134

92. A. H. Chapman to William H. Herndon.

Charleston Ills Sept 28th 1865

Dr Sir.

Yours dated the 26th containing 20 Dollars come to hand Last eve for which please accept my thanks. In answer to your enquiries I beg leave to state that Thos Lincoln never showed by his actions that he thought much of his son Abraham when a Boy. he treated him rather unkind than otherwise. always appeared to think much more of his stepson John D Johnston than he did of his own Son Abraham but after Abe was grown up and had made his Mark in the world the old man appeared to be very proud of him, Esq. Hall Moved from Ky to Ind in 1820 & married Matilda Johnston in 1823 —

Extract from Lincolns coppy Books.

Abraham Lincoln is my name
And with my pen I write the same
I will be a good Boy but God Knows when.

Enclosed is a Bond the Sufficiency of which I wish certified to by a Judge or District Attorney of a Dist Court of the US. will you please have it attended to for me & return it to me by first mail if possible. The securities are worth at Least 400.000 — the Least Worthy one of the 5 is worth at Least 40.000. Dollars. I enclose Letters from attays here to the Judge which I presume will be satisfactory to him or the Dist atty. I desighn Starting to Idaho about the 1st of Nov. This is a Bully place for Me & I can Make a heap of money out of it. Dick Yates Damn his Soul fought me at Washington & for another man. This I did not expect of him. I reckon that he has not forgotten that I was a Judd Man in 1860. Yates by his opposition to me & by sustaining Reeves who is odious to the Republicans of this Dist has Made him Self very bitter enemies in this Dist among the Leading Republicans & his opposition to me will yet be paid with D D big int, for my part I am content as I triumphed over all opposition & got just what I wanted. Will furnish you any information you may want before I leave. Please attend to the bond & have it approved & returned to me by first Mail. As ever

Your Friend
A. H. Chapman.

[Postcript on verso:] It makes no Diference which certifies to the sufficiency of the Bond Treat or Weldon

Chapman

Library of Congress: Herndon-Weik Collection. Manuscript Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 2372 — 73; Huntington Library: LN2408, 1:285 — 87

nts

Notes.

1. Squire Hall, half-brother of Dennis Hanks, married Matilda Johnston on September 14, 1826.

2. Chapman had just been appointed agent to the Flathead Indians in Montana. Richard Yates (1815 — 73), the junior U.S. senator from Illinois, had favored another candidate.

3. Damned big interest.