Lincoln is recognized on train by Alfred Hyde, convict being taken to Alton penitentiary, who asks about obtaining pardon. Lincoln is impressed by Hyde's "gentlemanly appearance" and his claim of friendship with Senator Daniel S. Dickinson of New York. Hyde to Lincoln, 25 March 1857, 1858, Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Abraham Lincoln to Daniel S. Dickinson, 3 August 1858, CW, 2:535.