that was no secret. there are no known instances in which lincoln tried to suppress knowledge or discussion of such arrangements, and in some conversations, raised the subject himself. tripp discusses three men at length and possible sustained relationships: joshua speed, william greene, and charles derickson. however, in 19th-century america, it was not necessarily uncommon for men to bunk-up with other men, briefly, if no other arrangement were available. for example, when other lawyers and judges travelled "the circuit" with lincoln, the lawyers often slept "two in a bed and eight in a room". william h. herndon recalled for example, "i have slept with 20 men in the same room".