Lincoln, the unknown

living there,LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN• 219but she thoroughly disliked two of them and despisedthe third one, and she felt nothing but contempt for therest of the gossiping little village."My God, Elizabeth!" she said to her colored dressmaker,"I can never go back to Springfield."So she planned to have Lincoln interred in Chicago or placedunder the dome of the National Capitol, in the tomb originallyconstructed for George Washington.However, after seven days of pleading, she consented to havethe body taken back to Springfield. The town raised a publicfund, bought a beautiful tract of land consisting of four cityblocks—now occupied by the State Capitol—and set men diggingday and night.Finally, on the morning of May 4, the funeral train was intown, the tomb was ready, and thousands of Lincoln's oldfriends had forgathered for the services, when Mrs. Lincoln,in a sudden rage of erratic temper, countermanded all plansand haughtily decreed that the body must be interred, notwhere the tomb had been built, but in the Oak Ridge Cemetery,two miles out in the woods.There were to be no ifs or ands or buts about it. If she didnot have her way, she threatened to use "violent" means tocarry the remains back to Washington. Why? For a very unlovelyreason: the tomb that had been erected in the middleof Springfield stood on what was known as the "Mather block,"and Mrs. Lincoln despised the Mather family. Years before,one of the Mathers had, in some way, aroused her fiery wrath;and now, even in the hushed presence of death, she still cherishedher bitter resentment, and would not consent to let Lincoln'sbody lie for one single night on ground that had beencontaminated by the Mathers.For a quarter of a century thiswoman had lived under thesame roof with a husband who had had "malice toward none,"and "charity for all." But like the Bourbon kings of France, shehad learned nothing, she had forgotten nothing.Springfield had to bow to the widow's mandate; and so ateleven o'clock the remains were taken out to a public vaultin Oak Ridge Cemetery. Fighting Joe Hooker rode ahead of thehearse; and behind it was led Old Buck, covered with a red,white, and blue blanket on which were embroidered the words,"Old Abe's Horse."By the time Old Buck got back to his stable, there was not a