- Collection:
- McDuffie Museum Collection
- Title:
- Letter, Abraham Lincoln on legal strategy, Springfield, 1853
- Creator:
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
- Date of Original:
- 1853-06-27
- Subject:
- Legal assistance to farmers
Real property--Illinois
Injunctions--Illinois
Civil procedure--Illinois
Judgments--Illinois - Location:
- United States, Illinois, Sangamon County, Springfield, 39.80172, -89.64371
- Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Two-page handwritten letter from Abraham Lincoln to Thomas Johnson Turner and one page of description. Autographed letter signed. Two pages (including integral address leaf) two-sided, Small Quarter, Springfield, IL, June 27 1853. Following Lincoln's tenure as a member of the US House of Representatives, he returned to his successful law practice in Springfield, at which time he wrote this letter to "Hon. T.J. Turner" of Freeport, Illinois. At the time, Thomas Johnston Turner was a successful lawyer in Freeport, Illinois (having once service as Judge of the Probate Court of Stephenson County) and was busy establishing the first weekly newspaper (Prairie Democrat) in Stephenson County. Lincoln writes in full: "Dear Sir, Your letter of the 20th reached me, day-before yesterday. I had, the day before, written to Adams to be on hand with his witnesses but, at the request of Judge Logan, who is Kemper's attorney, I put in a Post-script, saying to Adams, if he was agreed, the cause should be continued over the summer term. On subsequent reflection, I rather wish Adams may not agree. I have the case fresh in my mind, and therefore wish to keep it going till it is finished. I have already drafted a Bill of Exceptions, and my plan is to put the common law suit through the forms of a second trial, up to a verdict (which must be against us, under Judge D's view of the law) except, & save all the points, and then, before judgement, file our Bill and get an injunction. I shall begin [sic] preparing a Bill this afternoon, which I wish to file during the evening term; and I believe I will do this, Mr Adams must come down to swear to the Bill. In no event can we be ready for proof in the chancery suit at this time, so that we will need no other witness than the one that was here last summer. I wrote Mr Adams about a Register's certificate & if he can find one or two missing tax receipts, let him bring thing. I should be glad to see you & shake you by the hand; but as there is no contested jury question, I scarcely think you need be at the trouble & expense of coming. All the law questions which can arise at this term, the Judge has already decided. Very truly yours A. Lincoln." Lincoln corresponded with Turner about this case over a period of several years. It concerns Lincoln's client, Adam Adams, a farmer residing in Ogle County, and a question regarding the purchase of a parcel of land. Because records of the United States District Court for this period are not available, efforts to further identify circumstances and participants have met with little result. This letter and the further correspondence between Lincoln and Turner regarding this case, are listed in Basler's Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. 3 images.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:mcdm_mcd_mcd0034
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/mcdm/mcd/do:mcd0034
- Language:
- eng
- Holding Institution:
- McDuffie Museum
- Rights:
-