OT --true or not?

[kps]

A friend sent me the following story and I'm wondering whether it's true or not. The doubting sceptic in me says not, as I'm sure I seen it floating around the net a few years ago...but you never know unless you ask.    

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day,
while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help
coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.
There, mired to his waist in black muck, was aterrified boy, screaming and
struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could
have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse
surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced
himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to
repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life.
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer
 replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family
hovel. "Is that your son?"! the nobleman asked.
"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education
my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no
doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.
Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he
graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on
to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming,
the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was
stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

[Bruce_F]

From  Snopes

Claim:   The father of Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, saved a young Winston Churchill from drowning. In gratitude, Churchill's father paid for Fleming's education.

Status:   False.

Example:   [Collected on the Internet, 1999]

    His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

    The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

    "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

    "No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

    "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

    "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

    "I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."

    And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him?? Penicillin.

    The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

    Someone once said what goes around comes around.

Origins:   Most of us are familiar with the basic pencillin legend: a London bacteriologist notices something unusual about the mold growing in an uncleaned Petri dish and ends up making one greatest medical discoveries of all time. What if the only reason this medical pioneer, the son of a poor farmer, had been able to receive the education that allowed him to make this monumental scientific breakthrough was his father's chance encounter years earlier with another (future) giant of 20th century history. And, in a delicious conclusion, the scientist later used his discovery to save his benefactor's life. Wouldn't that be an astounding and inspiring coincidence?

[kps]

Thanks for the confirmation Bruce, I thought as much. It would be a great story if true.

[kelly]

This one is true.  

Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's son, Robert, was once saved by John Wilkes Booth's brother, Edwin, from possible very serious injury or death. The incident happened at a railroad station in Jersey City in 1863 or 1864. Robert was traveling from New York to Washington. In 1909 Robert gave the following account of the rescue:

"The incident occurred while a group of passengers were late at night purchasing their sleeping car places from the conductor who stood on the station platform at the entrance of the car. The platform was about the height of the car floor, and there was of course a narrow space between the platform and the car body. There was some crowding, and I happened to be pressed by it against the car body while waiting my turn. In this situation the train began to move, and by the motion I was twisted off my feet, and had dropped somewhat, with feet downward, into the open space, and was personally helpless, when my coat collar was vigorously seized and I was quickly pulled up and out to a secure footing on the platform. Upon turning to thank my rescuer I saw it was Edwin Booth, whose face was of course well known to me, and I expressed my gratitude to him, and in doing so, called him by name."

It is possible that this act helped give Edwin Booth some comfort in the days and years that followed his brother's assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

See p. 70-71 of "Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man In His Own Right" by John S. Goff

Could only find it cached.

Booth Saves A Lincoln

[kps]

Now that's a bizzare coincidence...

I did a google search on Robert Todd Lincoln and was surprised to learn there are no direct disendants of Abraham Lincoln left.