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LINCOLN SUES A HORSE THIEF IN SPRINGFIELD. LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 1807-1865. Autograph Document Signed twice ("Lincoln and Herndon" and "A. Lincoln"), being a brief submitted in a lawsuit over the sale of a stolen horse, image 1
LINCOLN SUES A HORSE THIEF IN SPRINGFIELD. LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 1807-1865. Autograph Document Signed twice ("Lincoln and Herndon" and "A. Lincoln"), being a brief submitted in a lawsuit over the sale of a stolen horse, image 2
Lot 104

LINCOLN SUES A HORSE THIEF IN SPRINGFIELD.
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 1807-1865.
Autograph Document Signed twice ("Lincoln and Herndon" and "A. Lincoln"), being a brief submitted in a lawsuit over the sale of a stolen horse,

14 October 2020, 13:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$6,325 inc. premium

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LINCOLN SUES A HORSE THIEF IN SPRINGFIELD.

LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. 1807-1865. Autograph Document Signed twice ("Lincoln and Herndon" and "A. Lincoln"), being a brief submitted in a lawsuit over the sale of a stolen horse, 2 pp recto and verso, folio (13 x 9 1/2 inches), Sangamon County Circuit Court, Springfield, IL, March 1, 1858, leaf creased, separated at upper two horizontal folds, spotted and toned, housed in double sided frame.

In this brief, Lincoln tells the story of William Caldwell, the owner of a livery stable outside of Springfield, who was tricked into buying a stolen horse by David Benton. Benton offered Caldwell "one bay gelding broken for the sum of one hundred dollars ... as he needed a horse in his business he purchased the said horse and gave Defendant twenty-five dollars and a cheque drawn on the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Springfield" for the rest. "Shortly thereafter ... the Sheriff of Champaign County, State of Illinois, came to [Caldwell] and informed him that the said horse was the personal property of a resident of the town of Urbana in Champaign county...." Lincoln closes by stating that he is bringing suit to recover the purchase price. On the verso, he adds a note agreeing to a change of venue to the 8th Judicial Circuit, which covers Champaign County.

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