The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-02
LINCOLN'S JUSTICE.
True StOrp Told at Last of the
Almanac Witness.

tLALAEaEU l4Atft ONEatl-t
Bloomington. mis.-There have been so
many earDled versions of the famous IN
cident ~ Abraham lIncolns legai career
~ which he an almanac saved the Ire
OF man CHARGED with murder that II Is
appropriate jas. now to narrate the cor
rect one. as Did by r. W Armstrong, a
barber OF Mason City who Is the son OF
lhe man defended. aud who was known
as Dun Armstrong. He is very famli-
lar with the case. as but snort ume De
i Lore Ms father, who, oy me Way = sI. .l
lFlng. had related TO him the exact facts
IN the affair
In all the histories Of Lincoln and IN
most of the school books IL IS told now
Lincoln defended Armstrong and cleared
nun bE proving that the moon was not
shining when the witness said It was, and
tnat theF saw the murder committed Oy
lhe isht of the moon. Inc tatheT OF
Dun Armstrong and Jack Armstrong,
who lived near New Salem. ana who was
the leader OF the sClary Grove" boys. He
it was who had the celebrated wrestling
mateh with Lincoln back OF the old store
al New Salem.
Afterward they became great friends.
ne come OF Jack Armstrong ana OF his
VIE Hannah was always open TO Lincoln
and ne visited there many times.
q (. q
II was during the summer of 1891 tEat
Z DuH Armstrong. with a number OF other
young fellows, attended a camp meeting
twelve miles south of Mason City. The
young fellows were drinking, a was the
1 custom of those times. Dun became in-
VOWED in a quarrel with d companion
named MetZger one night. short dis
I lance from the camp meeting. Dun
claimed that he struck Metzger with his
/ INST lust under the eye, The stories in SO
many books that he used club or sling
snot' or other weapon, be insists are
/ false. The next morning Metzger was out
and around, but it is presumed that he
/ caught cold in the injured eye. At any
I rate. the injury affected his brain IN
some manner. and he died
There was a great connection as soor
] as Metzger died, and It was declared that
4 Armstrong and another man had DELHI
erateiv murdered him, with malice afore-
4 thought. Armstrong was arrested anc
/ placed IN Jail, first at Havana and later
at Beardstown. where the trial was held
+ At this time Lincoln was practicing Law
/ in Springfield.
/ The elder Armstrong mad just died anC
I the mother Of the prisoner was in grea1
1 trouble She. in her poverty and distress
/ thought of her old friend and oecasiona
| boarder. Abraham Lincoln. and asked hin
4 10 defend her boy. Lincoln Wiiiina1
! agreed to do SO. The evidence seemed
/ an against him. One whitney, swore ina
/ he saw Armstrong strike Mttzger with Z
I slingshOt and others corroborated tn
! story Lincoln asked each one how he saw
! the hight and the inVariable reply vas
1 by the light of the moon.
/ Lincoln then produced an almanac O
/ the current wear and proved by il tina
/ at the time they swUre they saw the as
/ sault in the moonlight the moon was In
| visible. Lincoln then addressed the jury
/ making. it is said. one Of the stronges
/ and most eloquent pleas ever made l.
/ that court. At the close he turned to tn
/ weeping mother and said: Aunt Hannah
! YOU can have your boy again before tn
/ sun goes down" And she did, for tn
| jury brought in a verdict of not guilty.
. - %
! Lincoln received no fee and asked none
I Afterward Armstrong enlisted in tn
/ army. He was the only support of hi
/ mother. the other children being small
| When Lincoln became president Mrs
Armstrong wrote to him. asking him t
release her son from the army that n
might come home, as she needed his ser
| vices
Neighbors told her that it was nOnsens
to write to the great Lincoln about sue
! a small matter as the discharge OF sol
der out of such great army. and es
pecially when Lincoln was so deeply i'm
meTsed in the momentous affairs of state
She only replied: please God, Abe wi
give back my bow to me once more. \
/ soon as Lincoln received the letter he OF
dered a discharge made out for WilliaT
Armstrong. and within ten days he wa
at home with his mother Armstrong sti
lives at Ashlsnd-1 He mas supported him
self since the war largely by raisin
] horses.