The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1897-02-11
LINCOLN A PLEADER.
FAMOUS MURDER TRIAL TX
WHICH HE FIGURED.
The Plea by Which He Secured the
AcquittaI of His Client-Did 1t for
the Sake of the Mother Who Had
Bcfricnded Him.
Abe'a Able Plea.

<hoS . ApiS lCds
The most sensational case in which
Abraham Lincoln was ever engaged was
that in which he defended Duff Arm
strong against the charge of murder. Arm
strong is still living, says Chicago ex-
change, and tells the story Of the alleged
murder and the trial
Armstrong, while at n camp meeting one
Saturday night, engaged in a fight with
one Pres Metzker. ZIP to this time"
says Armstrong, "Pres and I had been
good friends; but Pres had been drink
ing and was in an ugly mood. He had
loaded whip in his hand. l hit him ter
rible blow, knocking the skin from one of
my knuckles. Then we fought like tig-
ers. At last he got me under him, and
when the boys saw Pres was getting the
best of me they pulled him off. We walk
ed up to the bar. and, each taking drink
of whisky, we bumped glasses and were
friends again. l saw nothing more of him
until the next morning, when he walked
to the bar with stolen quilt around him.
His right eye was swollen shut. He bath
ed it with a glass of whisky, drank an
other glass, and then mounted his horse
and rode away. Several days after that
he died. Then the officers came and ar
rested me and put me in Jail.
Il 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
Armstrong. died. On his deathbed he said
to my mother: Hannah, sell everything to
clear Duff Those were almost his
last words.
After the change of venue to Boards
town Lincoln told my mother he would
defend me. At the trial l had about
twenty-five witnesses. The strongest wit
ness against me was Charles Allen. He
was the witness that swOre about the
moon: he swore it was full moon and
nlmsst overhead Uncle Abe asked him
over and over about it. but he stuck TO it.
Then he said he saw me strike Metzker
with 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. 'Unci.
Abe had him do it over again. After
Aliens testimony everybody thought |
would he convicted.
AFTER Uncle Abe had talked to the
jury little while. he said: Now, | will
show you that This man Aliens testimony
Is a pack of lies; that he never saw Arm
strong strike Metzker with a siung-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 il was
whether the moon had not risen. or
whether it had Set; but whatever il was il
upset Aliens story completely. He pass
ed the almanac To the jurors and they all
inspected it. Then Uncle Abe talked
about the fight. and showed that l had
acted 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 lie used
10 go out TO Jack Armstrong; and stay
for days; how kind mother was TO him,
and how. many II time. he had rocked ME
TO sleep in the old cradle. He said he was
not there pleading for me because he was
ptiu Iol IL puGHt W dS there 10 ueID II xOOQ
woman who had helped him when he need
ed help. Lawyer Walker made n good
speech for me. too but Uncle Abe's' beat
anything ever heard.
"As Uncle Abe finished his speech he
said: I hope this man will be a free man
before sundown.' The jury retired and
nearly everybody went to supper As soon
as the judge and the lawyers got back
from supper the jury was brought in.
They had to pass me, and l eyed them
closely for some hopeful sign. One of
them looked at me and winked. Then
knew it was all right; when the foreman
handed up the verdict of not guilty was
the happiest man in the world, reckon.
Uncle Abe would not charge my mother
a cent; he said her happiness over my
freedom was his sufficient reward"