People said that his signature appeared hesitant and uneven. However, Lincoln assured them that was not "because of any uncertainty or hesitation on my part." He told the painter of the "Signing the Emancipation Act," Mr. @Carpenter, "I believe that I am about as glad over the success of this work as you are!"
The original document was destroyed in the great fire at @Chicago, where it was on display. The pen and the table it was written on are in the Lincoln Museum. The ink-stand was a wooden one, in private hands. It was bought at public sale when Lincoln relics were not at the current high price.
And then there is the one:
The passing of time brings about strange events. @General @McClellan was chosen to visit the seat of the @Crimean War. When he returned home, he saw no opportunities in his profession. He had to look for another job. He became director of the @Illinois Central Railroad Company. In December, 1855, a bill was laid on his desk. It was the demand of Abraham Lincoln, of the law firm of Lincoln & @Herndon, Springfield, Illinois.
The firm had represented the company the past October. It defended the company against a suit brought by @McLean County. Lincoln had won the case. The fee was $1,000. One-fourth of that had been paid for the retainer. To prevent any objection about the rest, Lincoln had six members of the bar add their names to testify the charge was usual and just. Even so, McClellan saw it and refused to pay, saying that, "This is as much as a first-class lawyer would charge!"
Even with his success, others though of Lincoln as still "the one-horse lawyer of a one-horse town.
