Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency
Audio only

Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency

By Dan Abrams, David FisherNarrated by Dan Abrams, Adam Verner
Length9h 40m

About this audiobook

“Makes you feel as if you are watching a live camera riveted on a courtroom more than 150 years ago.” —Diane Sawyer The true story of Abraham Lincoln’s last murder trial, a case in which he had a deep personal involvement—and which played out in the nation’s newspapers as he began his presidential campaign At the end of the summer of 1859, twenty-two-year-old Peachy Quinn Harrison went on trial for murder in Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, who had been involved in more than three thousand cases—including more than twenty-five murder trials—during his two-decades-long career, was hired to defend him. This was to be his last great case as a lawyer. What normally would have been a local case took on momentous meaning. Lincoln’s debates with Senator Stephen Douglas the previous fall had gained him a national following, transforming the little-known, self-taught lawyer into a respected politician. He was being urged to make a dark-horse run for the presidency in 1860. Taking this case involved great risk. His reputation was untarnished, but should he lose this trial, should Harrison be convicted of murder, the spotlight now focused so brightly on him might be dimmed. He had won his most recent murder trial with a daring and dramatic maneuver that had become a local legend, but another had ended with his client dangling from the end of a rope. The case posed painful personal challenges for Lincoln. The murder victim had trained for the law in his office, and Lincoln had been his friend and his mentor. His accused killer, the young man Lincoln would defend, was the son of a close friend and loyal supporter. And to win this trial he would have to form an unholy allegiance with a longtime enemy, a revivalist preacher he had twice run against for political office—and who had bitterly slandered Lincoln as an “infidel…too lacking in faith” to be elected. Lincoln’s Last Trial captures the presidential hopeful’s dramatic courtroom confrontations in vivid detail as he fights for his client—but also for his own blossoming political future. It is a moment in history that shines a light on our legal system, as in this case Lincoln fought a legal battle that remains incredibly relevant today.

Audiobook details

GenreHistory, Biography and Memoir, True Crime
Length9 hrs 40 mins
Narrated byDan Abrams, Adam Verner
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateJun 5, 2018
LanguageEnglish

More from Dan Abrams, David Fisher

You may also like

Adventures in Journalism
Adventures in JournalismPhilip Gibbs9h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Best British Detective Books: 270+ Murder Mysteries, Crime Stories & Suspense Thrillers
The Best British Detective Books: 270+ Murder Mysteries, Crime Stories & Suspense ThrillersArthur Conan Doyle, Ernest Bramah, Arthur Morrison, Thomas W. Hanshew, Edgar Wallace, J. S. Fletcher, R. Austin Freeman, G. K. Chesterton, H. C. McNeile, Victor L. Whitechurch, Annie Haynes, Rober Barr672h 48m$2 · $0.00
Betrayal of Trust
Betrayal of TrustJ. A. Jance9h 45m$29 · $0.00
The Secret of Father Brown
The Secret of Father BrownG. K. Chesterton6h 54m$2.30
The Case of Oscar Brodski
The Case of Oscar BrodskiR. Austin Freeman1h 17m$2 · $0.00
Tales of the Texas Rangers, Vol. 1
Tales of the Texas Rangers, Vol. 1Hollywood 360, NBC Radio5h 53m$17
Trails to Two Moons
Trails to Two MoonsRobert Welles Ritchie6h 32m$2 · $0.00
The Wheel Spins (The Lady Vanishes) - Thriller Classic
The Wheel Spins (The Lady Vanishes) - Thriller ClassicEthel Lina White7h 59m$1 · $0.00
The True Story of Michael Brown
The True Story of Michael BrownUnited States Department of Justice12h 44m$2 · $0.00
Snuff
SnuffTerry Pratchett11h 29m$29 · $0.00
End of Days
End of DaysJames L. Swanson9h 50m$29 · $0.00
Inspector Alan Grant Mysteries - Complete Series
Inspector Alan Grant Mysteries - Complete SeriesJosephine Tey48h 49m$1.50 · $0.00
The Painted Lady
The Painted LadyBlair Howard4h 14m$20
A Deadly Episode
A Deadly EpisodeAnthony Horowitz8h 4m$29 · $0.00
THE WILD WILD WEST – William MacLeod Raine Collection
THE WILD WILD WEST – William MacLeod Raine CollectionWilliam MacLeod Raine159h 31m$1 · $0.00
The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
The Adventure of the Mazarin StoneArthur Conan Doyle32m$2 · $0.00
Absolute Certainty
Absolute CertaintyRose Connors6h 32m$17 · $0.00
The Black Box
The Black BoxE. Phillips Oppenheim9h 56m$2 · $0.00
A Christmas Garland
A Christmas GarlandAnne Perry4h 2m$20 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet
Sherlock Holmes: A Study in ScarletArthur Conan Doyle4h 43m$2 · $0.00