The Portland daily press., 1896-07-04
LINooLN's PLEA FOR ARMSTRONG
How He Secured the Acquittal of the Son
of an Old Friend.
(From The Chicago Tribune. }


gagged was that in which ne defended
Duff Armstrong, the son of friends of
his early years in Illinois, against the
charge of murder. For years this case
has figured with more or less detail in all
biographies of Lincoln, and it has been
made conspicuous episode in at least
one novel of Western life. Edward Eggles-
TOMS "T'he Graysons.
Although the hero of the case. Duff
Armstrong. is still living, no one has
ever been able until now to get state
ment froln him for publication. J. Me-
Can Davis of Springfield, ILL.,, has per
suaded Armstrong to tell what he re-
members of the broil in which Che WAS
supposed to have murdered companion,
and also Of the trial in which Lincoln
secured his release. Armstrong is now
in his sixty-third year. and has long been
a respected citizen of the little village of
Ashland, in which he passes most of his
time. He has been for several years
member of the Christian Church. His
trial for the murder of Pres" Metzker
is subject he seldom talks about as he
would fain forget it. and those about him
have not often been inquisitiye. .
The accounts hitherto printed he pro-
nou noes glaringly inaccurate. This is
his own story of the alleged murder and
Of the trial:
''It YVES on Saturday night and
campmeeting was over for the day. In
the edge of the grove were three bars
where liquor was sold. Here gathered all
the men and boys who went to camp
meeting to drink whlskey and have a
no other purpose. I had been at the
meeting two or three days. and had been
drinking much, but was thon becoming
sober. Up to this time Pres Metzker
and had been good friendsl but Pres
had been drinking and was in an ugly
mood. He had loaded whip in his
hand and was determined to have fight
with me. I hit him terrible blow,
knocking the skin from one of my
knuokles. We clinched, and Pres rath-
or got the best of me. was strong for
one of my size. and was able to catch
him and throw him back over me. He
got up first and came at me again. Then
we fought like tigers. At last he got me
under him. More than hundred people
stood by watching the fight, and when
the boys saw Pres was getting the best
of me they pulled him off. We walked up
to the bar, and, each taking drink of
whiskey, we bumped glasses and were
friends again. saw nothing more of
him until the next morning, when ne
walked to the bar with stolen Guilt
around him. His right eye was swollen
shut. He bathed it with glass of whs-
key, drank another glass, and then
mounted his horse and rode away. Sew
eral days after that he died. Then the
off GERS came and arrested me and put me
in Jail.
II had preliminary trial at Havana
and WAS held without bail. All the bad
Luck In the world seemed to come to me
now. On this very day my father
jack Arngstrong, died. On his death
bed he said to my mother: Hannah. sell
everything to clear duff" These were
alomst his last words.
after the change of venue to Boards
town, Lincoln told my mother he would
defend me. At the trial / had about
twenty witnesses. The stron gast
witness against me was Charles Allen.
He was the witness that swore about the
moon he swore that it was full moon
and almost overhead. Uncle Abe asked
him over and over about it, but he stuck
10 tt Then he said he saw me strike
kstzker with a slungshot. Uncle Abe
asked him to tell how it was done. He
ssEuck en- overland blow, jut as he de-
ciared he saw me do by the light of the
f1ll moon. Uncle Abe had him do it
over again. After Aliens testimony
everybody thought would be convicted
After Uncle Abe had talked to the Jury
Little while, he said. Now, I will
show you that this man Aliens testi-
Haony is pack of lies; that he never saw
Armstrong strike Metzker with 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 be- pulled out the al
manac and showed the jury the truth
about the moon. do not remember ex-
aotly what it was-whether the moon had
not risen, or whether it had set; but
whatever it was 1t upset Aliens story
completely. He passe the almanac to
the jurors and they all inspected it,
Then Uncle Abe' talked about the fight,
and ahowed that had acted in self-de-
Tense 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 a
time. he had 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