George
(Bob) Dekle’s book entitled PrairieDefender: The Murder Trials of AbrahamLincoln provides a brilliant anatomy of Lincoln’s murder trials. It is a
great read on multiple levels. First, it reveals the true nature of Lincoln’s
trial practice, debunking myths with solid evidence and providing an accurate
description of his trial work. For instance, while some historians have
asserted that Lincoln shunned any criminal cases in favor a civil trial
practice, Dekle not only chronicles his murder trials but also notes that he
tried “. . .approximately one per year for his entire career, not a shabby
number for a general practitioner in a sparcely populated jurisdiction.” For
any Lincolnophile seeking to fully understand the man and his law practice,
this book is a must.
On a
second level, Prairie Defender is
packed with intriguing trial war stories. For example, the case of People versus Archibald and William Tailor was
so remarkable that as Dekle states, “Lincoln tried many interesting cases in
his career, but the facts of the case under consideration were so bizarre that
he felt compelled to reduce them to writing.” How often does it happen that an
alleged murder victim is found very much alive?
Some
of the stories and anecdotes in Prairie
Defender are amusing. In the People
versus Anderson trial, the prosecutor (who had arrived after the trial had
commenced) in closing argument pointed at a young man at the defense table and
said, “Gentlemen of the jury, if you wanted any additional evidence of this
man’s guilt, it would only be necessary for you to recur to his boldness and impudence
during this trial. You can see guilt written all over his countenance.” At that
point the young man rose and said, “General Linder, you are mistaken; I am not
the criminal, but my name is Rosette; I am a lawyer, and one of the counsel for
the defendants.”
Third,
Dekle, who is a veteran trial lawyer having tried over a hundred homicide cases,
provides astute analyses of Lincoln’s murder trials which are instructional for
trial lawyers who want to understand how they can improve their craft. Here is
a taste of the author’s discernment:
“A
prosecutor needs five ingredients to ensure a conviction: (a) an agreeable
jury, (e) an egregious crime, (i) an innocent victim, (o) an odious defendant
and (u) undeniable guilt. Of the five
vowels, (a) is the most important, and the next three, (e), (i), and (o) are
essential for the prosecutor to have that critical first ingredient. No matter
how undeniable the guilt of the accused, if the jurors are not upset about the
crime, if they dislike the victim, and if they sympathize with the defendant,
the verdict is going to be not guilty. On the face of things, the Wyant case
had all the vowels.. . . (Dekle goes on to apply the vowels to the case).”
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These
are but a few examples of why Prairie
Defender is both engaging and edifying. This is a book that belongs in the
library of anyone with an interest in trial work, Lincoln or just a good read.
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