Three Lincoln documents donated to the Lincoln's Presidential Library

[David Lockmiller]

(10-22-2018 06:46 AM)Rsmyth Wrote:  A quick search of Find A Grave reveals that William Fithian's first wife Orleatha was buried in Danville, Il. The libel case was an old issue since Orleatha had died years before. William was a doctor. prairie legislature, Civil War surgeon and friend of Lincoln's. On the campaign trail, Lincoln once stayed at the Fithian home and gave a speech from their second floor balcony.

For those in interested in the facts of the case, there is the following published in the book “Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit” by Guy C. Fraker at pages 111-112:

The most notable case that Lincoln handled for Fithian was the high-profile slander case of William Fithian v. George W. Casseday. Casseday, also a prominent Danville citizen, built the first steam mill on the river in 1836 and had a long history of bad blood with Fithian. It started with Casseday’s vicious attack on Fithian in a Danville paper during Fithian’s Illinois senate campaign in 1842. Another dispute started between factions of the Presbyterian and Methodist churches. As the bitterness deepened, the Methodist Church, led by Casseday, built a seminary. The Presbyterians responded by building their own seminary. Judge Davis described the incident as a “Squaw War” that had divided the people of the town: “Casseday is at the bottom of it all. The result. They built two seminaries to cost $4,000 or $5,000.” This led to a battle of libelous handbills between the two men. In the final one, Casseday accused Fithian of abandoning his deceased wife’s body prior to burial in Paris, Illinois, referring to Fithian variously as an “inhuman monster,” “vile heartless wretch,” and “unfeeling reptile.” These accusations were too much for Fithian, who engaged Lincoln, Oliver Davis of Danville, and Usher Linder of Charleston, Illinois, to sue Casseday for libel. Edward A. Hannegan of Covington, Indiana, defended Casseday. . . . Forty-one witnesses testified, including many of the leading citizens of the city.