joyed Lincoln's full confidence. A native of New England he emigrated to central Illinois early in the fifties.

"Very soon thereafter," he once said to me, "I became acquainted with Lincoln. It was about the time of my first appearance at the bar. I did not feel the slightest delicacy in approaching him for assistance; for it seemed as if he invited me to familiarity if not close intimacy at once; and this from no selfish motive at all-nothing but pure philanthropy and goodness of heart to a young lawyer just beginning his career. He sat on the bench for the judge a while that term; and my first motion in court was made before him. The next day he made some arrangements for his horse and buggy and took the train to fill an appointment farther north.

"I saw him start for the train. He was obliged to ride over two miles in an old dilapidated omnibus, and being the sole occupant of the conveyance had somewhere procured and held in his hand a small French harp with which he was making the most execrable music. I rallied him on this, to which, stopping his concert, he replied: "This is my band; Douglas had a brass band at Peoria, but this will do me.' He resumed his uncouth solo as the vehicle drove off, and the primitive strains, somewhat shaken up by the jolting conveyance, floated out upon the air till distance intervened."

The recollection by Mr. Whitney of the extent of Lincoln's earnings on the circuit naturally led to the contemplation of his financial status generally. When I inquired into that subject in Springfield I soon learned that as customers or patrons of the banks Lincoln & Herndon never rose above the lesser lights. As a firm they were anything

BANK ACCOUNT OF LINCOLN & HERNDON 213 but substantial depositors - in fact, the balance occasionally placed to their credit was usually so meager they could scarcely be listed among the depositors, save in name. A bank attaché told me that if, in the course of business, Lincoln & Herndon received a check or draft it was rarely ever deposited with the bank to be placed to the firm's credit and drawn upon as is customary among bank patrons; but instead one or the other of the two constituting the firm, as soon as a remittance reached them, took it to the bank, drew the requisite cash, and promptly returned to the office to divide the proceeds with his partner. It will thus be seen that their partnership, so far as the division of earnings was concerned, was settled every day before the sun went down. It was a simple but effective way of keeping their books balanced.

"While Lincoln and I were partners," wrote Mr. Herndon to me several years ago, "we kept no books as to our partnership, though we did, of course, keep due account of our transactions so far as other interests were involved. Lincoln did the major part of the circuit work while I remained in Springfield to look after the local end of the business. Occasionally I was out on the circuit with him, but never for long periods. At such times all moneys paid to either of us was immediately divided. What Lincoln collected on the circuit, when I was back in Springfield, he would bring home with him. If, when he returned, it happened I was not in the office, he would withdraw from his pocket-book my share, wrap the money in a paper with a slip attached, containing my name and a memorandum indicating whence it came, and place it in a certain drawer where I would be sure to find it. If, on the other hand, I

was in the office when he arrived he would open his pocketbook and make the requisite division. He was so prompt and his rule was so invariable I ventured once to ask him why he was so timely and particular in the matter. 'Well, Billy,' he answered, 'there are three reasons: first, unless I did so I might forget I had collected the money; secondly, I explain to you how and from whom I received the money, so that you will not be required to dun the man who paid it; thirdly, if I were to die you would have no evidence that I had your money. By marking the money it automatically becomes yours and I have no right in law or morals to retain or use it. I make it a practice never to use another man's money without his consent.""

Late in the fifties, when he had attained the proportions of a United States Senator, Lincoln opened an individual bank account. He began to deposit his personal funds with the Marine Bank, one of the leading financial concerns of Springfield, presided over by his old friend and client Jacob Bunn. A brief perusal, however, of such of the old books as have been preserved proves that his transactions were of exceedingly modest proportions. Among his checks which were shown me, one of the largest-given, probably, for improvements to his residence - did not exceed two hundred dollars. As it was drawn by Lincoln immediately after the famous Rock Island Bridge suit it is fair to infer that it represented a portion of the fee paid him for his services in that case.

CHAPTER XVI

Instances of Lincoln's weakness

His unwonted faith in certain friends - His blindness to their faults - His failure to redeem Herndon - Joining the charmed circle at the tavern - His bland and inexplicable confidence in the ability and moral influence of Ward Lamon - Appoints him United States Marshal of the District of Columbia - Lamon's attempt to influence General Frémont — Scheme to transport troops to West Virginia - The pretended Lamon's Brigade-Investigation by Congressional committee which denounces Lamon in scathing report Notwithstanding opposition of fifteen Senators Lincoln adheres to him—Mark W. Delahay another instance of Lincoln's misplaced confidence-Surprise of John J. Ingalls — Lincoln finally appoints him Ünited States Judge for the District of Kansas-Congressional committee visits Kansas to investigate Delahay's moral and official conduct - Delahay resigns to avoid impeachment - Lincoln's appointment of Simon Cameron and the trouble it gave him - Herndon's letter to Henry Wilson - Lincoln's real estimate of Douglas - What he told C. H. Moore about Douglas - Incidents of the joint debate The recollections of Horace White.

No portrait of Lincoln, no delineation of his character can be deemed accurate or complete which does not take into the account certain attributes more properly speaking, weaknesses- which were well known to many of his close friends. As one of the latter, Leonard Swett, said to me: "If Lincoln had some faults, we should not forget that Washington had more: few men less." It was the bard of Avon who makes one of his characters say:

The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together; our virtues would be proud, if our faults whipped them not; and our crimes would despair, if they were not cherished by our virtues.

This sapient reflection can most fittingly be applied to Lincoln. True his delinquencies were not glaring, as compared to those of many others, but they were none the less inherent and characteristic. As I have elsewhere noted, both David Davis and Herndon insisted that Lin

coln's wife was a better reader of men and in some respects a safer guide than he. In the selection of his associates, those on whom, when in doubt or danger, he expected to rely, we cannot avoid the conclusion that he was either so blinded by his affection for them that he could not see their shortcomings, or so indifferent, if not perverse, that he cared nothing for public opinion. There is abundant ground for the belief expressed by the late Horace White that there was a certain degree of moral obtuseness in Abraham Lincoln which the public do not recognize and will refuse to believe in the present gener

ation.

Take, for example, the case of his law partner Herndon. It cannot be denied that he was conversant with the latter's bibulous and unfortunate habits. Although Herndon was able if not more or less brilliant, Lincoln knew that he was headed downhill, and yet there is no evidence that he sought to restrain him or even criticized him for his moral laxity. Advice and admonition from Lincoln might have been efficacious in Herndon's reformation; it undoubtedly would have steadied him, but often though he yielded to temptation and fell from grace Lincoln said nothing. Instead of chiding and repelling him as a mark of his disapproval of his conduct, Lincoln seemed to cling to him all the closer. He was ten years older than Herndon and knew that the latter looked up to and believed in him; he also had due regard for Herndon's ability. On the whole, therefore, had he made the proper effort, it would seem as if he might have saved him. An instance cited by Henry C. Whitney is further illuminative of Lincoln's peculiarities. "He did not like the man regarded as the best lawyer in a