop at 275,772,200 bushels, but on October 15 thoBe figures were changed to 304,200,000 bushels. Monetary Returns for the Western Crop. Ahd tbe amount of money which the west is receiving for its grain has not yet been wholly appreciated. Up to the 10th of December the Canadian west had received some 170 million dollars for 182 million bushels cf its grain crop, of which 149 million bush­ els was wheat. The average price of No. 1 Northern wheat for September was 93% cents; for October 98ft cents, and for the first three weeks of November $1.03%. On the 10th of December there was fully 120 million bushels of wheat to be marketed. This would leave about 30 million bushels for local consumption in the Pratrts Provinces. Bradstreet says: "Confidence seems to have returned In Canada; grain crops are exception­ ally large, prices pay the farmer, and the war-order lines provide work and aid in circulating much money. Credit Is more freely granted, and interiof merchants are disposed to buy rather liberally."--Advertisement QUEER GIFTS TO ROYALTY Odd Ways In Which People t-iav* 8hown Their Devotion to the Race That Ruled Them. New Year in the fifteenth century was not an occasion which was wel­ comed without some regrets, for many were taxed to meet the requirementa of royalty on that day. Each titled , gentleman had the form and value of I his gift to the king prescribed. Regu­ lations provided that an earl should appear at the royal presence chamber at eight o'clock New Year morning to deliver a five-shilling purse contain­ ing 20-shilllng coins to the lord cham­ berlain for the king. Next the ear! visited the jewel-hones. where he received a ticket which en­ titled him to a gift of 18 shillings • pence, and 6 pence of which he was re­ quired to give for a box for the ticket The same morning he went to another office to select a piece of eilrer plate weighing about 30 ounces, but left it until afternoon, when he returned tor It. At that time he gave the man who handed it to him 40 shillings in gold. 2 shillings for the box and 6 pence to the porter. A young prince ten years old is said to have given great pleasure to hie father in 1604 by presenting lilm with a volume of short Latin poems. There is a record that in 1610 a dainty little eight-year-old princess, having a spe­ cial liking for sweets, received a New ; Year present of a pair of fat ozea from the Corporation of Coventry.--• Exchange. Just a Suggestion. . 4 4? •••• Tm still waiting for you to pay 4lat $5 you owe me, Dobson." "Oh. don't let that worry yoo." "That's what I'm trying to do. but I would feel greatly encouraged if yo* would let it worry you ' { S>»! -.V' M