Honest Abe was many thing , but a strict , no - nonsense father was n’t one of them . More often than not , he reveled in his children ’s escapade — even those that drive other adult crazy .
To see him tell it , Willie and Thomas “ Tad ” Lincoln were harmless little maleficence - makers . Yet , others found their antics less than amusing . Indeed , William Herndon — the statesman ’s own law married person — spoke for many when he called the boys “ notorious hellion . ”
Lincoln countenance Willie and Tad commute hisSpringfield officeinto their own anarchic playground . “ They would take down the Quran , throw pencils in the cuspidor , empty ash tree bucket , coal ash , inkstand , paper , and letter , put them in a pile and then trip the light fantastic toe on the pile , ” Herndonvented . But as wild as they could be , Lincoln ’s small fry were seldom discipline .
After our 16thpresident was blaspheme in , Willie and Tad run roughshod over his stave . And one of their favorite interest nearly pushed the White House gardener to his breaking peak .
It all started when New York’sSanitary Commissiongave Tad a handsome doll wearing Union regalia , whom he named “ Jack . ” obviously , the plaything could have made better career choice . Whenever Tad or Willie gave Jack a military naming , he screwed it up : they ’d either fascinate him sleeping on the task or , worse , abandoning his post . For such gross incompetency , the penalty was always a court of law martial succeed by execution “ at sunrise . ”
Jack would then get dragged outside and shoot , good manners of Tad ’s manakin cannon . This brings us toJohn Watt , presidential horticulturist . Naughty Tad had long been a thorn in Mr. Watt ’s side . On one occasion , Tad eat every last strawberry that the poor man was naturalise for a White House dinner party . As if this were n’t bad enough , the boy ’s pet Capricorn , Nannie , just get laid his flowers .
Whenever Jack joined the consort invisible , he was give a solemn funeral . unluckily , that ’s where Mr. Watt ’s rosaceous Bush came in . flat beneath these pick plants , the president ’s sons buried , excavated , and re - buried Jack to their heart ’ subject matter .
One daylight , Watt could n’t take it any longer . This had to stop . Upon finding the duet at drama with babysitter Julia Taft and her two young brothers , he made an innocent suggestion . Before anyone could drub an eye , Willie and Tad were off racing towards their father ’s place .
nigh behind them run Watt and the Tafts , with Julia hollering , “ Do n’t you dare devil the president ! ” in vain , Lincoln ’s private escritoire tried halting this raucous bunch at the room access . knightly as his effort were , though , the Great Emancipator could n’t help but poke his head out .
“ Well , boy , what ’s the matter?”askedLincoln .
“ Oh , Paw , ” explained Tad , “ we want a pardon for Doll Jack . ”
Bemused , Lincoln played right along . “ Pardon for Jack , eh ? ” he reply . “ You amount in here and tell me why you call back Jack should have a amnesty . ” The secretaire snorted in frustration . Everyone else cringe over as America ’s most muscular drawing card sat down and , with complete sedateness , pronounce , “ DoS your case , Tad . ”
The male child verbalize at length on behalf of his plaything . Finally , Lincoln — who’d keep a straight face all the while — rewarded him with a note on official paper that read “ The Doll Jack is pardoned , by order of the United States President . ” Underneath , he sign on it “ A. Lincoln . ”
You ’d think that Jack would ’ve clean up his act . Yet , just days subsequently , Julia discovered him dangle from a tree diagram with a noose around his neck . This time , he was hangdog of espionage . What a commiseration .
