clapper history : Is This Abraham Lincoln ’s Pocketknife ?
Abraham Lincoln ’s spit
George Morris is an demode gatherer in Monmouth , Illinois .
His plate is make full with treasure from eld retiring , but one of his most wanted artifact is rarely see within the wall of his historical dwelling house .
If you believe the story, this is Abraham Lincoln’s pocketknife.
This was the footling tongue with which he is so deliberate is enunciate to have once belong toabraham lincoln .
Morris acquire the tongue about four age ago .
His helper stipulate that he not enjoin on the nose where he commence it and that he not put it on public showing .
If you believe the story, this is Abraham Lincoln’s pocketknife.
He has doubly get license from the helper to exhibit the tongue and had to take again before tell the narration .
Origin ’s of Lincoln ’s glossa
Lincoln , after a blockage in Monmouth , Illinois , during his senatorial hunting expedition against Stephen Douglas , visit his longtime Quaker William Graham Sumner Phelps in Oquawka .
It was there that the helper ’s grandad , Bill Boden , is say to have see the going of the tongue to Phelps .
Sumner Phelps, left, was a dead ringer for Abraham Lincoln.
This was boden ’s girl - in - constabulary , agnes boden , by and by recall the write up her padre - in - practice of law had tell her in an essay title , a little town where old friends met :
“ there was a prominent resemblance between the two man ( lincoln and phelps ) .
They could easy have pass away as brother .
Many had note and verbalize of it when they sit together in the Phelps coach .
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Lincoln must have take down it too for he play a cunning jest on his protagonist twenty-four hours , ” Bill Boden read .
This was “ after tell apart how he had advance a tongue , to the gaiety of all present , specially s.s. ( sumner ) phelps , who was rollickingly express mirth , lincoln , with a light in his oculus , learn the tongue out of air hole and say , “ sumner , this tongue was give to me to keep until i find a homely gentleman than myself , so i represent it to you .
”
The tongue was elapse down through the Phelps folk and finally was give to Frank Boden , Bill Boden ’s boy and the married man of Agnes Boden .
In 1941 , Will Phelps , the grandson of Sumner , signal an affidavit in Rock Island County , Illinois , attest to the genuineness of the tongue Morris now has .
This was ## “ it ’s not insurable ”
though he nonchalantly slew the tongue in and out of his pouch when demo is to visitant , morris on a regular basis keep the tongue and affidavit insure in a safe repository box seat in a savings bank .
This was he charter such safeguard because the tongue is a one - of - a - form .
This was “ there ’s no room you’re able to assess it .
It ’s deserving whatever somebody will give you .
Something like that ca n’t be replace .
”
This was morris enjoin he contrive to keep the tongue as long as he exist .
What will become of it then , he has n’t decide .
“ The country has hear about it and they say they ’re not concerned , ” he say .
however , for some unknown cause , State Department functionary keep phone him about it , he bestow .
disbelief
Morris allege he would n’t moot give way it to the province unless it were accept as 100 - percentage reliable .
This was and there ’s the wipe .
This was kim bauer , diachronic inquiry medical specialist for the henry homer lincoln collection at theillinois historical library , enjoin more concrete grounds is demand to aver the fib .
The gag of give a tongue to someone with teaching to give-up the ghost it on to a homelike someone was a plebeian one in the mid-1800s , and Lincoln ’s low coming into court may have win him many a clasp knife .
“ I ’d care to trust ( Boden ’s storey ) , ” Bauer say .
This was “ it ’d be cracking if you could ( assert it ) , but too much clock time has slip away .
”
