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power as a logical and convincing debater, in my opinion, surpassed that of Mr. Douglas. I was only twenty years old at the time and my sympathies were with Mr. Douglas, but the logical reasoning of Mr. Lincoln shook my faith in the correctness of Mr. Douglas's position.

After the debate was over, I took the "down boat" for home. I heard Mr. Douglas once after that, but never saw or heard Mr. Lincoln again. The debate at Quincy was one of a series planned and agreed upon by the two. Douglas was the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate and Mr. Lincoln was his Republican opponent. The Legislature at that time chose the senator, and at the election in November a majority of three Democrats, I think, was elected to the Legislature. Mr. Douglas was chosen senator for another six years and Mr. Lincoln returned to Springfield and resumed the practice of law.

These debates resulted not only in the nomination of Douglas for President by a part of the Democratic party in 1860, but in the nomination by the Republicans of Mr. Lincoln for the Presidency, and his election in November of that year.

Within the ten days preceding the election on the 5th day of November, I visited many places in each of the five counties of the circuit "electioneering," as I was running for Circuit Attorney. These trips were made altogether on the back of a faithful horse named Sam that my mother had permitted me to use for many years. He was a fine saddle-horse and could gallop for many miles without seeming to tire.

Within these ten days I rode more than two hundred miles.

On Sunday night before the election, I stayed near Williamsburg, Callaway County, with a man by the name of Hobson. He was the father of five sons, all of whom were of age. He with the five sons were ardent "Douglas men." I had never been in Callaway County, but was careful to take letters of introduction from Honorable John B. Henderson to prominent men there. I took one to Mr. Hobson which seemed to satisfy him that I was the proper person to vote for for Circuit Attorney. He and his sons were very active for me at the election in the town of Williamsburg. In the same place was a merchant by the name of Woodlin. He had been an old Whig but was supporting for President, John Bell of Tennessee. Mr. Woodlin had previously lived in Warren County and was a warm friend of my brother George and his family. I called on him and he at once promised to "rally" the Bell men to my support, which he did. At this precinct I beat my chief opponent, Colonel Minor, more than three to one.

From Williamsburg, I rode on to Fulton, the county seat of Callaway County, arriving there about noon on the day before the election. I was a perfect stranger in the place but managed to find a few young friends who were there at school. These formed a sort of nucleus for a meeting at the court house that night. I also had letters to William Harrison and Daniel Tucker, prominent Douglas men in Fulton. They managed to get up quite a respectable meeting

at the court house and arranged a joint discussion between a young fellow about my age, named McIntyre, and myself. He was an ardent supporter of Bell and Everett. We both spoke. At this precinct I was quite successful the next day and received a large plurality over my opponents.

I left Fulton late in the afternoon on my return to the lower part of the district, passing through Williamsburg on my way back to Hobson's, and learned the result of the poll at that place. I stayed that night at Hobson's. The next morning, Wednesday, I rode on down the Boon's Lick Road to Danville, and stopped to get the returns of the election in Montgomery County. About noon of that day I rode to New Florence, a distance of four miles, for the purpose of taking a train down to Warrenton, where the Circuit Court was in session and where my chief opponent was for the time being engaged. At New Florence I took the saddle and bridle off of faithful old Sam and tied a card in his mane, saying, "Let him go-D. P. Dyer," and turned him loose.

This place was about twenty-five miles west of my mother's farm in Lincoln County. The next morning she discovered the horse in the cornfield "helping himself."

The train came along shortly after this and I went on to Warrenton. Here I met Colonel Minor, my opponent, compared notes, and found that I had been elected Circuit Attorney for the 3d Circuit by less than three hundred votes. The most gratifying circumstance attending that election was the vote cast in Clark Township, Lincoln County. It was here that my father settled in 1841 and it was here

that I went to school when a boy. The poll showed 125 votes cast in the precinct, of which I received 125.

I went from Warrenton to see my mother and remained with her until the 14th of November. On that day I went to St. Louis and took a boat, the Rob Roy, for Louisiana, Missouri, where I was to be married the following day. The boat arrived at Louisiana about sunrise the morning of the 15th. Here I found my sweetheart waiting for me on the porch of the residence of Dr. W. C. Hardin, her uncle. Her father, Judge Ezra Hunt, had, in September before, suddenly died at Troy, while there attending a term of the Circuit Court. This necessitated a change at Bowling Green and it was determined that the wedding should take place in Louisiana at the residence of her uncle and aunt, Doctor and Mrs. William C. Hardin.

After the death of Judge Hunt, I bought of Doctor William Bolton two acres of ground with a one-story log and frame building containing four rooms and an outbuilding of one room for servants, situated in the eastern part of Bowling Green opposite the late residence of Champ Clark, for the sum of $700.00. Part of the furniture used by the family of Judge Hunt was removed to this house and there placed in position by myself and my intended bride in October. Thus it was that everything was in readiness for our future home.

The fifteenth of November, our wedding day, was the most charming of any day in the year. The sky was clear, the air balmy, and for once at least it could be truly said that it was a "beautiful Indian-summer day." After breakfast that morning, I drove to

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THE FIRST HOME OF MR. AND MRS. DYER AT BOWLING GREEN, MISSOURI

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