*
SUPPLEMENT
TO
THE
ENTERPRISE.
-—
HALS£Y,
OREGON.
OCTOBER
s Lincoln’s
1921.
A Wreath Tenderly Laid on
the Grave of Pretty
Ann Rutledge Makes Official
the Story of the Girl Who
Almost Broke Young
Abe's Heart
In the little crowd on shore
was an eighteen-year-old vil
lage belle.
Her blue eyes
in th e L ife o f L in c o ln .)
were concentrated on the
W R E A T H of flowers has been offici lanky youth who worked des
ally placed on the grave of little Ann perately. whittling plugs only
Rutledge at Oakland, Illinois. By to have them pop from the
holes under the pressure of
this act the story of Abe Lincoln's firs' the rapid water.
end tragic love is officially adopted as an
Suddenly, from the beckon
Important period in the great statesman s ing crowd on shore, her small
career.
voice rose In a desperate plea.
The rotnantic real-life
drama that was staged at
the little pioneer town of
New Salem where Abe
Lincoln’s great love was
, shattered by the time-
worn eternal triangle,
another man in the case.
was responsible no doubt
for the political genius
that awakened in the
gaunt, country youth tm-
mediately after.
From
y MMaBB
»he day little Ann was
laid away to rest. Abe
Lincoln concentrated p d
S k C"’"
politics. And the result
:
of the early tragedy tha>
'
f o r c e d the sorrowing
/
oeuntry lad into the soft
enlcg Influence of tnten
sive study, eventually
i K S a ra B
placed him in history as
t
one of the greatest char-
1.
aeters the world has
ever known.
The New Salem of
.¿S»-
I
yore, whose environment
~
was responsible for many
dQHKK
ef the great President s
worthy characteristics
that served him later on.
^$1®W o i S
is to be revived by "The
Old 8alem League” as its
members call themselves
Logs have been donatpd
by the citizens and the
rebuilding of the pioneer
town. Just as It stood
when Lincoln lived. Is
Jqf' . , -
well under way.
Back In the e a r l y
• •
’Spring of 1831, a man by
the name of Denton Of-
’
fut, known for his spirit
j
e f adventure and clever
A >
J®
merchandising, set forth
from his home village of
t
^ C o m p ile r o f t fc. U n w r itte n
6.
= = = = =
In c id e n t,
A
N ew
S i!e -
Lincoln Studying Before the
Log Fire.
fo u n d
three years before, in
the hills ef centra! ’ !-
licois. H e intended to
,
search the countryside
fer a crew of men com
petent to matt a flat-bot
tom boat loaded with
provisions for the long trip from Beards
town, the river port, to New Orleans
Offut went to Springfield, then a thriv
ing village twenty miles southeast of New
Salem, where he had heard that Dennis
Hanks, a master boatswain, bad Just
moved north from Kentucky.
A b rah a m Lincoln
One evening, after a long day’s travel.
in 1848, from a
Offut came upon a small cabin back in the
D aguerreotype
hills. Outside its rugged door there sat a
O w ned by His Son,
brawny, seafaring captain, unmistakable by
bla weathered appearance. By bis side,
Hon. R obert T .
w hittling a stick of wood and whittling a
Lincoln, and
merry tune, there loomed a t a l l , , gaunt
U ndoubtedly
youth, In rough boots and khaki troqeers.
President Lincoln’s
“ Howdy, Cap,” greeted Denton Onut, In
his friendly way.
F irst Photograph.
“ Howdy, neighbor. Come on up and "have
a seat,” Dennis Hanks is said to have re
“Won’t you men please— please let her
plied, In the hospitable spirit of the day.
go? Won’t you please come in?” she cried
Offut came up and sat down beside the
again and again.
eld captain.
Abe looked up. Something in the beseech
“ I ’ll tell you what I ’m planning.” he be
ing expression of the girl’s eyes tugged at
his Judgment. In a moment, when she had
gan, when the older men bad lighted up
stretched out her slim young hands to him
their pipes and settled back for a chat.
In a gesture of despair, the gentle village
“ I ’m a figurin’ to run one of my boats down
the Mississippi. We start in a few days an 1
folks on shore found Abe tugging at bis
Uncle’s coat.
1 want a man who know* the Sagamon tides
well. They tell me about these parts, pard,
The old man looked around. The tall,
th at you’re the man. And I ’m askin’ you
homely, angular lad of twenty-two, ac
knowledging the spirit of the girl on shore,
what your terms may be."
took command of the situation
He agreed to take along his step-son and
He called at once for an anger While
his nephew as deck-hands. Then the tall,
the villagers ecamj-ered eagerly a »-ay for
lean -youth who hnd been sitting cross-
legged on the little rough-hewn stool,
listening Intently to the conversation,
stood up and stretched.
“ Suits me right,” Uncle Dennis.” he
youth smiled enthusiastically.
Dennis
Hanks Introduced his nephew. The boy
was Abraham Lincoln,
Hanks and the two boys were to
launch the expedition; then if all went
well. Hanks would leave at St. Louis,
w hile the boys would pilot the craft
down the Mississippi to their southern
destination.
Slow days down the Sagamon fok
lowed. Everything went well until the
boat reached the foot of the hills at the
top of which there stretched back the
little village of New Salem.
"A ll hands on deck!” Captain Hanks
called out suddenly one morning
The ■
captain tugged at the wheel frantically, F
but the current rushed them on a dam H
that lay Just ahead.
_
_
"Jump1" Captain Hanks sboute'd — But I
neither of the boys moved. The boat ■
crashed suddenly Into the dam and lay. H
a ILmp and broken wreck
The town- ft -
people flocked to the river bank at once
No one could venture near the wreck
The stern began to settle below the
T h e Lincoln and B erry G rocery Store a t Reproduced in the Lincoln
water-line, while the bow mounted higher
and higher in the air. The cargo began
M em o rial P a rk . It W aa the O n ly B uilding in the V illa g e o f N ew
gradually to slip backwards toward the
Salem T h a t W as Not of Log Construction. T h e Photograph
lowered stern, but the men clung to the
Wag Made on the Dedication D ay , M ay 19, 1921.
boat, working rapidly to save the cargo.
*.<CI UTil. lateraaUvaal r»af-ry asm».
R eproduction o f n Steel
Engraving From a Painting
o f A n n R u tle d re , in the
Poaaeaaion of A n Illin o is
H isto rical Society.
to him. bored a hole in the bow.
The boat bad begun to settle now. But
Abe’s inspiration was a good one. The
water gradually began to drain away
through the hole
He plugged up (he
hole securely and. as if the higher hand
that brought the two youths together at
this time, dominated another fate, the
boat slipped over the dam. and Abe was
able to bring it successfully to shore.
It was put into repair and later reloaded
The girl had waited on shore. Hbe made
her way through the crowd to him and
shyly offered the bashful boy her band
"Father ssye he wants your party to come
up and stay a t our place tonight,” the girl
explained, "we run the Rutledge Inn, you
«
W ith hie debonair Eastern manner and the
light gavety of his personality, he had com
pletely won over the affections of the small
town girl. Ann had promised to marry him.
Then came the day when MeNell was called
hack home to bis people In the East. He
bade farwell to little Ann. promising to re
turn In a few weeks when he had r ^
established his mother and father financi
ally.
i
Ann waited patiently. McNeil’s letters
became fewer and fewer. She had found
the real love of her life, Abraham Lincoln;
but she had given her sacred promise to
another man, and, until she beard from
Bash him a smile him and made a clean break, she would not
that set the coun tell Abe she loved him.
In 1833 IJncoin sold out his half Interest
try lad’s h e a r t
In the store to his partner.Berry.and went
pounding.
back to Springfield. At this time, perhaps
That p i o t u r n
because of his legal knowledge he had
Abe carried with
him for the re been studying law at night—or because
mainder of the destiny could, not be thwarted, h it ambi
long J o u r n e y . tions began to run toward polities. He had
Tn the pocX«l of tried for the Illinois legislature in 183! and
his khaki shirt, had been defeated. He tried it again in
he had tucked a 1834 and, because of his growing popu-
«mat! bit of calico 'arity, was else tad. And to. In December,
and lace. Ann's 1834. Lincoln prepared to go to ’p»"d«i!a,
then the capital for the session.
kerchief.
In the Spring of the following year the
At last t h e y
reached New O r great love could no longer be stilled. Lin
l e a n s . Captain coln Journeyed again to Salem and there
Hanks as well as found that Aiyi had gone away to a fin
ishing achool at Jaokaonvllle. And ha aet-
the boys was glad
tied down In the little village, becoming
I be trip d o w n
postmaster
at the general store cad doing
was over. Uncle
Dennis and his surveying on the site.
Ann returned from school for the holi
s t e p s o n came
back to the boat days. And Abe was a t the coach to inert
one evening be her.
W ith dancing eyes and fain tly colored
fo re
eipected.
And ’ there they cheeks, she let the wiry youth lift her down
came ugon Abe and Into the sleigh that carried them both
lingering the cali back to the old site of their first love, R ut
*
co and the lace ledge Inn.
Abe once again told Ann of his love for
kerchief Ann bad
given him at a her. And realizing now that McNeil would
little k e e p s a k e . scarcely return to claim the promise she
Uncle Hank knew had given him, Ann became engaged to
* ,
then what had Abraham Lincoln.
been
troubling
The youth seemed to go ahead under her
Abe And to bring noble Inspiration In leaps and bounds. The
back the boy to following year, Abraham was again elect*!
his light spirit of to the legislature and served with marked
old. they decided credit, becoming leader In the House of Rep’
to load promptly reaentatlves. I t was In this session, 183A-37,
and make their way bark North with that the State capital, largely through Lin
Offut’* new cargo.
coln's Influence, was moved from Vandalia
A t New Salem Abe left hie uncle’s em to Springfield.
ploy. He wound hla way up the hillside to
His homecoming from the House was a
the quaint old Rutledge Inn. hla few be triumphant one. and Major John T. Stuart
longings packed in a kit alung over bla aaked him to oome Into hla law office at
shoulder. Before he had been In the town
Springfield as partner. He returned once
twenty-four hours, be bad obtained bis first more to New Salem to take bis bride back
position as grocery clerk In the general
with him.
Store run by Denton O ffu t
The tragic news of McNeil's sudden re
Lincoln pressed bis suit for Ann’s hnnd.
turn threw the town Into a panic. Ann was
He bad come to know the merchandising
In conacteDce bound to keep her promise.
business ns It was run those days, and when
But with her love to completely given to
he purchased a share in the new town stoke Abraham Idnooln. she was torn between
and raised the sign of “Lincoln and Berry” the two force«. Gradually the color began
above Its entrance, the boy clerk who had to fade from her cheeks and her eyes lost
oome to be known as “bonest Abe” decided
their sparkle. Ann was going Into a de
to speak.
cline.
Back in the old garden behind the Rut
She died before ahe found It possible to
ledge Inn one Hummer's evening. Abe made
become I he bride of the man she so truly
his plea to the llttfe girl who had so com loved. Abrham Lincoln was broken-hearted.
pletely captivated ble h eart But Ann.
The Wow affected hie entire career. For
«bowing in her soft eyes (bn love sbe re months he couid do nothing. But there
ciprocated, only shook her head sadly and came gradually the healing Influence of
said ahe could not marry Abe. I t was not time and, coupled, with his manly will, he
until months later when Abe was seated brought himself out of the shadows of bln
outside the general store one evening be sorrow and began to concentrate on bla
found out the reason of Ann’s refusal. Two work, exclusive of all social life. From then
of the old village gossips were talking.
on he moved steadily toward the Presi
"That's a shame,’’ remarked one of them, dency
“the dog gone whelp ought to be horse
At the dedication of Lincoln’s former
whipped for bolding a girl like Rutledge s borne at Salem, Illinois, as a State prop
daughter to her promise. Tl-at McNeil fel erty, this Summer, there were present ser-
ler’ll never come back.”
eral men and women who had knows him
Abe waa all Interest at once. And bit by back In the 80s. They laid many gar
bit. It came to him that Ann waa engaged lands about the door through which they
to another man. He went to her right away bad seen him stalk some seventy yearn
and talked out hie feelings. And Ann. real ago
Gun wreath was left m n
izing she loved the country boy with a
Then one pioneer of ninety whispered
love that was all powerful, told him of the to rn equally old settler, who smiled, then
engaramsnt that had kept her from giving nodded, then brushed away n tear—and
him her heart completely.
they solemnly went to the little cemetery
Three years before, she explained, an ad* nearby and laid It on the grave of the girl
vsuiurou* p r^ to to r Lgd qtB? la iawg. l4ucvin had loved.