WHEN WAS THE FAKE ALMANAC ALLEGATION FIRST MADE?

There's an old saying that a lie can go around the world before the truth gets its boots on, and that is certainly true about the charge that Lincoln used a forged almanac in his cross-examination of the prosecution's star witness against Duff Armstrong. The witness said he saw the murder by the light of the moon high overhead, and the almanac showed the moon was on the horizon at the time of the murder. The false charge has been rebutted and refuted numerous times over the years, but it never seems to die.

Beginning of the 1860 Campaign Article on the Almanac Trial

I wrote in "Lincoln's Most Famous Case" and again in "Prairie Defender" that the charge was first made in the 1860 presidential campaign after an account of the Almanac Trial was published as campaign literature under the title "Thrilling Episode in the Life of Abe Lincoln." This account was soon rebutted with the fake almanac allegation. As I was preparing for my visit to Illinois next week, I discovered that there was a tradition which held that the fake almanac allegation was made against Lincoln in his 1858 senatorial campaign against Stephen A. Douglas. I doubt that the allegation was made this early, and here is why:

The story of the trial hit the papers immediately after Lincoln was nominated. It played as a heartwarming human interest story but it was exaggerated to make the almanac show no moon at all when actually the moon was on the horizon. It’s hard to see why Lincoln’s handlers would have gone with the story if they knew of the fake almanac allegation. Second, the story was immediately answered by a sneering rebuttal entitled "Sensation Story Spoilt." It was supposedly written by someone who had intimate knowledge of the case, but he made no mention of the fake almanac. Third, there would be no suspicion of a fake almanac until someone fact-checked the no-moon detail of the pro-Lincoln propaganda against an almanac, which likely happened after the publication of "Sensation Story Spoilt." If the fake almanac allegation had already been made in 1858, it would have been featured in "Sensation Story Spoilt." None of the references I have seen which say the allegation was made in 1858 have footnotes or endnotes, so we don't know where they got their information.
Until I can see contemporary evidence of faked almanac allegations being made in the 1858 campaign, I’m going to believe that fading memories of long-ago events retrojected the 1860.

If anyone knows of a contemporary reference which supports the allegation being made in 1858, please bring it to my attention. I'd like to see it.

The Rebuttal to the 1860 Campaign Article

FILSON HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

I'm speaking on "Prairie Defender: The Murder Trials of Abraham Lincoln" to the Filson HIstorical Society on September 12 in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 12. Here's the announcement from the Society: ANNOUNCEMENT.

PRAIRIE DEFENDER REVIEWED BY VALDOSTA TIMES

Here's a review of "Prairie Defender" published by the "Valdosta Times": REVIEW

PRAIRIE DEFENDER REVIEWED ON ASPENADVOCACYBOOKS.COM

Here's a nice review of "Prairie Defender" that was posted on the website Aspenadvocacybooks.com: http://www.aspenadvocacybooks.com/2017/08/anatomy-of-lincolns-murder-trials/

PRAIRIE PIRACY

I did a Bing search and a Google search on Prairie Defender: The Murder Trials of Abraham Lincoln and came up with eight sites which are offering free copies of the book.

I didn't plan to get rich from sales of the book, but I didn't plan to have so many different people trying to steal from me, either.

I'm taking steps to have the websites shut down, but it is really a pain in the nether regions to have to deal with stuff like this. A number of other sites have already been shut down without my having to take any action.

This has happened on a small scale with other books that I've written, but never on such a large scale as with Prairie Defender. Does the fact that so many different websites have pirated your book mean that it is a good book?

"PRAIRIE DEFENDER" IS PUBLISHED

Although the tentative release date for Prairie Defender was June 28, the book actually was published on my birthday, May 23, 2017. SIU Press put out a flier/brochure on the book, a copy of which is set forth below.

One thing which the flyer does not mention: In the endnotes to the chapters, you will find references to web pages which contain additional supplemental information about the people and events described in each chapter.

REVIEWS OF "PRAIRIE DEFENDER: THE MURDER TRIALS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN"

As Prairie Defender nears its July publication date, and I busily correct the page proofs and prepare the index, I'd like to share some reviews of the book which we have received:

"With over 16,000 books published about Abraham Lincoln is there need for another? Emphatically yes! And this contribution to understanding Lincoln proves it. Lincoln’s service as president was based in large part on his experience as a lawyer as well as his first love – politics. The author describes succinctly that Lincoln was a first rate attorney, especially in his counsel in criminal cases. While not a large part of his practice of over 5,000 cases, Lincoln’s defense of those charged with murder demonstrate that he was skilled in the art of cross examination and clever by half in convincing juries. Much of this comes from his empathy by putting himself in the place of another and experience what they were feeling. This noble and effective quality in Lincoln’s character is shown repeatedly in this volume."—Frank J. Williams, retired Chief Justice of Rhode Island and founding Chair of the Lincoln Forum

"George Dekle’s 'Prairie Defender: The Murder Trials of Abraham Lincoln' is not only an important addition to Lincoln legal literature, it is a must read for all lawyers, Lincoln historians, and legal scholars. Dekle relates the stories of Lincoln’s major homicide cases in scholarly detail and gives anecdotal background to the trials giving a life beyond the trials themselves. As a lawyer, Dekle’s analysis of Lincoln’s trial work will not only enable the modern lawyer to understand those trials, but as a superb writer he writes in a manner to make the book enjoyable to all readers regardless of their legal interests."—Travis H.D. Lewin, professor emeritus, Syracuse University

"Only an experienced criminal lawyer could have written this engaging book. The case by case study of Lincoln's murder trials in not a rehash of earlier volumes about Lincoln the lawyer . It is an original, in depth analysis of Lincoln's trial strategies, tactics, and techniques; it offers fresh insights into his ability as a trial lawyer. It a must read for anyone interested in evaluating Lincoln as a trial attorney."—Guy Fraker, author, Lincoln's Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit