The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-07-14
Passage I'm the Life Of
Mr. Lincoln.

One incident connected with the law
practice Of Abraham Lincoln (says Mr..
Raymond in his "History of the Admins
tration OF President Lincoln we cannot
refrain from narrating. When Lincoln
first went out into the world to earn l;v-
ing for himself, he worked for Mr..
Armstrong, of Petersburg, Menard county,
who, with his wife, took great interest
in him, lent him books to read, ana,
after the season for work was over, en-
couraged him to remain with them until
he should fird something to "turn his
hand to-" They also hoped much from
his influence over their SON, an over-in-
dulged aud somewhat unruly boy. We.
cannot do better than to transcribe the re-
marks of the Cleveland Leader upon this
interesting and touching incident:
"Some few years since, the eldest son
of Mr.. Lincoln's old friend, Armstrong,
the chief. supporter Of his widowed mother
the COED old man having some time
previously passed from earth-was arrest
ed In the, charge of murder. A young
man had been killed during riotous me-
lee, on the plight time, at camp-meetibg,
and one, Of his associates stated that the
death-wouqd was inflicted by young Arm
strong. A preliminary examination was
gone into, at which the accuser testified
SO positively that there seemed no doubt
of the guilt of the prisoner, and therefore
he was held for trial. AS is too often the
case, the bloody act caused an undue de-
gree.of excitement in the public mind
Every improper incident in the life of
the prisoner-each act. which bore the
leastsemblance of owdyism-each school
boy quarrel-was suddenly remembered
and magnifed, until they pictured him as
fiend of the most horrible hue. AS
these rumorsspread abroad, they werc re-
ceiyed as gospel truth, and feverish de-
sire for vengeance seized upon the infatu-
vented a horrible death at the hands of
mob. The events were heralded in the
county papers, painted in highest colors,
accompanied by rejoicing over the certain
ty of punishment being meted out to the
guilty party. The prisoner, overwhelmed
by the circumstances under which he
found himself placed, fell into a melan-
choly condition, bordering on despair, and
the widowed mother, looking through her
tears, saw no cause for hope from earthly
aid.
'.At this juncture, the widow received
letter from Mr. Lincoln, volunteering his
services to save the youth from the i'm
pending stroke. Gladly was his aid az
cepted, although it seemed impossible for
even his sagacity TO prevail In such dcs-
oerate case; but the heart of the attorney
was in the work, and he set about it with
o hot faIl -
Feeling that the poisoned condition of the
public mind was such as to preclude the
possibility of empanneling an impartial
jury in the court of jurisdiction, he pro-
cured change of venue and postpone
ment of the trial. He then went studi-
ously to work unraveling the history of
the case, and satisfied himself that his
client was the victim of malice, and tH0
the statements of the accuser were a tissue
Of fasehoods.
"When the trial was called on, the pris-
oner, pale and emaciated, with hopeless
ness written on every feature, and accom-
panied by his halfhoping, half-despairing
mother-whose only hope was in mo TIL
er's belief Of her sons innocence, and in
the justice Of the God she worshipped, and
in the noble counsel, who, without hope
of fee or reward upon earth, had underta-
ken the cause-took his seat in the pris-
oner's box, and, with stony firmness,'
listened to the reading of the Indictment
Lincoln sat quietly by, whilst the large
auditory looked on him as though wonder
ing what he could say in defense of one
whose guilt they regarded as certain
The examination of the witnesses for the
State was begun, and a well-arranged mass
of evidence, circumstantial and positive,
was introduced, shich seemed to impale
the prisoner beyond the possibility of ex-
trIcation. The counsel for the defense
propounded but few questions, and those
of character which excited no uneasinesss
on the part of the prosecutor-mcrely in
most cases requiring the main witnesses
to be definite as to the time and place
When the evidence of the prosecution
was ended, Lincoln introduced few wit
nesses to remove some erroneous impress
sions in regard to the previous character of
his client, who, though somewhat rowdy-
ish, had never been known to commit a
vicious act and to show that greater
degree of ill-feeling existed between the
accuser and the accused, than between the
accused and the deceased
ssThe prosecutor felt that the case was
clear one, and his opening speech was
brief and formal. Lincoln arose, while