he youth was one of the
wildest of the Clary's Grove boys, and a prosecuting witness told how,
by the light of the moon, he saw the blow struck. Lincoln subjected the
witness to one of his dreadful cross-examinations and then confronted
him with the almanac of the year in which the crime was committed to
show that the moon had set at the hour at which the witness claimed to
have seen the blow struck by Armstrong. The boy was acquitted and
Lincoln would accept no fee but the tears and gratitude of his old
friends.

Another interesting case was one in which a principal witness was the
aged Peter Cartright who had more than ten years before waged a campaign
against Lincoln for Congress. Cartright was the grandfather of "Peachy"
Harrison who was charged with the murder of Greek Crafton. It was a
dramatic moment when the old Methodist minister took the stand in front
of Lincoln, and as his white head bowed, Lincoln had him tell how, as
Greek Crafton lay dying, among his last words were "I want you to say to
the man who killed me that I forgive him." After such a dying
declaration and such a scene Lincoln was sure to make a speech that
would move the hearts of any jury with pity and forgiveness such as he
himself always felt for all souls in trouble; and Harrison was
acquitted. It was such experiences at the bar that made him the great
lawyer that he was; and the great advocate of whatever he believed to
be right; and prepared him to win the great cause of humanity before
the whole people of the nation and of the world.

In 1852 Lincoln campaigned for Scott. In 1854 he seemed to be losing
interest in politics when the news of the abrogation of the Missouri
Compromise aroused him. This had been brought about by Douglas, the new
leader of the Democrats, then one of the most influential men in
Congress, and after the days of Webster, Clay and Calhoun, one of the
foremost politicians in America. Douglas came back to Illinois to find
many of his constituents in the North displeased with what they thought
he had done to please the Democrats of the South. They thought that he
was sacrificing the ideal of limiting slavery in order to advance his
ambitions to become President. He set about to win back his state. He
spoke in Springfield; and a few days later, Lincoln replied in a speech
that delighted his friends and convinced them that in him they had a
champion afire with enthusiasm for the cause of freedom.

Somewhat against his