by Beth Py-Lieberman

Lincolns English gold watch was purchased in the 1850s from George Chatterton， a Springfield， Illinois， jeweler. Lincoln was not 2）outwardly vain， but the fine gold watch was a 3）conspicuous symbol of his success as a prominent Illinois lawyer. The National Museum of American History acquired the watch in 1958 as a gift from Lincoln Isham， Abraham Lincoln great-grandson.

Every living soul can recall with certainty what they were doing when a national tragedy occurs—the day the Japanese bombed 4）Pearl Harbor， the day in 5）Dallas when John F. Kennedy was 6）assassinated or the events of September 11. Yet， no one alive today can recall the tragic day in 1861 when Confederate forces fired on 7）Fort Sumter， beginning a terrible and tragic war that divided this nation and changed it forever. This week， a stunning find unveiled a personal record that touched the highest levels of government but remained hidden for nearly a century and a half.

林肯的英國金表是19世紀(jì)50年代從伊利諾斯州首府斯普林菲爾德的珠寶商喬治·查特頓處購得的。林肯并不講究外表，但是這塊精致的金表是他作為伊利諾斯州杰出律師的顯著象征。1958年，亞伯拉罕·林肯的曾孫林肯·艾沙姆將這塊金表作為禮物贈(zèng)送給美國國家歷史博物館。

所有人都能清楚地回憶起國家發(fā)生災(zāi)難時(shí)，自己在做什么——日本轟炸珍珠港那天，約翰·F·肯尼迪在達(dá)拉斯被暗殺的那天或是“9·11”事件發(fā)生的那天。然而，沒有人能夠回憶起1861年那悲壯的一天，同盟軍向薩姆特堡進(jìn)攻，發(fā)動(dòng)了一場可怕而悲慘的戰(zhàn)爭，這場戰(zhàn)爭分裂并永遠(yuǎn)改變了這個(gè)國家。本周，一個(gè)驚人的發(fā)現(xiàn)揭露了一項(xiàng)涉及政府最高級人員的私人記錄，近一個(gè)半世紀(jì)以來，這份記錄都不為人知。

On April 13， 1861， Irish immigrant and watchmaker Jonathan Dillon was repairing President Abraham Lincolns pocket watch， when he heard of the attack. Forty-five years later， Dillon told the New York Times what he did that day. “I was in the act of 8）screwing on the 9）dial. I unscrewed the dial， and with a sharp instrument wrote on the metal beneath： ‘The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try.”

1861年4月13日，當(dāng)愛爾蘭移民鐘表匠喬納森·狄龍知道叛軍進(jìn)攻時(shí)，他正在修理亞伯拉罕·林肯總統(tǒng)的懷表。45年之后，狄龍向《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》披露了當(dāng)天他做了什么事情：“我當(dāng)時(shí)正在擰緊表盤上的螺絲。我用利器在金屬上刻道：‘第一槍已經(jīng)打響。奴隸制已滅亡。感謝上帝，我們有一位至少愿意努力嘗試的總統(tǒng)?！?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2018/07/08/qkimagesfkyyfkyy201304fkyy20130408-1-l.jpg"/>

On Tuesday morning， at the National Museum of American History， some 40 reporters and 10）Smithsonian staff witnessed master craftsman and jeweler George Thomas open Abraham Lincolns watch to search for Dillons secret message. Dillons message was there， but not exactly as he later described it. It was a rare moment when a museum， dedicated to the preservation of American history， could be said to be making history. And therein lies a tale. The watchmaker and the President would never meet. And Lincoln would never know that he carried Dillons secret message in his pocket. Lincolns watch is a fine gold timepiece that the 16th president purchased in the 1850s from a Springfield， Illinois jeweler. Harry Rubenstein， chief 11）curator of the museums 12）bicentennial exhibition “Abraham Lincoln： An Extraordinary Life”， has a fondness for the watch， which today would be the equivalent of a 13）high-end 14）Bulova or 15）Tag Heuer. “When you think about Lincoln especially at this point in his life，” Rubenstein says， “his ill-fitting clothes and messy hair； he doesnt seem to care about his appearance. But in fact， he does care about how people perceive him. One of the status symbols of the 19th century is a gold watch. Lincoln is making a statement. Hes carrying a very visible statement of his own success.”

This story is full of ironies. And so we must pause here to reflect on one. It was February 12， Lincolns 200th birthday， when the phone on Rubensteins desk rang. The caller was Douglas Stiles， a 59-year-old attorney and 16）genealogy expert， from Waukegan， Illinois. Stiles is also Dillons great， great grandson. The evidence was not overwhelming. All that Stiles had to offer was a bit of family lore and a newspaper article written 45 years after the fact. Could the stranger calling convince a museum curator to pull a national icon from display， to bring in an expert craftsman to disassemble the delicate， historical artifact， and to take a huge chance that nothing， in fact， could be there？ But， Rubensteins interest was 17）piqued and the decision was made. “Its sort of amazing，” Rubenstein said in an interview before the watch was opened， “when you think that two years before the 18）Emancipation Proclamation， Abraham Lincoln is carrying this hopeful message in his pocket， and never knowing it.”

星期二的早晨，美國國家歷史博物館里大約有40位記者和史密森尼工作人員見證了技藝精湛的工匠和珠寶商喬治·托馬斯拆開亞伯拉罕·林肯的懷表，以尋找狄龍的秘密信息。狄龍的秘密信息確實(shí)在里面，但是并不和他后來描述的完全一致。這對于致力保存美國歷史的博物館來說，可以說是創(chuàng)造歷史，這是絕無僅有的珍貴時(shí)刻。而這里面還有個(gè)故事。鐘表匠和總統(tǒng)從未謀面。林肯絕不會(huì)知道自己的口袋里攜帶著狄龍的秘密信息。林肯的懷表是一塊精致的金表，這位美國第16屆總統(tǒng)是19世紀(jì)50年代從伊利諾斯州斯普林菲爾德一位珠寶商那里購得的。哈里·魯賓斯坦是博物館200周年紀(jì)念展覽“亞伯拉罕·林肯：非凡的一生”的總策展人，他非常喜歡這塊懷表，這在如今就是相當(dāng)于高檔的寶路華或者是瑞士豪雅手表?！爱?dāng)你想起林肯，特別是在他生命中那個(gè)時(shí)候，”魯賓斯坦說道，“他不合身的衣服和雜亂的頭發(fā)；好像他從來不關(guān)心自己的外表。但是，事實(shí)上，他很在乎人們怎么看他。19世紀(jì)的社會(huì)地位象征之一就是金表。林肯在為自己做聲明。他戴著一個(gè)非常明顯的成功標(biāo)志?！?/p>

這個(gè)故事充滿了諷刺意味。所以我們必須停下來反思。那是2月12日，正值林肯的誕辰200周年，魯賓斯坦桌子上的電話響了，來電者是道格拉斯·斯泰爾斯，一位來自于伊利諾斯州沃基根的59歲律師兼族譜專家，同時(shí)，他也是狄龍的玄孫。證據(jù)并不確鑿。斯泰爾斯所提供的只是家族口傳的軼事和45年后的報(bào)紙報(bào)道。這位來電的陌生人有可能說服博物館館長把國家寶物撤下展覽柜，冒險(xiǎn)讓一位專家工匠拆開這個(gè)精致、具有歷史性的工藝品嗎？結(jié)果可能是發(fā)現(xiàn)，事實(shí)上里面什么都沒有啊。但是，這激發(fā)了魯賓斯坦的興趣，他做了這個(gè)決定?！斑@很不可思議吧，”就在懷表被拆開前的一個(gè)采訪中，魯賓斯坦說道，“想想， 《奴隸解放宣言》發(fā)布兩年前，這個(gè)滿懷希望的信息就已經(jīng)在亞伯拉罕·林肯的口袋中了，而他從來就不知道?！?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2018/07/08/qkimagesfkyyfkyy201304fkyy20130408-2-l.jpg"/>

A month after that initial call， in an elegant museum back room， photographers crowded around jeweler George Thomas who was seated at a makeshift craftsmans bench. As the hour approached， Rubenstein solemnly stepped forward. Lincolns gold pocket watch was delivered to the bench. Thomas went to work with tiny screwdrivers， 19）tweezers and 20）levers. Stopping occasionally to flex his fingers， he added tension to anticipation.“It will be awhile，” he warned， obviously enjoying the drama. Stiles， accompanied by his wife Betsy and his brother Don， took a few deep breaths and readjusted himself in his chair. Finally Thomas， after unscrewing several tiny pins from the watch face， delicately lifted the plate and murmured， “The moment of truth.”

Douglas Stiles is invited to read his ancestors inscription： “Jonathan Dillon April 13-1861 Fort Sumter [21）sic] was attacked by the rebels. Washington thank God we have a government.”The message was there. Yet there is no mention of slavery， nor did it say anywhere that Lincoln was the right man for the job. Perhaps Dillon had grander intentions in mind as he hurriedly 22）etched his note into the watch on that fateful day. In the march of time， what human doesnt add a flourish or two？ One thing is also clear. Dillon wasnt the only one with presidential pocket watch access. For there alongside the Dillon inscription is yet another—“LE Grofs Sept 1864 Wash DC.” Who would that be？

Stiles was satisfied. “I feel more in touch with Lincoln，” and then with a grin， he adds，“Hey， thats Lincolns watch and my ancestor put 23）graffiti on it.”

在接到電話一個(gè)月之后，在博物館的一間雅間密室中，攝影師集聚在珠寶商喬治·托馬斯身邊，他坐在一個(gè)臨時(shí)的工匠工作臺(tái)前。時(shí)間到了，魯賓斯坦莊嚴(yán)地走向前。林肯的金表被護(hù)送到工作臺(tái)上。托馬斯開始用螺絲起子、鉗子和撬杠拆開手表。他偶爾伸展一下手指，這為整個(gè)期待的過程增添了一些緊張氣氛?！斑@需要花費(fèi)一點(diǎn)兒時(shí)間，”他提醒說，顯然很享受緊張的氣氛。斯泰爾斯，由他的妻子貝斯和哥哥唐陪伴著，深深地吸了幾口氣，調(diào)整著自己的姿勢。最后，托馬斯，在表盤擰下幾個(gè)細(xì)小的螺絲之后，小心翼翼地把金屬板移開，然后小聲地說：“這是見證真相的時(shí)刻。”

道格拉斯·斯泰爾斯被邀請讀出祖先的題詞：“喬納森·狄龍，1861年4月13日，薩姆特堡（原文如此）遭遇反叛分子襲擊。華盛頓感謝上帝，我們有一個(gè)政府。”秘密信息就刻在那里。但是并沒有提到奴隸制，或者是說林肯是推翻奴隸制適合的人選?；蛟S在那歷史性的一天，狄龍把這個(gè)信息匆忙刻到表里面時(shí)，懷有更宏大的意圖。時(shí)間的洪流中，誰沒有過那么一兩個(gè)雄心壯志？另一件事情也是可以肯定的。狄龍并不是唯一一個(gè)接觸過總統(tǒng)的懷表的人。因?yàn)樵诘引埖念}詞旁，還有另一行刻字——“LE Grofs Sept 1864 Wash DC.”這又是誰呢？

斯泰爾斯很滿足?！拔矣X得和林肯之間的聯(lián)系更緊密了，”然后他微微一笑，補(bǔ)充說道，“嘿，那是林肯的懷表，我的祖先在上面刻了字?！?/p>