File:Lincoln, the lawyer (1906) (14741000856).jpg

Identifier: lincolnlawy1762hillin (find matches)
Title: Lincoln, the lawyer
Year: 1906 (1900s)
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: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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rt-houses were log-built,as in Indiana, but in some districts the sessionswere held in the bar-rooms of taverns, and the ab-sence of all formality in the proceedings is bestillustrated by the fact that in the Circuit Court ofWashington County, held by Judge John Rey-nolds, the sheriff usually heralded his Honor bysinging out: Come in, boys! Our John isa-goin to hold court! to which cordial invi-tation those having business with the law re-sponded. Another sheriff in Union County made a laud-able efforts to meet the requirements of the occa-sion by shouting this singular announcement: O, yes! O, yes! O, yes! The honorable judgeis now opened! Both the bench and the bar had become com-paratively dignified by the time Lincoln wasadmitted to practise; but Governor Ford, writ-ing at a much later day, expressed a fine scorn ofall formalities, and his comments indicate thatthe Illinois courts were not offensively ceremo-nious even in the fifties. In some countries, he complacently observes,62
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From a portrait owned by the Illinois Historical Society Judge John ReynoldsA typical judge of the primitive Illinois courts PRIMITIVE ILLINOIS COURTS the people are so ignorant or stupid that theyhave to be humbugged into a respect for theinstitutions and tribunals of the State. Thejudges and lawyers wear robes and gowns andwigs, and appear with all the excellent gravitydescribed by Lord Coke. Wherever means likethese are really necessary to give authority togovernment, it would seem that the bulk of thepeople must be in a semi-barbarous state atleast. There was certainly nothing barbarous aboutthe administration of the criminal law in Illinoisbefore that State became what we call civilized.Indeed, the judges were humane to a fault, andwhenever it became necessary for them to sen-tence a prisoner, they were careful to state thatthey were but the humble agencies of justice.Possibly this extreme modesty reflected a whole-some self-depreciation, but there is just a chancethat it evidenc

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