Abraham Lincoln in Our Own County

by Henry Mahan Beardsley

‘How much ground did the contestants cover over?’

‘About one acre’.

‘About one acre’, I repeated musingly; ‘well now witness, tell me, wasn’t that just about the smallest crop of a fight off, of an acre of ground that you have ever heard of?’ ‘That’s so stranger. I’ll be gol-darned if it wasn’t.’ The jury” said Mr. Lincoln, giving his leg a twitch, and waiting for the roar of laughter to subside, “fined my client just ten cents”.

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.

Lincoln made several speeches in our county. In the Fall of 1856, he spoke from the court house in Urbana, upon the constitutionality of the action of Congress with regard to slavery in the territory. The county paper of the time speaks highly of the effort of its power and logic, and of the speaker’s ability.

At one time he spoke in what is known as the goose-pond church, a little building near the Doane House. During his speech, he had occasion to read from some paper which he had in his posession. His eyesight was beginning to fail him; and it was with great difficulties that he could see to read. He held the paper off at arm’s length, and then drew it to him, moving it back and forth. Finally some one back in the crowd yelled out: “Put on your specks.” “Ah,” said Lincoln reaching out his long bony arm, far as he could, “My eyes are all right, but my arm is too short.”