A New York Herald newspaper reporter visits with Lincoln and writes, "After a pretty thorough investigation, I find that there is not a man in this region who says a word against [his] honesty . . . They like his sociability and his familiarity." The correspondent notes that Mary Lincoln added "some brilliant flashes of wit and good nature" to the "lively . . . conversation." He adds, "[Lincoln's] features may appear rugged to the casual observer, but when engaged in earnest and entertaining conversation they assume an aspect at once pleasing and engaging. . . . Lincoln . . . looks the man, acts the gentleman, and mirrors at once the keenness of the astute statesman." New York Herald, 13 August 1860, 5:2-3.