Lincoln, the unknown

244 •LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNgot into a carriage, drove over to the second-hand clothingdealers on Seventh Avenue, and tried to sell her wardrobe. Butthe prices offered were disappointingly low.She next tried the firm of Brady & Keyes, diamond brokers,at 609 Broadway. Listening with amazement to her story, theysaid:"Now listen, put your affairs in our hands, and we will raisea hundred thousand dollars for you in a few weeks."That sounded rosy; so she wrote, at their request, two orthree letters, telling of her dire poverty.Keyes flaunted these letters in the face of the Republicanleaders, threatening to publish them unless he got cash.But the only thing he got from these men was their opinionof Mrs. Lincoln.Then she urged Brady & Keyes to mail a hundred and fiftythousand circulars, appealing to the generosity of people everywherefor aid; but it was well-nigh impossible to get prominentmen tosign the letter.Boiling now with wrath at the Republicans, she turned forhelp to Lincoln's enemies. The New York "World" was a Democraticpaper that had once been suspended by governmentorder, and its editor arrested because of its violent attacks onLincoln. Through its columns Mrs. Lincoln pleaded poverty,admitting that she was trying to sell not only her old clothes,but even such trifles as "a parasol cover" and "two dress patterns."It was just before a state election; so the Democratic"World" printed a letter from her, fiercely denouncing suchRepublicans as Thurlow Weed, W'illiam H. Seward, and HenryJ. Raymond of the "New York Times."With its tongue in its cheek, "The World" solemnly invitedits Democratic readers to send in cash contributions to carefor the abandoned and suffering widow of the first RepublicanPresident. There were few contributions.Next she tried to get the colored people to raise money forher, urging Mrs. Keckley to throw her heart and soul into theundertaking, and promising that if the Negroes raised twentyfivethousand dollars Mrs. Keckley would get a "cut" of threehundred dollars a year during Mrs. Lincoln's life, and all ofthe twenty-five thousand dollars at Mrs. Lincoln's death.Then Brady & Keyes advertised a sale of her clothes andjewelry. Crowds thronged to their store, handling the dresses,