4pp., 8vo (203 x 180 mm) on black-bordered mourning stationery, minor separations and losses along folds with small restorations, minor staining.

MARY LINCOLN REQUESTS JAMES ORNE'S AID IN SECURING HER A WIDOW'S PENSION FROM CONGRESS.

In part: "The details of my situation regarding pecuniary matters would be too painful for me to write you, from dear Mrs. Orne, who in her kindness and sympathy has proved an angel of light to me, I dare say, you have heard exactly in what manner I am compelled to live, both at home and abroad. Between my great sorrow and humiliating surroundings, separated from a devoted husband, who always provided me so comfortably and even [illegible] for me you can imagine that the great change is crushing me to the earth...

"...During the rebellion when the fearful war was raging we were drawn, all of us very closely together we met quite as frequently; with pale faces-and cheeks wet with tears & since my darling husband passed away, Mr. S. has wept as bitterly, whilst sitting by my side. over my terrible bereavement . . . He is just as warmly interested in my case as you are..."

In the years following President Lincoln's assassination, his widow's key preoccupation was securing a pension for herself, arguing that, as the wife of the commander-in-chief of the United States Army, she was entitled to one. Her strained relationships with members of Congress throughout her tenure as First Lady had left many uninterested in helping her, so she relied on high-profile Republican supporters such as James Orne to plead her case. On 14 July 1870, Congress finally approved a widow's pension in the amount of $3,000 per year by a narrow margin.

Not in Turner.