Robert Todd Lincoln --The vitals

[RJNorton]

(01-17-2018 06:51 PM)L Verge Wrote:  If this story is true, it certainly shows that Mr. Lincoln had a temper!

As I am such an ardent and sensitive opponent of animal abuse, I would have lost my temper, too. If the one account I read is true, Abraham Lincoln was given bad information. A man rushed up to him, and told him a group of neighborhood boys were hanging dogs in his barn and two were already dead. If this were told to me, I probably would have "lost it." My anger would be overwhelming, and I can sure understand Abraham using more force than necessary to punish the culprits. Once he realized no dogs were dead, he probably told Mary about the incorrect information he received and that the situation in the barn was not as bad as what he had been initially told. Mary probably scolded him for overreacting, and then she decided to hopefully make peace with the neighbors by hosting a party for the boys.

Based on the way I think, Abraham's extreme anger was totally understandable. I can easily relate to having a temper tantrum if I thought dogs were being hanged and killed in my barn (and especially so if I worried my own son were involved with the group). Given the circumstances as I understand them, Abraham's tantrum makes sense in my brain.