'The Lizard' An Abe Lincoln Story

Lincoln Print by Lloyd Ostendorff

As it happens, Abraham Lincoln had lived in New Salem, Illinois only a few months, when he was  asked to be clerk of the local election board for an election. On election day, when voters were coming in slowly, Lincoln began to entertain the crowd at the polls with some stories.

Lincoln called this one, "The lizard story".

"The meeting house was in the woods and quite a distance from any other house. It was only used once a month. The preacher - an old line Baptist - was dressed in course linen pantaloons [pants], and shirt of the same material. The pants, manufactured after the old fashion, fastened with one button and no suspenders. A single button held his shirt in place, and that was at the collar. 

He rose up in the pulpit and with a loud voice announced his sermon: 'I am the Christ, whom I shall represent today.' About this time a little blue lizard ran up under his baggy pantaloons. The old preacher, not wanting to interrupt the steady flow of his sermon, slapped away on his legs, expecting to stop the intruder; but his efforts were unavailing, and the little fellow kept on climbing higher and higher. After a while the lizard came so high that the preacher was desperate.

 And about that time a little blue lizard ran up under one of the baggy pantaloons. The preacher went ahead with his sermon, slapping his legs. After a while the lizard came so high that the preacher was desperate, and, going on with his sermon, unbuttoned the one button that held his pantaloons; they dropped down and with a kick were off. By this time the lizard had changed his route and circled around under the shirt at the back, and the preacher, repeating his text, I am the Christ, whom I shall represent today," loosened his one collar button and with one sweeping movement off came the shirt. 

Continuing with his sermon, the preacher slyly unbuttoned the single button which graced the waistband of his pantaloons, and with a kick, off came that loose-fitting garment. But meanwhile, Mr. Lizard had changed his route and circled around under the shirt at the back. 

Things were now growing interesting, but the preacher, repeating his text, "I am the Christ, whom I shall represent today," loosened his one collar button and with one sweeping movement off came the tow linen shirt!  

The congregation sat in the pews dazed and dazzled; everything was still for a minute; then a dignified elderly lady stood up slowly and, pointing a finger toward the pulpit, called out at the top of her voice, 'I just want to say that if you represent Jesus Christ, sir, then I'm done with the Bible!'" [1]

One of the people in the crowd at the polls that day enjoying Lincoln's stories was J.R. Herndon, the cousin of Abraham Lincoln's future law partner and biographer, William Herndon. In J.R.'s opinion, it was Lincoln's gift of storytelling - not his wrestling or feats of strength - that earned his acceptance by the tiny, frontier community of New Salem, Illinois in 1831. 

This was another tale from the archives of Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.

Mac

📚 Works Cited

Herndon, William H. and Weik, Jesse W. (1949) Herndon's Life of Lincoln: With introduction and notes by Paul M. Angle. New York City, NY: The World Publishing Company. pp. 67-68.