Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

Theodore L. Wright to Abraham Lincoln, 23 January 18571
Beloit, Jan. 23. 1857.Abraham Lincoln, Esq.[Esquire]Dear Sir,
Enclosed please find Drft[Draft], on Chicago for one hundred Dollars, ($100),2 which I remit to you by request of L. G. Fisher, Esq. of this place, as per his letter to me from Madison under date of the 18^th inst. just received.

Please acknowledge on receipt, and oblige
Yours truly,T. L. Wright.

[ endorsement ]
01/27/1857
Lincoln, Abraham (President)

This 27^th Jan^y 1857. I received the above letter, and enclosed draft, of one hundred dollars, which draft I retain, & return the letter, with this receipt3
A. Lincoln–4

1Theodore L. Wright wrote and signed this letter.

2The enclosed draft has not been located.

3This payment is related to legal work Lincoln performed on behalf of Lucian G. Fisher related to the case Dillingham v. Fisher. At the request of David Davis in February 1856, Lincoln examined Fisher’s case and, in March 1856, drafted a detailed legal opinion of its strengths. Lincoln believed Fisher would triumph if the case ever came to trial. Both Davis and Lincoln were apparently unaware at the time that in January 1856, Paul Dillingham had sued Fisher in an action of ejectment in Wisconsin’s Rocky County Circuit Court. Dillingham claimed that in December 1855, he purchased two lots of land worth $6,000 in Beloit, Wisconsin—land which he claimed Fisher was occupying illegally. Fisher pled not guilty to this charge, asserting that he had purchased the land legally and possessed valid title to the land. The case went to trial on February 26, 1856. The jury ruled that Fisher was not guilty, and Judge James R. Doolittle ordered that Dillingham pay Fisher for $10.10 for costs associated with the case.
In June 1856, Dillingham appealed the decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In December 1856, the court upheld the Rocky County Circuit Court’s ruling. Dillingham then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In January 1858, however, Dillingham and Fisher reached an agreement, and, in January 1859, the court dismissed the case.

Lincoln did not serve as an attorney in either the initial case or the two subsequent appeal cases. He received at least $120 in total for services rendered.
Dillingham v. Fisher, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138030; http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138031; http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138032.

4Lincoln wrote and signed this endorsement.