RE'S MAGAZINE in February, 1896. At
this house Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd were married November 4,
1842, and here Mrs. Lincoln died July 16, 1882. The house was built
about 1835. It was a brick structure, and there were few handsomer
ones in the town. The south half (appearing in the left of this
picture) was at first only one story in height; the second story was
but recently added. In this part was the dining-room. The parlor, in
which the marriage ceremony was performed, was the front room on the
first floor of the north half of the house. The house is now occupied
by St. Agatha's School (Episcopal).]

Mrs. John Stuart, the wife of Lincoln's law partner at that time, is
still living in Springfield, a refined, cultivated, intelligent woman,
who remembers perfectly the life and events of that day. When Mr.
Herndon's story first came to her attention, her indignation was
intense. She protested that she never before had heard of such a
thing. Mrs. Stuart was not, however, in Springfield at that particular
date, but in Washington, her husband being a member of Congress. She
wrote the following statement for this biography:

"I cannot deny this, as I was not in Springfield for some months
before and after this occurrence was said to have taken place; but I
was in close correspondence with relatives and friends during all this
time, and never heard a word of it. The late Judge Broadwell told me
that he had asked Mr. Ninian Edwards about it, and Mr. Edwards told
him that no such thing had ever taken place.

"All I can say is that I unhesitatingly do not believe such an event
ever occurred. I thought I had never heard of this till I saw it in
Herndon's book. I have since been told that Lamon mentions the same
thing. I read Lamon at the time he published, and felt very much
disgusted, but did not remember this particular assertion. The first
chapters of Lamon's book were purchased from Herndon; so Herndon is
responsible for the whole.

"Mrs. Lincoln told me herself all the circumstances of her engagement
to Mr. Lincoln, of his illness, and the breaking off of her
engagement, of the renewal, and her marriage. So I say I do not
believe one word of this dishonorable story about Mr. Lincoln."

[Illustration: LINCOLN'S MARRIAGE LICENSE AND MARRIAGE
CERTIFICATE.--NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.

Photographed for MCCLURE'S MAGAZINE from the original, now on file in
the county clerk's office, Springfield, Illinois. It has hitherto been