The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-12-23

ana lu Lincoln handwriting the state
ment 'Hendon's half"
An idea Of his manner and method OF
trial, and the class and character Of the
litigation In which he was engaged. may
be- gathered from noting few OF his
eases
The Wright case was one. which he
volunteered to bring, on behalf OF the
widow Of a Revolutionary soldier. A
pension agent had procured for her the
sum Of $i00. and had retained half Of
it for his fec When the poor broxen
old woman hobbled into Lincom's office
mad told him her story, its pathos and
injustice aroused him. He fled suit to
recover the money. and the notes which
be- made for his argument before the
jury were as follows mo contract
not professional services-iinreason
ehargG-money retained by agent not
given by plaintin- Revolutionary war
describe valley -privstions-ic ice
soldiers bleeding plaintiffs hus-
band, soldier leaving home-skin defend
ant-close"
The familiar Duff Armstrong murder
case is another in which he volunteered.
He had known the defendants pa
rents when "a boy. a witness. Allen, had
sworn he had seen Armstrong strike the
deceased, by the light of the moon. Al
lens testimony was positive and must be
broken or the defendant would be con-
victed. Lincoln took an almanac. and
showed that the moon was not shining
at the time Of she tragedy. "Uncle
Abe" said Dun did his best talking
when he told the jury what true friends
my father and mother had been to him
in the early days. lie told how he used
TO 60 out to fathers and stay for days.
and how kind mother was 90 him, and
how many and many a dime he had
rocked me TO sleep Ga the old cradle"
IN 1855, Mccormick. the inventor OF
the reaper sued Nanny for infringe
ment. The palntin emplowed r. n.
Dickerson and Reverdy johnson. The
daiendant employed a.mcoln ard Edwin
N. stanton. Aside from these both par
ties had mechanical experts. The case
was tried at Cincinnati, and Lincoln
went there after devoting a great deal
Of time upon It. with the intention Of
making reputation through his speech
on Its trial II was decided that but
wu speeches were to be made on a side.
one by the mechanical experts. and on
the defendants side the other lay be
/ tween Lincoln and stanton At a con-
fereuee, Lincoln generously offered to
yield 20 Stanton, and said you make
! It," stanton abruptly said, Il WIN"
and took his hat and lefs This was
a grievous disappointment to Lincoln
and after returning home. he declined
I to discuss the case but he said TO Hern-
] don, That fellow Stanton handled me
roughly down there But ne was in
tensely interested in Stanton's argument,
and during the making OF fl. stood near
him, or paced back and forth in the
ROOM After it was over, walking on
I the street with n friend. he suddenly
stopped and. turning to him abruptly,
said: Emerson, I am going home; l am
going home 10 study law. These college
bred men. who have devoted their whole
lives to study, are coming west Don't
you see2 They have got as far as Gin
cinnad now; they win soon be in nli-
nois. / am going home to study law,
and when they get there, I Will be ready
Tor them"
The foregoing win give a slight idea of
the character Of the practice into which
Lincoln was called. Yet he had many
Important cases in the supreme court.
The reports Of Illinois show that from
lSAo, when he had his first case, to
1860, Notwithstanding all the Interrupt
tons that his practice sustained. nearly
u hundred cases bear his name.
Time and space viii not admit OF a
closer review sf this series OF unproce-
dented public service, but IN them his
every expression, his every act. was
married TO a high degree by the impress
Of his training at the bar lie was al
ways a lawyer. Ills public expressions
and speeches were practically an dis
cussions OF the legal and constitutional
aspect OF slavery and its relation TO oui
government as then constituted.
TIE best knowledge Of this life is not
) acquired by once learning but 10 be
firmly Impressed, must be learned again
and again. reviewed ana re-reyiewed
The teacher n tie school room learns
his book better than he ever did as a
student, and the lawyer In his daily lfe
learns the law well and thoroughly by
constant practice. But The court room
lawyer learns much else than books
much aside from the bare principles OF
iaw-he learns that great study OF lie
his fellow men.
Lincoln Was AN intense student IN this
field. While following the court in the
old Eighth circuit for years. as he did
DE- had Impressed on him daily, with un-
creasing reiterauon, that motive is the
spring from which flows am human ac-
tion. and that 70 deal inteuigenuy with
our fellow men, this must be recognized
ana acknowledged; that 10 disoredit and
lmpugn allenates, and never wins, that
those we would convert we must not
chide, and that Ia dealing with men, We
must conoede their honesty. prior TO as
sorting our own. He furthor learned the
lesson which we all learn sooner OF
later. that in every heated controversy
among men, the truth usually lies some
where between the extreme demands OF
each RE had impressed on him in a
way that &c became part OF his very be-
ing, that an OF the people know more
than "a part. ana that the great law OF
average Is what makes the world 90
smoothly that the people prefer compro-
mise 10 contests, and are always ready
20 pit this advantage agains that cone
eessl0u. As lawyer he learned tht
lesson no other walk OF life 20 wei
teaches, that he who IS ,contendina
against him has rights equal 10 his owl
--tHat ia. .he right TO have his day ir
court 10 he heard 81 bis own behalf
land fhen 20 have has just claims fun,
considered Tie learned chat an Of th'
great common people Gould be fooled
some ~ the tIme. and SOME az them nl
Of tte lme. but thas thcy c1uidnt al
he fooled an of the time,T aed that hs
Who would attempt 10 fool thfm part 81
fnn fIua seldom had a second rl1u..rfiI.