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Show WINNING A LAWSUIT INCIDENT IN LEGAL CAREER OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Simple Scheme Evolivid In His Shrewd Drain by Which He sVed His Client, "Duff" Armstrcnn, m Death on the Gallows. Thero havotjeen so many garbled vorsions of tho famous incident in Abraham Lincoln's legal career ln which, ho by an alrannao saved the ;lifo of a man charged with murder that it is appropriate Just now to nar-rato nar-rato tho correct one, as told by It. W. Armstrong, a barber of Mason City, who Is tho son of tho man dofondod, and who wa8 known as "Duff" Armstrong. Arm-strong. Ho Is very familiar with the case, as but a short tlmo boforo his father, who, by the way, Is still living, had t elated to him tho exact facts ln tho affair. In all the histories of Lincoln and in most of tho school books It Is told how Lincoln defended Armstrong nnd cleared him by proving that tho moon waa not shining when tho murder was committed "by tho light of tho moon." Tho father of Duff Armstrong was Jack Armstrong, who lived near Now Salem, and who was tho leader of tho "Clary Grovo" boys. Ho It waa who had tho celebrated wrestling match with Lincoln back of tho old storo at New Salem. . Afterward thoy became great friends, Tno homo of Jack Armstrong and of his wife Hannah was always I open to Lincoln, and ho visited thero nianytlmes. I It was during tho summer of 1857 that Duff Armstrong, with a number 1 of other young fellows, attended a camp meeting twelve mllos south of Mason City. Tho young fellows wcro , drinking, ns was tho ciutom of those times. Duff becamo involved ln a quarrel with a companion named Motzgor ono night a short distance flora tho camp meeting. Duff claimed l that ho struck Mctzgor with his fist Just uudertho eye. Tho storlea In bo many books that ho used a club or slingshot or other weapon, ho insists are false Tho next morning Metzger ,waa out and around, but it is presumed pre-sumed that ho caught cold ln tho Injured In-jured oyo. At any rato, tho injury affected his brain in somo manner, i and ho' died. j ; Thoro was a groat commotion ns toon as Motzgcr died, and it waa declared de-clared that Armstrong and another man had deliberately murdered him, with malice aforethought. Armstrong Arm-strong was arrested and placed in Jail, first at Havana, and lator at Beards-town, Beards-town, where tho trial waa hold. At ills tlmo Lincoln was practicing law i jjiTTOf'eiuer Armstrong' had Juatdied 5pd tho mother of tho prisoner wa3 in reat trouble. Sho, ln her povorty and distress, thought of her old friend ' and occasional boarder, Abraham Lincoln, Lin-coln, and asked him to defond her boy. Lincoln willingly ngreod to do so. Tho evidenco seemed all against him. Ono witness sworo that ho saw Armstrong strlko Metzger with a slingshot and others corroborated tho story. Lincoln asked each ono how he saw tho light, and the invarlablo reply re-ply was, "By tho light of tho moon." Lincoln then produced an almanac of tho current year and proved by it that at tho tlmo they sworo thoy Baw tho assault ln the moonlight tho moon was invisible. Lincoln then addressed tho jury, making, it Is said, ono of the Btrongest and most eloquent pleas ever made ln that court. At tho closo ho turned to tho weeping mother and fcald: "Aunt Hannah, you can have your boy again beforo tho sun goes down.!' And sho did, for tho Jury brought in a verdict of not guilty. Lincoln received no feo and asked none. Afterward Armstrong enlisted in tho army. Ho was tho only support sup-port of his mothor, the other children being small. When Lincoln becamo Presldont Mrs. Armstrong wroto to him, asking him to relcaso her son from tho army that ho might como home, as she needed his services. Noighbors told her that It was non-Dense non-Dense to write to tho groat Lincoln about such a small matter as tho discharge dis-charge of a soldier out of such a great army, and especially whon Lincoln was so deeply immersed in tho momentous mo-mentous affairs of stato. Sho only ro-piled: ro-piled: "Please God, Abo will give back my boy to me once moro." As soon aa Lincoln received tho letter ho ordered a dlecharge made out for William Armstrong, and within ten daya he was at homo with hla mothor. Armstrong Arm-strong still Uvea at Ashland. He has supported himself largoly since the war by raising horses. |
