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34. J. Rowan Herndon to William H. Herndon

Quincy June 21st 1865

Sir

i recieved you 3d Leter and will ancer it with the greatest of Pleasure you wish to Know about the Dets that Mr Lincoln Owed the Dets that i aluded to was Made for Goods that my Brother James and my self Sold to Lincoln and Berry those Goods was sold By them to another firm By the Name of Trent and thay failed to Pay Lincoln and Berry and Berry Dide and Left Lincoln the Dets to Pay James and my self transferd the Notes to E C Blankinship as we oad him for the same Goods and i have Bee told that he Lincoln Paid the Last Dollar of that Det after he went to Congris and i have No Dout of the truth of the mater Concerng that Det for the first time i saw him after his Return he told me that he had Paid the Last of the old Det those are the facts to the Best of my Memory and that is very Good yet you say that James Gave you a speach that Mr Lincoln Made at Paps town that speach was at old Mr Smith some 12 miles from Springfield on the old Rode to Bards town there was a store Kept there By the firm of Poag & Knap and some time in the spring or sommer of 32 they made & auction of their Gods and all of the Canadates ware there at that sale Mr Lincoln was there also and was the speach that aluded to so he says and it was on that Day that i whiped Jessy Dodson and his friends atempte to Sow foul Play and Mr Lincoln Pachd in and threw them about Like Boys i think he was abote to Commence Speaking when the fight Commenced i Know that it made him many friends as soon as Dodson hollowed Lincoln Puled me a way and to them that if any moore of them wated to thased Jest fetch them on But they was all satisfide and all things went of Quiet the Ballance of the Day the year that all this took plas was 1832 this i know to Be the fact for my Book shoes the Date you must Excuse my Bad Speeling & Writing there is one anctdote that i must tell you that took plase when he was a Boy he told me him self he said that he used to Be very fond of Coon hunting and his farther youst to oppose their hunting But he would slipe out of a Knight after the old man had Gon to Bed and take a hunt But thay had a sall fist Dog that would Detect them when thay would Return so one Knight thay took the fist along thay Caut a Coon and skind him and then streched it over the Litle Dog and soad him up and turned him Loos and put the other Dogs on the track and they Ran him hone and Caught him in the yard and the old man Jumped up and hised the Dogs on the fist thinking it was a Coon and thay killed the fist thay Couldnt Come up to his Releaf the Next moning when the old man went to Examin the Coon it was the Litle Dog thay ware Called up and ws both thrashd But the Litle Dog Never told on them any moore when they went a Coon hunting you can use this to suit your self i

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will tak Pleasure in ancering any Note you wish to write and would Like to Be Cone the agent for your Book when Complted

yours truly
J R Herndon

Library of Congress: Herndon-Weik Collection. Manuscript Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 2198 — 99; Huntington Library: LN2408, 1:532 — 35

nts

Notes.

1. Cf. the account at §5.