The San Francisco call., 1897-03-14
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was giving me a CONF mparson between
Senator Blank. who had bonn bastic
style of expression, and Representative
Blank, who was plain spoken. Senator
Blank, said Lincoln, would say, "that is
grand, gaudy and IMPOSING as his sa-
tanic majesty exclaimed when he adorned
his caudal appendage with the cerulean
tints OF the imperial heavens" But Rep
resentative Blank would merely remark:
"'Isn't that pretty as the devil said
when he painted his tail sky blue"
'An example of Lincoln s sense OF honor
was shown me in certain land deal. At
one of the Government land offices in
Illinois some of the best sections were
falsely recorded as entered The man in
charge of the Office, after getting nearly
thirty thousand acres thus disposed OF
died suddenly. His confidential clerk
offered to sell the land 10 a syndicate,
which com bination offered Lincoln share
OF the stock if he would act as its attorney.
"Not knowing of the false entries but
fearing the business might drive some
settlers from their holdings, Lincoln de-
clared: 81 wouldn't dispossess an honest
man of a foot of land for all the money
there is in it, 1t was explained to him
that no bona-fde settlers were to be dis
turbed, and then he engaged in the enter
prise. l was employed to make examina-
tion as to whether certain parts of this
land appeared on the Assessors books.
Lincoln went to Washington and inter
viewed Commissioner Thomas 81. Hen
bricks OF the General Land Office( (afterward
ice-President). Hendricks said the land
could only be entered by public sale at the
Illinois Office. A date for such sale was
fixed, but somehow when that time arrived
most of the land had been taken.
1.-THE candor and clearness with which
Lincoln presented his statements in max
ing speech were remarkably convincing.
| witnessed an instance of this kind one
time in court in Springfield when post
master was ontrial. He had been arrested
by a postofice detective, as inspectors
were known IN those days for piifering
money from letters. The jury had been
chosen and the evidence heard. The case
was strong one against the man. The
prosecuting attorney made his speech,
then Lincoln spoke for the defendant.
Gentlemen of the jury. said he, L am
not going to be so positive as to my clients
| innocence as the prosecution he's been
certain of his guilt. In fact if you believe
what he says you no doubt think the de-
fendant guilty. l will not say whether
think him innocent or guilty. But, gentle
men, you are not here to judge this man
by what l believe or you believe. nor by
what the prosecuting counsel says. You
are here to Judge him by the law and evi-
dence, and l can convince you in few
minutes that there is nothing in either to
convict this man.
"Lincoln's candor gained the confidence
of the Jurors and when he had analyzed
the evidence and explained the law they
were ready to believe everything that he
had said. 1t took the jury but twenty
minutes to find the defendant n OF guilty.
"a remarkable feature in Lincoln's life
which l think his biographers have over
looked was that almost from boyhood
he seemed to know he had a great WORE
to perform. There was in Illinois Metho.
dist preacher named Peter Akers. He
had formerly been lawyer. and was ad-
mitted to the bar at the same time and
place with Henry Clay, whom he closely
resem bled. Akers was a man of profound
scholarship and SURPRISING eloquenc ce.
He was a pronounced abolitionist. On