Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1891 — ONE OF LINCOLN’S CASES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ONE OF LINCOLN’S CASES.

The Great Man Whittled a Little Windmill to Convince the Jury. In the year 1848 there was a memorable lawsuit in Chicago between Parker and Hoyt over the infringement of a patent right of a water-wheel, says the Chicago Tribune. Adams, Butterfield, and others were attorneys for the plaintiff and Abraham Lincoln appeared for the defendant. During the progress of the suit John Brink, Esq., now of Crystal Lake, HI., chanced to be in the city, and the following is his account of it: The trial lasted thirteen days and excited an unusual amount of interest. When Mr. Brink reached the city he found every one talking about the suit and the great Supreme Court lawyer

Abraham Lincoln. Judge Drummond of the United States District Court presided at the trial. He sustained Lincoln in all. of his propositions to the court, and in all of his objections to the positions taken by the opposing counsel. In the course of the trial a flume was made and water applied to the wheels for the purpose of demonstrating to the jurors the exact facts in the case. Indian meal was thrown into the water to show the jury more clearly 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 had been in progress two or three days. But this man Lincoln seems to hold you five fellows pretty snug. ” Then Adams said: “I would rather fight every law'yer in the State of Hlinois than Abe Lincoln, because he is a natural man, a natural lawyer, a natural mechanic, in fact a natural anything, and he knows more about that waterwheel than the man who made it. and I don’t know anything about it.” While the attorneys for the plaintiff were making their pleas Lincoln sat there, and, although listening attentively, whittled out a pine stick about half an inch square and a foot long. From that he cut off two pieces about three inches in length, and with these two pieces he made the 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 he took it apart and placed it in his pocket. There 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 during his plea, and said if ho made any mistakes in regard to their testimony he wished them to correct him. When presenting his side 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 oldtime windmill, and that Hoyt had not infringed upon Parker. Adams was to make the closing plea, and in Lincoln’s speech he anticipated what Adams would say, and by this means weakened the force of his plea. Lincoln won nis case, and the jury were out only a little over two hours.

MR. LINCOLN’S WINDMILL.