Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 2 (of 2) — John Shaqi
Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 2 (of 2)Herndon, William Henry
History
Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 2 (of 2)
Herndon, William Henry
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
forefathers in casting the tea overboard and asserting their right to
the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. In this case it is the only
defense the ladies have, for Tanner neither feared God nor regarded man.
Second, the law of the land, or statute law, and Tanner is recreant to
both. Third, the moral law, or law of God, and this is probably a law
for the violation of which the jury can fix no punishment." Lincoln
gave some of his own observations on the ruinous effects of whiskey in
society, and demanded its early suppression. After he had concluded, the
Court, without awaiting the return of the jury, dismissed the ladies,
saying: "Ladies, go home. I will require no bond of you, and if any fine
is ever wanted of you, we will let you know."
After Lincoln's death a fellow-lawyer paid this tribute to him:* "He
was wonderfully kind, careful, and just. He had an immense stock
of common-sense, and he had faith enough in it to trust it in every
emergency. Mr. Lincoln's love of justice and fair-play was his
predominating trait. I have often listened to him when I thought he
would certainly state his case out of court. It was not in his nature to
assume or attempt to bolster up a false position.** He would abandon his
case first.
* Joseph Gillespie, MS., Letter, Oct. 8, 1886.
** "Early in 1858 at Danville, Ill., I met Lincoln, Swett,
and others who had returned from court in an adjoining
county, and were discussing the various features of a murder
trial in which Lincoln had made a vigorous fight for the
prosecution and Swett had defended. The plea of the defense
was insanity. On inquiring the name of the defendant I was
surprised to learn that it was my old friend Isaac Wyant,
formerly of Indiana. I told them that I had been Wyant's
counsel frequently and had defended him from almost every
charge in the calendar of crimes; and that he was a weak
brother and could be led into almost everything. At once
Lincoln began to manifest great interest in Wyant's history,
and had to be told all about him. The next day on the way to
the court house he told me he had been greatly troubled over
what I related about Wyant; that his sleep had been
disturbed by the fear that he had been too bitter and
unrelenting in his prosecution of him. "I acted," he said,
"on the theory that he was 'possuming insanity, and now I
fear I have been too severe and that the poor fellow may be
insane after all. If he cannot realize the wrong of his
crime, then I was wrong in aiding to punish him.'"--Hon.
Joseph E. McDonald, August, 1888. Statement to J. W. W.
He did so in the case of Buckmaster for the use of Dedham vs. Beems and
Arthur, in our Supreme Court, in which I happened to be opposed to him.
Another gentleman, less fastidious, took Mr. Lincoln's place and gained
the case."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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