The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-09
TRIED CASES WITH LINCOLN
Col. o. s. Morse Was Associated With
Him In Illinois.

Him in Illinois.
Burlington, Feb. 9.-Col. D. S.
Morse, an old resident of this city, is
probably the only man in New Eng
land who enjoys the distinction Of
having at one time been associated
with Abraham Lincoln in the trial of
law cases. DR.. Morse was born in
Hardwick, June 9, 1888. He studied
law in the offices of Merrill & Willard
at Montpelier and at the age of 20
went to Illinois. At about that time
Ford county was established and Pax
ton was named as the shire town. Mr.
Morse settled at Paxton and was the
first district attorney of Ford county
1t was here that he met Mr.. Lin
coin and for one year he with the bar
travelled the eighth judicial district
with the future president, sometimes
by train, sometimes on horseback.
Judge David Davis, afterward a mem
Der of the United States supreme
court, was the presiding judge. One
of the cases in which Mr.. Morse was
counsel was that of Kentucky parties
against land grabbers for the posses
sion of several thousand acres of
prairie land. He, being a mere boy,
engaged Lincoln as his assistant and
after a hard-fought trial they won
their case. This was in 1859, before
Lincoln had ever been thought of as a
presidential possibility.
Mr. Morse recalls that during this
litigation his southern clients ser,
him ten-gallon keg of whiskey as
present This liquor was placed or
tap in Mr.. Morse's office. Here also
was the only law library in Paxton
and while the whiskey lasted the
lawyers found occasion to consult the
law brooks so often that Judge Davis
suggested that Mr. Morse bring his
library to the court house. Mr.. Morse
says that the whiskey lasted but -four
days. Amusements were few in Pax
ton and the attorneys were wont to
spend their evenings in playing poker
Lincoln, however, seemed always too
busy to take a hand, neither did he
share in the contents of the ten.gal.
Ion keg.
Lincoln, Mr.. Morse recalls, was al
ways ready to participate in a joke
and Vae worry popular with his brothor
attorneys On one occasion Ward II.
Lamon, afterwards marshall of the
District of Columbia, was attending
court at Paxton. During the recess
he had been taking part in a game OF
ball in front of the hall that served
as a court house. When court recon.
vened he was one of the last to enter
the room. During the game he had
unconsciously torn the neither poi
tion of his trousers, and through the
broad rent the tail of his shirt pro
jected AS Mr. Lamon stood with his
back to the lawyers table, addressing
the jury, he presented an amusing APP
pearance. One of the lawyers wrote
note, calling attention to the plight
of Lamon, and as it passed down the
table each attorney added something
to it. Lincoln, who was busy with
some papers, glanced at the missiye.
and hastily scrubbed across the bot
tom of the sheet, Cannot subscribe
anything TO the end in view"
During 1859, Mr. Morse continued
to be more or less in contract with
Mr.. Lincoln, and there are probably
few men living today who possess a
more vived recollection of the marty
red president in the days when he
was thought of only as Abe Lincoln
a good story teller, a brilliant attor
ney and a boon companion.