Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN • 241get wind of her debts and use them as political thunder in thebitter campaign, drove her almost to distraction."If he is reelected, I can keep him in ignorance of my affairs;but if he is defeated, then the bills will be sent in, and he willknow all,"she sobbed hysterically."I could go down on my knees," she cried to Lincoln "andplead for votes for you.""Mary," he remonstrated, "I am afraid you will be punishedfor this overwhelming anxiety. If I am to be elected, it will beall right; if not, you must bear the disappointment.""And does Mr. Lincoln suspect how much you owe?" inquiredMrs. Keckley.And here was Mrs. Lincoln's answer, as reported on page150 of "Behind the Scenes":"God, no!—this was a favorite expression of hers [Mrs. Lincoln's]—andI would not have him suspect. If he knew thathis wife was involved to the extent that she is, the knowledgewould drive him mad.""The only happy feature of Lincoln's assassination," saysMrs. Keckley, "was that he died in ignorance of these debts."He hadn't been in his grave a week before Mrs. Lincoln wastrying to sell his shirts with his initials marked on them, offeringthem at a shop on Pennsylvania Avenue.Seward, hearing about it, went, with a heavy heart, andbought up the lot himself.When Mrs. Lincoln left the White House, she took with hera score of trunks and half a hundred packing-boxes.That created a good deal of nasty talk.She had already been repeatedly and publicly accused ofswindling the United States Treasury by falsifying an expenseaccountfor the entertainment of Prince Napoleon, and her enemiespointed out that though she had come to the ExecutiveMansion with only a few trunks, she was now leaving itwith a whole car-load of stuff. . . . Why? . . . Was she lootingthe place? Had she stripped it bare of everything she could?Even as late as October 6, 1867—almost two and a halfyears after she left Washington—the "Cleveland Herald,"speaking of Mrs. Lincoln, said:"Let the country know that it required one hundred thousanddollars to make good the spoliation at the White House,and let it be proved who had the benefit of such plundering."