Lincoln memo donated to National Archives

WASHINGTON, May 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Archives said a terse memo from Abraham Lincoln to his treasury secretary has been donated by a private collector.

The memo, written four days before Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg in 1863, was written to Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase and concerned Robert Stevens, son of Lincoln friend Sen. Edward Baker, R-Ore., The Washington Post reported Friday.

Stevens had been removed from his position as superintendent of the San Francisco Mint on corruption charges after an investigation by the Treasury Department. Stevens had asked to see the evidence against him.

The letter reads: "Mr. Stevens, late Superintendent of the Mint at San Francisco, asks to have a copy, or be permitted to examine, and take extracts, of the evidence upon which he was removed. Please oblige him in one way or another.

Yours truly,

A. Lincoln"

Lawrence Cutler, a Scottsdale, Ariz., attorney and private collector, donated the letter to the National Archives Thursday after purchasing it at an auction in 2006.