Mrs. Armstrong was too poor to hire a lawyer to defend her son, but
Lincoln wrote to her that he would gladly do it for nothing.
When the day of the trial came, the chief witness was sure that he
saw young Armstrong strike the man dead. Lincoln questioned him
closely. He asked him when it was that he saw the murder committed.
The witness said that it was in the evening, at a certain hour, and
that he saw it all clearly because there was a bright moon. Are you
sure? asked Lincoln. Yes, replied the witness. Do you swear to it?
I do, answered the witness. Then Lincoln took an almanac out of his
pocket, turned to the day of the month on which the murder had been
committed, and said to the court: The almanac shows that there was
no moon shining at the time at which the witness says he saw the
murder.[11] The jury was convinced that the witness had not spoken
the truth; they declared the prisoner "Not guilty," and he was at
once set free.
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