William McNeely to Abraham Lincoln, 6 November 18581
Petersburg Ills Nov. 6/58Mr A. LincolnDear SirI am Administrator of ^the Estate of^ Lewis Saathoff Deceased (Letters of Administration Read on or about the 3 day of January 1857) The Tonica & Petersburg Rail Road. Co laid in a claim of 2 Shears[Shares] Vs. Said Estate.2 I Refused to admit it, they Sued & gained it in the Probate Court I took an Appeal to the curcuit court. Walker of Havana was my council & Smith of Jacksonville for the Tonica & Petersburg Co. It was tried by the court Judge Harret no Jury Smith asked for it to be taken under advisedment & Decided at Beardstown court which came off a few days ago in concurrance of Some Books which could not be got Here; Walker writes me on the 23 Inst from Havana the case was Decided in my favor & that Smith will Probably take an
Appeal to the Supreme court & that I will See to the case as it is doubtful about his being in attendance there
this winter,3 Know ^If this^ I think you to Appeal Should be taken I wish you to attend to it for me If you cane not be there get Some Suitable Lawer to do it for & I will make it all right please drop me aline So I may know you have Received this;4
your old friend as EaverWm McNeely<Page 2>
[Envelope]
PET[ERSBURG] Ill.[Illinois]
NOV[NOVEMBER] 25Mr A. Lincoln Esq[Esquire]SpringfieldIllinois
NOV[NOVEMBER] 25Mr A. Lincoln Esq[Esquire]SpringfieldIllinois
1William McNeely wrote and signed this letter. He also wrote Abraham Lincoln’s name
and address on the envelope.
2The Tonica & Petersburg Railroad Company began selling public stock subscriptions
to raise funds to construct a railroad between Tonica, Illinois, and Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1856. Lewis Sathoff of Menard County subscribed for two stocks, pledging to pay a total of $200. He died before the Illinois General Assembly publicly incorporated the company in January 1857. Sathoff still owed a balance on
his subscription at the time of his death.
Tonica & Petersburg Railroad Company, Plaintiff in Error, v. William McNeely, Administrator,
etc., Defendant in Error, 21 Ill. (Peck) (1860), 71-72; “An Act to Incorporate the Tonica and Petersburg Railroad
Company,” 15 January 1857, Private Laws of Illinois (1857), 9-16; Tonica & Petersburg RR v. McNeely, 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), https://lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138001.
3The railroad company did, in fact, appeal the circuit court’s decision to the Illinois Supreme Court. The Supreme Court heard the case in its January 1859 term and ultimately ruled in
the railroad’s favor and remanded the case back to the Menard County Circuit Court.
At the remanded trial, McNeely failed to appear, and the court ruled for the railroad
and awarded $200.
Tonica & Petersburg Railroad Company, Plaintiff in Error, v. William McNeely, Administrator,
etc., Defendant in Error, 21 Ill. (Peck) (1860), 71-72; Tonica & Petersburg RR v. McNeely, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, https://lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138001.
4Lincoln responded to McNeely on November 30, agreeing to “attend to” the case. However, Lincoln’s law
partner, William Herndon, had previously agreed to represent the railroad. Lincoln does not appear as an attorney
of record for either the defendant or plaintiff in the Illinois Supreme Court case
of Tonica and Petersburg Railroad Co. v. McNeely.
Tonica & Petersburg RR v. McNeely, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, https://lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138001; Tonica & Petersburg Railroad Company, Plaintiff in Error, v. William McNeely, Administrator,
etc., Defendant in Error, 21 Ill. (Peck) (1860), 71-72.
Autograph Letter Signed, 2 page(s), Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress (Washington, DC).