The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-03-28
LINCOLN A GOOD LAWYER
How Ne Surprised his Associate Counsel In .
speech Or Absat 0ns Hundred Words In
which Ne ioa the Pending
Case asd Great Credit

Was Abraham Lincoln a good law
yerg" Was recently asked OF Il promi-
hent Chicago jurist There Is no doubt
that he was" replied the Judge. HE
had good practice as soon as he was
admitted TO the bar. and though he
was an ungainly fellow he knew how
10 manage a case and jury. lie was
not SO good looking a man thcn AS
when he was president He was thin
DER and his tall. lean frame. his angu-
lar body and his rugged face were
strikingly homely and countrifed.
Long before he gained any note as a
lawyer or politician he was asked by
farmer near Springfield TO undertake
q case for him which was 10 be tried
In Cincinnati. and here occurred one
OF the most curious incidents in Lin
coins history. lie went with this
farmer 10 Cincinnati and IL happened
that there were nine other defendants
la the case. Edwin NJ. Stanton. then
one OF the most prominent lawyers at
the Ohio bar. was the attorney for
the old farmer come in with Lincoln
be took him aside and In stage
whisper begged him for Gods sake
not TO bring that tall, angular gawk
court will ruin us. snid Stanton. i
have the whole proceedings we'll in
hand. and can do you more good with
out him. beg as you regard the in
terest OF the case to send your man
back TO Illinois.
Lincoln overheard these words. He
was very touchy and was so much
hurt about IL that shortly after this he
told his client that he would not have
anything TO do with the case aud that
he had better get Stanton 10 try IL.
This the farmer refused TO do. He
said he had paid for Lincoln's services
and he was bound that he should pre-
sent the case 10 the court and act as
his attorney. He told Stanton this
and Stanton. IN his grandiloquent way.
called on Lincoln aud said he hud
looked into the case and found that
such and SO were the issues and that
he had prepared the papers, which he
hardly supposed would need 10 be
changed. He thereupon handed the
papers To Lincoln. Lincoln took them
and read them over cirefully while
Stanton waited. Stanton In the mean
time tried to draw him out on the
case. but he had nothing 10 say, and
as he saw him read on carefully
through the case Stanton looked on
and wondered II after all he might
not be mistaken and his assistant De
greater man than he thought
"A day later the trial came off,
Stanton made the leading speech aud
II took him full day to deliver MIN
self. At the close OF the speech he
said there was one OF the defendants
who had employed another lawyer.
and with that he motioned To Mr..
Lincoln, and said ho supposed the
court would give him n chance to make
a speech. Throughout the trial lin
coin had been the observed man In
tho courtroom. and when he now
arose every eye was turned upon him.
He addressed the court and made
speech OF about ono hundred words
and then sat down. In these one hun
dred words. however, he presented an
entirely new aspect OF tho case. and
one which brought forth an issue
which Stanton had entirely overlooked
or which he did not consider OF any
moment
las he sat down the Judge said;
Well, gentlemen. what have you 10
say rs to that polntP Mr.. Stanton and
the otner lawyers said they had not
considered It. and the Judge said:
We'll. gentlemen IL Is upon that point
the whole case hinges, and In short
this speech OF Lincolns decided the
case and gave II 10 his client Lincoln
saw no more OF Stanton from that day
on until he was elected president OF
the United States .pnd Mr. Stanton was
IN Washington as the Attorney Gen
eral In Buchanan's administration.
Lincoln held little communication with
him until Simon Cameron resigned
the secretaryship OF war. and he then
appointed Stanton TO this position.
II was truly magnanimous act consid-
ering the way Stanton treated him
Ia Cincinnati"