Lincoln Discussion Symposium

Great writer (Pulitzer prize, posthumous) with an aversion (IMO) to full stops ... some sentences seem to go on forever.

Is the quote from historical fiction? The writer was American but was he writing about an American in the quote?

The quote is from a fictional novel which is based upon an event which did occur.
Yes, all the characters in the novel are American.

I want to say James Agee but he was born the year before Twain's death.

YES , Susan.
Sorry, I was wrong!!!! And you are correct. Well done and my apologies to anybody (everybody) that I mislead..

Phew, thank goodness you wrote that, Susan.

Twain died 1910, Agee was born 1909.

My next clue was to be that Agee was also a screen writer. It has been said that he wrote a script for Night of the Hunter which would have been 6 hours long. Charles Laughton slashed it to 2.

Another clue would have been: the quote is from a book where most of the characters are related.

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The above quote is from "A Death In The Family" .


From https://www.amazon.com.au/James-Agee-Omn...081085175X :-

"The centerpiece of Omnibus during its inaugural season was "Mr. Lincoln," a series of five films about the early life of our foremost political icon. James Agee, the distinguished American author, was the principal creator of "Mr. Lincoln." At the time, his scripts were hailed as 'the most beautiful writing ever done for television," and even today Agee's characterization of Lincoln remains " among the finest-perhaps the finest-film about Abraham Lincoln ever made." Regrettably, this important and sensitive work, a revealing expression of American culture at mid-century, has been consigned to the archives and has not been available to the public for many years."

I really should cancel my subscription to the New York Journal ...

"In 1897, an English journalist from the New York Journal contacted Twain to inquire whether the rumors that he was gravely ill or already dead were indeed true. Twain wrote a response, part of which made it into the article that ran in the Journal on June 2, 1897 ...
...
I have even heard on good authority that I was dead. James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine, was seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London, but is well now. The report of my illness grew out of his illness. The report of my death was an exaggeration."

No googling please.

Who lived here for several years?

Great photo, I've never seen before.
I can understand why he moved. This is a tough area to subsist.
I do believe there is a connection to the Boy Scouts

Boston Corbett?

Yes, Gene and Steve.

In 1878 Corbett moved to Concordia, Kansas. There Corbett lived in a dugout a few miles outside town; the site has been marked by a local Boy Scout troop. His home was stone walled and in a steep hill with a brown stone front and a roof made of brush, clay, and clapboards.

Corbett's dugout is located southeast of Concordia. To visit the site, drive south on US 81 to the Cloud County Landfill Road, go two miles east, three miles south and one-half mile east. The monument is on the south side of the road in a pasture. The Cloud County Historical Museum has a great deal of information about Boston Corbett. To call the museum dial 785-243-2866.

In Concordia Corbett slept on a homemade bed and kept a variety of firearms. He purchased a flock of sheep. He won local respect for his ability to bring down crows and hawks. Sometimes he gave religious lectures which often turned into wild incoherencies.

No googling please.

On April 4, 1854, who was elected mayor of Springfield?

Joshua Speed?

William Herndon

Kudos, Gene! Yes, Herndon was elected mayor of Springfield in 1854.

(05-25-2023 09:21 AM)RJNorton Wrote: [ -> ]Kudos, Gene! Yes, Herndon was elected mayor of Springfield in 1854.

Fortunately for him, Mary Lincoln did not have a vote on the matter.