LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865). Autograph document, [Springfield, 16 May 1850].

One page, 200 x 155mm. (silked on the verso, chip on left edge impacting one letter, horizontal crease spanning one row of text). Signed by John SHERER as plaintiff and J.N. GALZEN as plaintiff's agent.

Lincoln drafts an demand notice for his client, demanding "the possession of the farm lying one mile and a half West of Georgetown, known by the name of the Jordan farm, situated in the county of Vermillion and state of Illinois, and being the same farm on which you now reside." Leaving space for both Sherer and his agent, J.N. Galzon, to sign the document, Lincoln concludes: "I authorize you to deliver such possession to the bearer hereof, as my agent". Sherer initially sued Lawrence in Justice of the Peace Court in an action of forcible retainer, after Lawrence supposedly refused to leave the farm once his lease expired. When the jury granted the eviction, Lawrence appealed to the circuit court; Sherer retained Lincoln. The circuit court later ruled for Sherer, ordering a writ of restitution and for Lawrence to reimburse Sherer for all court costs. Provenance: Charles Wesley Olsen (1886-1961; his sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 6 February 1962, lot 55).