New-York tribune., 1885-07-19
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
ANECDOTES OF THE LAWYER, POLITICIAN
AND PRESIDENT.

Copyaght, 1882
In the summer of 1854 became q citizon of Do
Witt County, ILL.,, having emlgrated from Ohio
for the purpose of practising law. At that tune
knew something of Mr.. Lincolns history. having
known of him while lie was member of Congress
few years before. found he had very strong
hold upon popular affections and stood high in
the confidence of the people of the State. He was
the leader of the bar Judge Logan having sub
vtantaly retired from the active practice; and
although he was but forty five, ne was alluded TO
IN popular parlance as "old Mr.. Lincoln" -; and IN
that connection l recall an incident occurring
while he was candidate for the Senate against
judge Douglas in 1853. He delivered a speech at
Clinton, and as we were riding in the inevitable
procession" of American politics, the small
boy" of the period said to one OF his companions:
There there goes old Mr.. Lincoln" THIS
was said in tone TO be heard by the immediate
company, and Mr. Lincoln was asked how long
they had been ,aling him old. Said he' oh'
they have been at that trick many years. they
com nenccd it when was scarcely thirty" 1t
seemed to amuse him, he was not old enough to be
sensitiye about his age. The first timo met him,
was in September, 1854, at Bloomington and
was introduced to him by Judge Douglas, who
was then making q campaign in defence OF the
Kansas-Nebraska bill Mr.. Lincoln was attending
Court, and called to see the Judge. They talked
very pleasantly about old times. and things; ana
during the conversation the Judge brOadened the
Inequalities of the occasion by asking him to drink
something. Mr.. Lincoln declined very politely.
when the Judge said Why, do you belong to the
temperance societyr He said Il do not in
theory, but do in fact, belong to the temperance
society, In this, to wit, that / do not drink any
thing and have not done SO for very many years"
Shortly after he retired Mr.. j. W. Fell, then. and
,v,fo fbo
room. with proposition that Mr.. Lincoln and Mr..
Douglas have q discussion, remarking that there
were great many people in the city. that the
question was of great public Importance. and that
# would afford the crowd the luxury of listening to
the ackno wledgcd champions of both sides. AS
soon as the proposition was made it could be seen
that the Judge was irrtated. He inquired of Mr..
Fell with some majesty of manner: Whom does
Mr.. Lincoln represent in this campaign; is lie an
Aboitionis or an Old Line Wing Z" Mr.. Fell replied
that he was an Old Line Whig Yes" said
Douglas. 81 am now in the region of the Old Line
Whip. When am in Northern Illinois. am as
sailed by an Abolitouist. when get to the centre
an attacked by an Old Line Wing, and when 20 to
Southern Illinois am beset by an Anti-Nebraska
Democrat. can't hold the Whig responsible for
anything the Aboltionist says. aud can't hold the
Anti-Nebraska Democrat responsible for the posi-
all over tho State. If Mr. Lincoln wants to make
speech he had better get crowd of his own; and
most respectfully decline to hold discussion"
Mr. Lincoln had nothing to do with the challenge
cxcept perhaps to say hc would discuss the ques-
tion with Judge Douglas. He was not aggressive
i'm the defence of his doctrines or enunciatlon OF his
opn,ous but he was brave and fearless in the pro-
lection of what he believed to be the right. The
impression he made when was introduced was. as
To his unaffected and sincere manner the precise,
cautious and accurate mode in which he stated his
thoughts even when talking about commonplace
things
Tn 1854 and down to the commencement of the
war the circuit practice in Illinois was still In
vogue and the Itinerant lawyer was as sure to
come as the trees to bud, tho leaves to fall. In
and anung thcSo AIR. Lincoln was the star: he
stood above and beyond them all He travelled
the circuit attending the courts of Judge David
Daviss district extending from the centre to the
eastern boundary of the State, until he was nomi
mated for the Presidency. He liked the atmosphere
of q court house, and seemed to be contcnted and
happy when Judge Davis was on the bench, and he
had before him the twelve good and lawful men"
who had been called from the body of the county
to well and truly try the ISSUE" in every county
in which he practised he among his friends and
acquaintances; he usually know tho most, and
nlways the leading on the jury. He was not
what might be called industrious lawyer, aud
when his adversary presented a reasonably good
affidavit for continuance. he was willing that the
case should 90 over until the next term. He was
particularly kind to young lawyers, and l ren'em-
Der with what confidence always went to him. be-
cause was certain that he knew all about the mat
ter and would most checrfuly tell me. can see
him now through the decaying memories OF thirty
years. standing in the corner OF the old COURTROOM
and MS / approached him with paper did not
understand. he said "Wait until fix this plug
for nv 'galIis' and will pitch into that like a
dog at root" While speaking he was busily en-
gagged In trying to connect his suspender with his
trousers by making " plug perform the function
of button. Mr. Lincoln used od-fashioned words,
and never failed to them If they could be sus-
tanned as proper. lie was probably taught to say
" gallows" and he never adopted the modern
" suspender."
In the commissions of nations. how rapidly his
tory makes itself Mr. Lincoln was the attorney Of
the Illinois Central Railroad Company, to assist the
local counsel in the different counties Of the cir
cult: and in De Witt County, in connection with
the Hon. c. H. Moore, attended to the litigation Of
the company. In '5s or $50 he appeared in a case
which they did not want to try at that term; and
Mr.. Lincoln remarked to the Court: "We are not
ready for trial" Judge Davis said "Why is not
the company ready to 20 to trial y Mr.. L. replied:
" We are embarrassed by the absence or rather
want of information IRON Captain Mcclellan" The
Judge said: "Who is Captain Mcclellan and why
Is he not here :" Mr.. Lincoln said "All know
Of him il that he is the engineer Of the railroad
aud why he is not here this deponent saith not"
In consequence Of the absence OF Captain Mcclellan
the case was continued. Lincoln and Mcclellan
had perhaps never met up to that time, and the
most they knew Of each other was, that one was
tho attorney and the other tho engineer of the
Illinois Central Railroad Company. In less than
two years from that time the fame of both had