File:Lincoln, the lawyer (1912) (14581059040).jpg

Identifier: lincolnlawye00hill (find matches)
Title: Lincoln, the lawyer
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Hill, Frederick Trevor, 1866-1930
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Lawyers Presidents
Publisher: New York : Century Co.
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: State of Indiana through the Indiana State Library

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enied; but when thebridge was accidentally burned, all the river craftgathered at the spot and let their whistles loosein sheer joy at the disaster. Under these circum-stances it required a cool head and an even temperto carry the day, and Lincoln was equal to theoccasion. His argument, one of his few legalspeeches which have been preserved, was rej>ortedby the Hon. Robert Hitt, and it demonstratesLincolns conspicuous ability in presenting closequestions of law, and indicates his notable de-velopment as a lawyer.1 iThe writer is indebted to the courtesy of the editors of theChicago Tribune for a full copy of Mr. Hitts report of thisspeech. The case was entitled Hurd et al. v. Ptailroad BridgeCo.. and it was tried in the United States Circuit Court, Hon.John McLean presiding, September, 1857. Colonel Peter A. Dey, one of the engineers of the old Mississippiand Missouri Railroad, now living in Iowa, was present at thistrial, and advises the writer that Mr. Lincolns examination of 260
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LEGAL REPUTATION Another notable civil cause in which he was en-gaged was known as the sand-bar case,1 in-volving certain accretions to the shore of LakeMichigan of vast importance to the IllinoisCentral Railroad, and his discussion of the lawon behalf of his client displayed high ability andresourcefulness. Much of Lincolns effectiveness in this class ofwork was due to his mental independence. Pre-cedents did not make him over-confident, andthey never balked him. Rack of the recordedadjudication he sought the reason, and if it didnot satisfy his mind, he would not accept it. Veryfew lawyers possess sufficient independence andoriginality for research of this character, and theaverage brief, though it often displays great in-genuity in reconciling divergent authorities, witnesses was very full and no point escaped his notice. I thoughthe carried it almost to prolixity, but when he came to his argumentI changed my opinion. He went over all the details with greatminuteness, until court,

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