The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-07-25
WHOLE NO.. 295.

'One day, hearing Mrs Lincoln
screaming, " is the testimony of a neigh
Dor, Il ran across the street and beheld
down the side porch. BY the time /
reached the house Mr.. Lincoln had
emerged from the hall, and holding in
his hand newspaper which he had been
reading exclaimed in tones of great
surprise, Why, what in the world is
the matter, Mary The latter was al
most breathless with excitement "A
big, fcrocious man, she gasped, has
just gone around to the kitchen. and
III afraid of him. Oh, dear! Go drive
him out. He might murder us!' | start
ed around to the rear door myself, but
before | had gone two steps | met an
/ umbrella mender, an old, unkcmpt Ger
man. with a large red nose, lcisurely
smoking his pipe. who, as is the Gus
/ tom of his fraternity. was making his
rounds. | knew at once he was inno-
cent of any thought of harm and al
lowed him TO GO unmolested. As he
passed the porch he saw Mrs. Lincoln
backed up against her husband and
/ trembling like a leaf Lincoln and I
could not help laughing, and the poor
umbrella mender smiled too As he
paused to latch the gate he looked up at
/ the porch i'll the direction of Mr. Lin
coin. Mine frient, he CALCULATED 4
\ feel sorry for you. l dank Gott dot
woman is not my wife
After Lincoln's partnership with
Stuart had been dissolved he formed
another with Stephen T. Logan, who
was then justly regarded as one Of the
best lawyers i'll the state. This associa-
ton proved very advantageous to Lin
coin, and he was led thereby to closer
and more thorough study Of the law
An amusing letter, written by him dur
ing this partnership with Logan, was
recently placed in my hands 1t bears
evidence that he was rising gradually
to the true dignity of the profession. A
client i'll Kentucky, for whom they pur-
chased at sheriff's sale piece Of real
estate, had asked them to care for the
property and collect the rents occurring
therefron. This request seems to have
nettled the professional dignity Of the
junior member Of the firm, for he re-
| bD'i'i' 'itt tI'y 'It IIDt ItdI estate
agents, but lawyers "We recommend" p"
he blandly adds, 'that you give the
charge Of this matter to Mr. Isaac S.
Brltton, a trustworthy man and one
whom the Lord made on purpose for
such business =
After about four years with Judge Lo-
gan the partnership, owing doubtless to
the fact that both were aspirants for
congressional honors, ceased, and Lin
coin took into his office William II.
Herndon, who remained his partner till
the end. Other men have frequently
passed for law partners of Lincoln, but
that connection only existed with Stuart,
Logan and Herndon in the order named
On the circuit he was often associated
with and divided fees with other law
yers, but Il partnership with them in the
professional on commercial sense of the
term never existed, and whatever the
connection was it ended with the case in
hand.
Passing over the period beginning
with Lincoln's marriage III 1912 and eX-
tending up to March, 1S49, during
which time he had served one term in
congress, brings him back to Springfield
disappointed if not disgusted poll,
tlclan, an ex-congressman, "a lemon"
as the lamented Garfield expressed it,
with all the juice squeezed out " But
1t was no time to lament his downfall,
and accepting the inevitable obscurity
which befalls the returned but not re-
elected congressional representative he
yI-nv, t,,, al Al l.. A L
and a growing family to be provided for
stimulated him to unusual cndcavors
Upon my return from congress, - he
relates in one of his modest bits of au-
photography, Il went 10 the practice of
the law with greater carnestncss than
ever before. In 1854 my profession had
almost superseded the thought of poll
tics i'll my mind, when the repeal Of the
Missouri compromise aroused me as /
had never been before. y
Mr.. Herndon, who spent ia portion of
his time with Mr.. Lincoln on the cir
cult, informs me that at this time Lin
coin took up Euclid and mastered with
ease all the propositions in the first six
books. He seemed to have forgotten his
former connection with the world of
politics and applied himself to study
with as much assiduity and zeal as if
the six years past had been wholly lost
The greater part of his time was spent
on the circuit ii mode of litigation quite
unknown to the modern generation Of
lawyers. Following the court around on
the circuit was no doubt the greatest
pleasure he ever experienced In fact,
he declined lucrative offer some time
before his nomination to the presidency
to enter law partnership in Chicago,
because, as he contended it would, in
addition to endangering his health by
close confinement IN the Office, keep him
off the circuit. During the day he was
usually occupied in court or entertain
ing the crowd of listeners who hung
about him at the tavern listening to his
inimitable and exhaustless fund of
stories, but at night, when Davis, SWEET,
Logan, Edwards and Herndon were
soundly asleep-as the latter tells us
he would be lying in bed, candle near
his head, studying Euclid or something
else equally dry and obstruse, oftentimes
till after O'Clock in the morning.
1t occurs, to the writer nothing could
be SO interesting as an account of Lin
coin at the bar, for it was in the law