Robert Todd Lincoln --The vitals

[AussieMick]

"Unless something is written down in the subject's own handwriting, how can anyone truly determine the veracity of the statement or even the occasion upon which it supposedly occurred? Isn't that one of the great pitfalls of attempting to be a historian? "

I agree. Issues that seem important to test veracity:-

Did the author personally hear the words spoken?

Are the words or their 'content' similar to those spoken by the subject (in this case Lincoln) on any other occasion?

Has anyone other than the author suggested that the subject spoke those words or voiced similar thoughts?