The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-06-18

Beardstown Lincoln told my mother
he would defend me. At the trial [
had about twenty five witnesses. The
strongest witness against me was
Charles Allen. He was the witness
that swore about the moon; be swore
it was full moon and almost over
head. Uncle Abe asked him over
and over about it, but he stuck to
it. Then he said he saw me strike
Metzker with a slung-shot. Uncle
Abe asked him to tell how it was
done. He got up and went through
the motion, struck an over hand blow,
just as he declared he saw me do by
the light of the full moon. Uncle
Abe had him do it over again. After
Aliens testimony everybody thought 1
would be convicted. After Uncle
Abe had talked to the jury a little
while he said: Now, l will show you
that this man Aliens testimony is
pack of lies; that be never saw Arm
strong strike Metzker with a slung-
shot; that he did not witness this fight
by the light of the full moon, for the
moon was not in the heavens that
night And then Uncle Abe pulled
out the almanac and showed the jury
the truth about the moon. l do not
remember exactly what it was-wheth-
or it had not risen, or whether it had
set; but whatever it was it upset Al
lens story completely. He passed
the almanac to the jurors and they all
inspected it. Then Uncle Abe talked
of the fight, and showed that had act
ed in self defense and had used no
weapon of any kind. But it seemed to
me Uncle Abe did his best talking
when he told the jury what true
friends my father and mother had
been to him in the early days when he
was poor young man at New Salem.
He told how he used to go out to
Jack Armstrong; and stay for days;
how kind mother was to him, and how,
many time, he has rocked me to
sleep in the old cradle. He said he
was not there pleading for me because
he was paid for it; but he was there to
help good woman who had helped
him when he needed help. Lawyer
Walker made a good speech for me,
too, but Uncle Abe's' beat anything 1
ever heard.
Gas Uncle Abe finished his speech,
he said: 4 hope this man will be a
free man before sundown.' The jury
retired and nearly everybody went to
supper. They left me there with the
Sheriff, my brother Jim, and a parcel
of boys. The jury was in room near
by, and it was not over five minutes
after they went out when heard them
talking and laughing, and my heart
beat a little faster. As soon as the
Judge and the lawyers got back from
supper the jury was brought in.
They had to pass me and 1 eyed them
closely for some hopeful sign. One
of them looked at me and winked.
Then knew it was right, and when
the foreman handed up the verdict of
mot guilty 1 was the happiest man in
the world l reckon
"Now, my mother was not in the
court room when the jury came in,
and it is all stuff about her fainting
and falling into my arms. She was
away somewhere; don't know just
where. That night she went home
with Jim Dick, the Sheriff; l went
home with Dick Overton, and as we
went down the Court House steps be
slipped five-dollar bill into my hand.
uncle Abe would not charge my mo-
Their cent; he said her happiness
over my freedom was his sufficient re-
ward. "The almanac used by Lin
coin was one which my cousin Jake
Jones furnished him On the morn
ing of the trial l was taken outside
the court room to talk to Lincoln.
Jake Jones was with us. Lincoln
said he wanted an almanac for 1857.
Jake went right off and got one, and
brought it to Uncle Abe It was an
almanac for the proper year, and
there was no fraud about it. The
truth is, there was no moon that night
if there was it was hidden by clouds.
But it was light enough for every
body to see the fight. The fight took
place in front of one of the bars, and
each bar had two or three candles on
1