Wilson, Douglas L., ed.; Davis, Rodney O., ed.; Ellis, Abner Y. 'Abner Y. Ellis to William H. Herndon' in 'Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements About Abraham Lincoln' . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. [format: book], [genre: letter]. Permission: University of Illinois Press
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=herndon513.html

Moro, Ill 11th Decr 1866

Yours o[f ] Yestarday is recvd an[d] Conten[ts] Noticed

It is allmost [**/***] remember the [**/***] Lincoln — Bu[?] they [were?] Plays Mostly

Viz
Lady of Lyons by Bullyer
Mob Caps by Mrs C. L. Henty
Vilage Stranger a Play
Illustrious Stranger also a play
The Wept of the Wish Ton Wish ^[2]
Not Know Whether he read them Though I Think he May has done

as to his own Books [I never?] Knew of his having any Excep [*?] Law Books

And as to What he [*?] read I Cant say for Certin [*?] I think He Said he had r[ead] George Balcom ^[3] (a Novel) I [*/**] and He & I was Taking about s[ome] passages in it.

And I am almost ce[rtin] He read Tom Pains. Common Sen[se] and Volneys Ruins ^[4]

I Never Knew of h[is] Borrowing any Books & I do not th[ink] He Card Much for those he had of Mine. He Had also read Some Poetry [per]haps conciderable of Burns Poem[s] [I]s their Such a Book as Gilblass, ^[5] I think he Used to quote Some from it I Never Saw it

I think he onc quoted Something like This in one of his Speaches H[e] Said Some Man remind[ed] him [of ] it

He The Man [***/****]

That Made [***/****]

Could Not tell [*/**][wheth]er he was going out or Com[ing] Back

after he had quoted it he Said Gilblass giving him the Credit as I thought

I am of the opinion that He used to take a Literary Paper Published in Philadelphia Called the Saturday Courer ^[6] & He read Mrs Caroline Lee Hentz ^[7] [s]torys this I am Not certn [tho]ugh I think He took 2 years [w]hile I was PM. ^[8] You yourself May remember whethr he did [o]r Not

I Must close as I have answrd all you asked for but if any thing More you have only to Command Me

You Frend
A. Y. Ellis

Library of Congress: Herndon-Weik Collection. Manuscript Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 2888

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