Lincoln's Failed Murder Case

This historical marker at the Carthage Courthouse details an 1839 case where Abraham Lincoln was hired to defend an Irish deckhand who was accused of a crime. Lincoln lost the trial, which led to his client being executed three weeks after the decision.

William Fraim was on trial for the murder of a shipmate while they were docked in Schuyler County on the Illinois River. While they were on the boat, the shipmate blew smoke into his face, causing a fight between the two men. Fraim attempted to knock the cigar out of the shipmate's mouth and, at the same time, jabbed a long butcher knife into the chest of the shipmate. He hired a young, beginning attorney, Abraham Lincoln to defend him. The jury decided to move to Hancock County, citing it as a neutral site for the trial.

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