Abraham Lincoln in Our Own CountyBeardsley, Henry Mahan
History
Abraham Lincoln in Our Own County
Beardsley, Henry Mahan
Champaign County (Ill.) -- History; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
At another time, Oliver Davis, now judge at Danville, was opposed to
him in a case. Davis, in reviewing his opponent’s argument, repeated
again and again; Mr. Lincoln holds _this position_, Mr. Lincoln holds
_that_ position. Finally Lincoln looked up from where he sat, and
asked, with a twinkle in his eye: “That was a curious position,
wasn’t it?” Coming from any one else, so little a thing had not been
noticed; but as it was, the question destroyed a great deal of the
power of Mr. Davis’ argument.
Mr. Lincoln never cared to accumulate wealth. His charges were always
reasonable. There was once in our midst, a worthy carpenter by the
name of Campbell, who had taken a horse in part pay for some work
he had done. The horse proved to be unsound; and Campbell sued the
man from whom he had obtained it. Lincoln took the case for him, and
worked hard all of one day trying it. “I was standing by,” says one,
“when Mr. Campbell asked what the fee was. ‘Five dollars will do, I
guess,’ said Lincoln.” At one time, Lincoln had a case for the Illinois
Central Rail-road Company, and won it. He made his fee one thousand
dollars, which the company refused to pay. He sued the company for the
money; and during the trial of the case, several lawyers called upon
to testify to the value of the service rendered, placed it at five
thousand dollars.
There was a man for some time residing in Urbana, who used often to
speak of Lincoln’s kindness to him. It seems that the man had become
involved in a law suit upon the result of which much depended. He went
to several lawyers, who refused to take his case because they doubted
his ability to pay. He came to Lincoln and laid the matter before him,
showed him that if he lost the case, he was a ruined man. Lincoln
undertook the case for him, and won it. One day the man met Lincoln on
the street and stopped him to thank him for his services--said he could
not pay him then, and did not know how soon he would be able. “That’s
all right, my friend, that’s all right” said Lincoln, as he grasped the
man by the hand. “And would you believe it,” the client would add, with
tears in his eyes, as he told the incident, “He left five dollars in my
hand.”
When engaged in an important case, Lincoln was all absorbed in his
work. He would walk along the street lost in thought; and would not
even notice his best friends. “I have seen him,” says one, walk back
and forth in the court yard regardless of every thing around him.
He was a very careful lawyer. Long as he had practiced, he would never
write the simplest forms without his book before him. He was very kind
to young men just beginning their study. One time, when others were
laughing at one who was much embarrassed, in making out some forms new
to him, Lincoln arose, and speaking kindly to him, showed him what he
needed to know. He even spoke encouragingly to those who were just
beginning their practice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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