On one occasion – in the campaign of 1840 – Lincoln used his skill as a mimic to discomfit a political antagonist. Jesse B. Thomas, in a speech at the courthouse in Springfield, made some sarcastic allusions to the “Long Nine” and particularly to Lincoln; and at the conclusion of his speech, Lincoln replied. “He felt the sting of Thomas’ allusions,” said [William H.] Herndon, “and for the first time on the stump or in public, resorted to mimicry for effect. In this… he was without a rival. He imitated Thomas in gesture and voice, at times caricaturing his walk and the very motions of his body. Thomas, like everybody else, had some peculiarities of expression and gesture, and these Lincoln succeeded in rendering more prominent than ever.
The crowd yelled and cheered as he continued. Encouraged by the demonstration, the ludicrous features of the speaker’s performance gave way to intense and scathing ridicule. Thomas, who was obliged to sit near by and endure the pain of the unique ordeal, was ordinarily sensitive, but the exhibition goaded him to desperation. He… actually gave way to tears… The next day it was the talk of the town, and for years afterwards it was called the ‘skinning’ of Thomas… I heard him [Lincoln] afterwards say that the recollection of his conduct that evening filled him with the deepest chagrin. He felt that he had gone too far and to rid his good nature of a load, hunted up Thomas and made ample apology. Never again did he go to such lengths in a public address.
Source:
Thomas, Benjamin Platt, and Michael Burlingame. “Lincoln’s Humor.” "Lincolns Humor" and Other Essays. University of Illinois Press, 2002. 5. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Michael Burlingame, The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994), 153-54.
Further Reading:
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