The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-08-23


any other way but aloud. This habit
used to annoy me almost beyond the
point of endurance | once asked him
why he did so. This was his explana-
ton: when read aloud, two senses
catch the idea-first, l see what read
second, hear il. and therefore can re-
member it better. y
He never studied lawbooks unless a
case was on hand for consideration,
never followed up the decisions Of the
supreme courts, as other lawyers did. Ii
seemed as if he depended for his effect
iveness i'll managing "a lawsuit entirely
on the stimulus and inspiration Of the
final hour. He paid but little attention
to the fees and money matters of the
firm, usually leaving all such TO me. He
never entered All item in the account
book. IL any one paid money TO him
which belonged TO the firm, OH arriving
at the Office he divided il with me. If
was not there, he would wrap mp my
share In piece Of paper and place 1t i'll
my drawer, marking it with pencil:
Case of Roe versus Doe Herndon 5
half
As q Talker and Listener.
On many topics he was not "a good con-
versationist, because he felt that he
was not learned enough. Neither was he
a good listener. Putting il a little
strongly, he was not often even polite.
II present with others or participating
iii a conversation, he was rather abrupt,
and III his anxiety to say something apt
OF TO illustrate the subject under discus
zion would burst in with story. In
our Office | have known him TO consume
the whole forenoon relating stories. If
"a man came TO see him for the purpose
Of finding out something which he did
not care to let him know and at the
same time did not want to refuse him,
he was very adroit In such cases Lin
coin would do most of the talking,
swinging around what he suspected was
the vital point, but never nearing il, in
terlarding his answers with a seeming
ly endless supply of stories and jokes.
The interview being both interesting
and pleasant, the man would depart III
good humor, believing he had accopI-
plished his mission. After be had walk
ED away few squares and had cooled
off the question would come up, We'll,
what did find outy' Blowing away the
froth of Lincoln's humorous narratives,
he would find nothing substantial left
As he entered the trial, " relates one
Of his colleagues at the bar, where
most lawyers would object he would say
he 'reckoned' it would be fair 60 let this
in or that, and sometimes, when his adj
versary could not quite prove what Lin
coin knew TO be the truth, he 'reckoned'
il would be fair to admit the truth 20 be
so and so. When he did object TO the
court, and when he heard his objections
answered, he would often say, Well, l
reckon l must be wrong Now, about
the time he had practiced this three
fourths through the case If his adver-
sary didn't understand him, he would
wake mp in few minutes, learning that
he had feared the Greeks too late, and
find himself beaten. He was wise as a
serpent in the trial Of cause but l had
had too many scares from his blows TO
certify that he was harmless as "a dove
When the whole thing was unraveled,
the adversary would begin to see that
what he was SO blandly giving away
was simply what he couldn't get and
keep. By giving away six points and
carrying the seventh he carried his case,
and the whole case hanging on the sew
enth he traded away everything which
would give him the least aid in carry
ing that. Any man who took Lincoln
for simple minded man would very
soon wake up with his back in ditch "
His Power rs = Lawyer.
Lincoln's restless ambition found its
qualification only in the field of politics
He used the law merely as a stepping
stone TO what he considered more at
tractive condition in the political world
In the allurements held out by the lat
ter he seemed to be happy. Nothing in
l.incoln's life has provoked more discus