The City Hall of Beardstown, Ill., formerly the Court House of Cass County, in which Duff Armstrong was tried for murder on May 7, 1858.

knew he hit him with a wagon hammer. During the trial Allen testified that Duff Armstrong hit Metzker with a sling-shot and I felt he was telling the truth until Mr. Lincoln proved by the almanac that Allen was so badly mistaken about it being a bright moonlight night; then Allen's whole testimony was discredited.'

To arrive at a sensible conclusion in this matter, I will re-capitulate the facts:

Metzker was engaged in a personal conflict, with at least two opponents, about ten o'clock of the night of August 29th, he died on the third day thereafter. A. P. Armstrong, then 17 years of age, who was present at the scene of the encounter, and who attended the trial says that at the time Metzker dragged his brother Duff off the bench or table, he spit in his face; that Duff was under the influence of whiskey; that Metzker was a large and powerful man, and Duff was one of twins, weighed about 140 pounds and not nearly so strong as Metzker; that Allen in describing the encounter in court, illustrated the manner in which Duff delivered his blows, which A. P. Armstrong in my interview with him repeated to me, by raising his right hand as high as his face and striking an "over-hand" blow. Allen was not hostile to the Armstrong people, as he agreed with them to stay away from the trial; I have examined the records, and find that the State's Att'y caused an attachment to issue for him on May 6th, which was returned served into open court on the next day. Mr. Brady states that Allen impressed him, and the other members of the jury, as a truthful witness. Had he not made the mistake of his location of the position of the moon, it is altogether likely that the eloquence of Abraham Lincoln could not have saved his client from punishment. The files in the case show, that 15 witnesses appeared in behalf of the defendant, and it is very likely that "eight or ten" of them testified, as Will Watkins related to Mr. Brady a few weeks after the trial. A cousin of Will Watkins who

lives in my city, tells me that he died several years since at his home in Menard county.

Hannah Armstrong married Samuel Wilcox, and moved to Iowa, where she died August 15, 1890, at the age of 79 years.

Duff, and three of his brothers enlisted in the civil war; about 1862, Duff was sick in an army hospital in the east; his mother wrote the President, telling him of the serious illness of her son, and asking him to send him home; Mr. Lincoln immediately sent an order for his discharge, and Duff returned to his mother, who nursed him back to health. He lived an honorable and useful life, and died in this county, on the 5th day of May, 1899, at the age of sixty-six years.

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