Mary was a leaker

[David Lockmiller]

(10-13-2017 04:54 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  As recently as 2008 this apocryphal story continues to be seen in books. This is from Daniel Epstein's The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage.

“I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, appear of my own volition before this committee of the Senate to say that I, of my own knowledge, know that it is untrue that any of my family hold treasonable communication with the enemy.”

I found the variation on this story last night in Hertz's book "Lincoln Talks" at pages 283-84. The same quoted words are used in this version, but are prefaced as follows:

"At last Lincoln spoke, slowly, with infinite sorrow in his tone"

And the final paragraph reads as follows:

"Having said that, Lincoln went away as silently and solitary as he came. We sat for some moments speechless. Then by tacit agreement, no word being spoken, the committee dropped all consideration of the rumors that the wife of the President was betraying the Union. We had seen Abraham Lincoln in the solemn and isolated majesty of his real nature. We were so greatly affected that the committee adjourned sine die."

the attribution made to this story: --Gen. Thomas L. James; Weik's scrap book