The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-06-18
LINCOLN'S FAMOUS CASE.
Duff Armstrong; Story of His Muir
der Trial.
From the NeC York Sun.

in which Abraham Lincoln was ever
engaged was that in which he defend
ed 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 West
ern life, Edward Eggleston's "The
Graysons."
Although the hero of the case, Duff
Armstrong, is still living, no one has
ever been able until now to get state
ment from him for publication. j.
McCan Davis of Springfield ILL.,, has
persuaded Armstrong to tell what he
remembers Of the broil in which he
was supposed to have murdered a
companion, and also of the trial in
which Lincoln secured his release.
Armstrong is now in his sixty-third
year, and has long been respected
citizen of the little city 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 a
subject he seldom talks about; he
would fain forget it, and those about
him have not often been inquisitive.
The accounts hitherto printed he
pronounces glaringly inaccurate.
This is his own story of the alleged
murder, and of the trial:
ut was on a Saturday night, and
camp meeting was over for the day.
In the edge of the grove we're three
bars where liquor was sold. Here
gathered all the men and boys who
went to~cemp meeting to drink whisky
and have good time-and great
many went for no other purpose. l
had been at the meeting two or three
days, and had been drinking much,
but was then becoming sober. 1t
was probably 10 o'clock when I found
a big goods box not far from the bar,
and 1 stretched myself out for nights
sleep. Up to this time Pres Metzker
and had been good friends; but Pres
had been drinking and was in an ugly
mood. He came along, making a
great deal of noise, and said to me
'D-n you, get up Then he grab
bed my legs and pulled me off. In
few minutes he jerked me down again
l said, Let me alone Pres l am sleepy.
He went away but : soon came back
and pulled me off third time, and
took my hat, threw it upon the ground
and stamped it. He said l had no bus
mess there; that ought to be at home
picking up chips for my ma l told
him that was none of his business,
and then l walked over to one of the
long counters and called for drink of
whisky. He followed, and just as
lifted the glass to my lips he caught
me by the throat, spilling the whisky.
1 set down my glass, and turned
around and said to him: Pres, if you
do that again will knock you down,
if you are bigger than l am; you have
run this thing far enough He had a
loaded whip in his hand and was de-
termined to have a fight with me. l
hit him terrible blow, knocking the
skin from one of my knuckles. We
clinched, and Pres rather 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 a hundred
people stood by watching the fight,
and when the boys saw Pres was get
ing the best of me they pulled him
off. We walked up to the bar, and
each taking drink of whiskey we
bumped glasses and we're friends
again. But Pres had not got through
with me. As we stood there, without
any warning, he hit me a blow on the
upper lip. He was going to hit me
with glass, when another man said,
Set that down; if you strike him
with that glass l will kill you Then
we parted. Metzker stole a quilt
from buggy near by, and, wrapping
it about him, walked off to bed. |
saw nothing more of him until the
next morning when he walked to the
bar with the stolen quilt still around
him. His right eye was swollen shut
He hathad II with GLASS IF vhiskav