The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-06-30
LINCOLN THE LAWYER.
HIS SKILL SAVES THE LIFE OF AN
INNOCENT MAN.

Convicting Lying Witness-The Founda-
tion of Edward EggIeston's New Novel.
The foundation of Or. Eggleston's
Century novel, "The Graysons," is
doubtless to be found in the story of
Abraham Lincoln's defence of young
Armstrong, accused of murder. The
young mans father and mother took an
interest IN Lincoln when he first began
to earn his own living. employed him,
lent him books, and Kept him at their
house after the season for work was
over. In an OLD number of the C2ea'e-
land Leader is to be found the sequel
"Some few years since, the eldest son
of Mr.. Lincoln's old friend, Armstrong,
the chief supporter of his widowed
mother-the good old man having some
time previously passed from earth-was
arrested on the charge of murder. A
young man had been killed during
riotous melee, in the night time at
camp meeting, and one of his associates
stated that the death wound was in
aicted by young Armstrong. A pre-
liminary 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 degree
of excitement in the public mind.
Every improper incident in the life of
the prisoner-each act which bore the
least semblance of rowdyism-each
schoolboy quarrel-was suddenly re-
membered and magnified, until they
pictured him as a fiend Of the most
horrible hue. As these rumors spread
abroad they were received as gospel
truth, and a feverish desire for venge-
ance seized upon the infatuated popu-
lace, whilst only prison bars prevented
horrible death at the hands of mob.
The events were heralded in the county
papers, painted in highest colors, ac
companied by rejoicing over the Ger
tainty of punishment being meted out
to the guilty party. The prisoner, over
whelmed by the circumstances under
which he found himself placed, fell into
melancholy condition bordering on
despair, and the widowed mother, look
ing through her tears, saw no cause for
hope from earthly aid.
CAT this juncture, the widow received
letter from Mr.. Lincoln, volunteering
his services in an effort to save the
youth from the impending stroke
Gladly was his aid accepted, although
it seemed impossible for even his
sagacity to prevail in such desperate
case but the heart of the attorney was
in his work, and he set about it with a
will that knew no such word as fail
Feeling that the poisoned condition OF
the public mind was such as to preclude
the possibility of impanelling an impair
tial jury in the court having jurisdiction,
he procured a change of venue and a
postponemen Mt of tine trial. He then
went studiously to work unravelling the
history of the case, and satisfied himself
that his client was the victim of malice,
and that the statements of the accusel
were tissue of falsehoods.
"When the tlial was called the priso-
ner, pale and emaciated, with hopeless
ness written on every feature, and &C
companied by his half-hopeing, halt,
despairing mother-whose only hope
was in a mothers belief of her sons
innocence, in the justice OF the God
she worshipped, and in the noble coun,
sci, who, without hope of fee or reward
upon earth, had undertaken the cause
took his seat in the prisoners box and
with stony frmness' listened to the
reading of the indictment. Lincoln sa
quietly by, whilst the large audience
looked on him as though wondering
what he could say in defence of one
whose guilt they regarded as certain
The examination of the witnesses fo
the state was begun, and we'll arranged
mass of evidence, circumstantial anc
positive, was introduced, which seemed
to impaie the prisoner beyond the pos
sibility of extrication. The counsel fo
the defence propounded but few ques
tions, and those of character which
excited no.uneasiness on the part o
the merely, in most cases
requiring the main witnesses to be de
finite as to the time and place. Whel
the evidence of the prosecution wa
ended, Lincoln introduced few wit
nesSes to remove some erroneous i'm
pressions In regard to the previous char
acter of his client who, though some
what rowdyish, had never been know
to commit vicious act; and to SHOW
that greater degree OF ill-feeling ex
listed between the accuser and the &C
cused than the accused and deceased
] "1'he prosecutor felt that the cas-