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Show ONE OF LINCOLN'S EARLY CASES. Cba Great Hen Whittled Little Wla-mill Wla-mill to Convince tha Jarj. In the year 1818 there was a memorable mem-orable lawsuit in Chicago between Parker and Hoyt over the infringement infringe-ment of a patent right of a water-wheel. water-wheel. Adams, Buttei tield and others were attorneys far the plaintiff and Abraham Lincoln appeared for the defendant. During; tho progress of the suit John Brink, Esq., now of Crystal Lake, III., chanced to be in the city, and the following is his account of it: The trial lasted thirteen days and excited an unusual amount nf interest. Wbtju Mr. Brink reached the city e found every one talking about the suit and the great Supreme court lawyer Abrnhatn Lincoln. Judge Drummond of tho United States District court presided pre-sided at the trial. He sustained Lincoln Lin-coln iu all of his propositions to tha court, and iu nil of his objections to the positions taken by ilio opposing counsel. Iu the course of the trial a flume was made and water applied to the wheels lor the purpose of demonstrating demonstrat-ing to the jurors the exact facts iu the case. Indian meal was thrown into the water to show the jury more clearly clear-ly the effect of the water on the wheels. Soon after this experiment had been made Lawyer Adams said to Mr. Brink: "Don't you think we have the best of the case?" Mr. Brink replied: "I do not know that I am a suitable judge, as I did not arrive here until the suit hud been iu progress two or three days. But this man Lincoln seems to hold you live fellows pretty snug." Then Adams said: "I would rather light every lawyer in the state of Illinois Illi-nois tlniu Abu Lincoln, because he is a natural man, a natural lawyer, a natural nat-ural mechanic, in fact a natural anything, any-thing, and he knuws more about that waterwhcel than the man who made it, aud I don't know anything about While the attorneys for the plaintiff were making their pleas Lincoln sat there, and, although listening attentively, atten-tively, whittled out a pine stick about half an inch square and afoot long. From that he cut off two pieces about three inches in length, and with these two pieces he made t lie wings of a windmill. He fastened them together by running a pin through the center of the two wings and that pin into the end of the other and longer stick. After having put it together he blew upon it, and when it worked to his satisfaction sat-isfaction he took it apart and placed it in his pocket. Thcro were eighty-four witnesses on the two sides, and Mr. Brink thinks that Lincoln took no notes, but trusted wholly to memory. He requested the. witnesses to be present duriug his plea, aud said if tie made any mistakes in regard to their testimony he wished them to correct cor-rect him. While presenting his sida of the case he took out the above-mentioned windmill from his pocket and, putting it together, blew upon it and explained it to the jury. He assured them that if any infringement had been made Parker had infringed upon the old-time windmill, and that Hoyt had not infringed upon Parker. Adams Ad-ams was to make the closing plea, and iu Lincoln's speech he anticipated what Adams would say, and by this means weakened the force of his plea, Lincoln won his case, and the jury were out only a little over two hours. Chicago Tribune. |