WINNETKA WEEKLY TALK, FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1919 nnn LEE LE EEE EERE ET FERRE FEA LEE EE LE SUNT Alfred L. Sewell's name will al-| ways be associated with the history of the war eagle, "Old Abe," for not- withstanding the great {fame the eagie had acquired during the war, it was through Mr. Sewell's efforts! that the eagle's name became a| household word in thousands of | homes throughout the land. The great "sanitary fairs" where held un- | der the auspices and direction of the | sanitary commission, which carried] on a work similar to that of the; Jperican Red Cross of later years. | "airs were held in many cities which were remarkably effective in raising funds for its purpose, namely, to af- | ford relief to "soldiers in actual service, whether on the march, in| eamp or in hospitals." Many aid so- | cieties were formed tributary to the commission joined by the Sisters of Mercy and societies of the various churches. The chief promoters of the work were women. Realized $240,000 At the first sanitary fair held in| "Old Abe," the War Eagle, in Battle mi By J. SEYMOUR CURREY, NORTH SHORE HISTORIAN mimi | his ho WE TTT EE ET A nun | preserved an the statehouse. Here it rem nearly a quarter of a until in February. 1904. another fire broke | out in the me building which con- | sumed the remains of "Old Abe" ut- | terly. This fire occurred in the mem- | orial room of the Grand Army of the | Republic and at the same time it] consumed many other relics of the | war. amo them the priceless battle flags and other cherished memorials gathered there. There is quite an abundant litera- ture extant concerning this famous | eagle, consisting of a "life" and num- | erous and poems written in | i niory 1s" a proud possession as well a t of which | he was for so long the living emblem. | w to look for the vacant! baseball will have its | opening." | 2 7 Tr Chicago in October, 1863, the amount raised was $86.000. Another fair w | projected for the spring of 1865, but | as the time approached for its oren- ing in May the war was practically | ended and it was thought by many that no further efforts were neces- sary. However, it was flnally de- termined to go on with the fair as there were urgent calls for relief and aid to the returning veterans. This second fair was opened May 30, 1865 and continued until late in June, showing net receipts of $240,000. A special building was constructed for | its use which stood on the block now | occupied by the Chicago public lib- rary. 'So great was the enthusiasni and joy of the people at the final end- ing of the four years' war that there seemed no limit to their generosity. It was at this second fair that "Old Abe" shone as one of the principal attractions. The managers had obtained per- mission from the state authorities of Wisconsin to bring the eagle to the fair, where a specially construct- ed booth had been prepared for his accommodation. This booth was thronged throughout the three weeks | that the fair was held and during that time the receipts were largely increased by the admittance fees to the booth and by the sale of cards with the eagle's picture. This part of the work was managed by Mr. Sewell and through his energy and | generosity it produced the handsome | sum of $16,000, the largest single | source from which funds were deriv- | ed. Every purchaser of a card with the eagle's picture became a private in the "army of the American eagle" and those who bought a certain num- ber were given a higher rank. Child- ren and young people bought them by the thousands and few persons lost| the opportunity of contributing to | the cause in this way. Whenever | the eagle lost a feather it was sold. | the average price being $5 each. The | historical society has one of these | feathers in ifs collection as well as | a specimen of the cards showing the eagle's picture. i Resided in Evanston Thirty Years | Alfred L. Sewell was a resident of | Evanston for thirty years and had | lived in Chicago many years before! he came to Evanston. He was born March 30, 1832, and died in October, | 1913, in the eighty-second year of! his age. He founded the "Little Corporal" in July, 1865, just after the close of the fair mentioned above, of | which Emily Huntington Miller was the editor and Frances Willard one of the contributors. The magazine 'reached an enormous circulation for a periodical in that period and with- in the first year or two of its be- ginning was credited with a circula- | tion of 100,000 copies. The magazine was a monthly, filled with secular and juvenile literature of the best quality. He was also the founder of the Evanston Index in 1872. During the time that the eagle was! Chicago fair! Jarnum, in attendance at the the noted showman, P. T- offered $20,000 for him but the offer] He was returned to his | 'was refused. quarters in the statehouse at Madi- son after the fair, but he was fre- quently lent to various unions and monument celebrations. His most important journey in these | years was to Philadelphia, in 1876, in attendance on the Centennial in| that city. Many visitors to the Cen- tennial remember to have seen him there, and as usual, he became one of | the most popular attractions of that | due time "Old Abe" #reat fair. In again reached his home in Wisconsin | and lived in comfort for the few re- maining 'years of his life. On March 26, 1881, a fire occurred in the statehouse at Madison, and 21though the flames did not reach the quarters occupied by the eagle, his cage was filled with smoke. The Leeper rescued him from the place and brought him out into the open air but the suffocating fumes had been inhaled and the precious bird did not rally. He died in spite of all efforts to save his life after having attained the age of about twenty years. A taxidermist was employed, who "set up" the body, which was fairs, re-| DECORATING It is now time to have your House Cleaning done. If you are going to have PAINTING CALCIMINING OR PAPERING done now or later, we will be pleased to give you an estimate. Wilmette Decorating Co. Phone Wilmette 374 1412 Elmwood Ave. : HARRY || MITCHELL To AI LAL Ll dd ld dd Ed ld Ld dd ddd de Lee Ld ddd dr 7 ve v2 LITA IIS Lo TI SA IAS LSA ASIA 7 /. 70077, 272700 20 ITI El ddd ZI dL al lid Zid id d dda Cll dll Ll lla Lidl lad ddd FT Far Fadi, Suits Made To Order Only 335 ExtraPANTS Free With Every Suit TAKE THE TRAIN. Spend 50 or 60 cents for car fare and save $15.00 to $30.00 on your suit. 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