Historical research sometimes turns up a story that practically writes it’s own punch line. While researching Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy, I came across one involving Illinois Attorney General Usher F. Linder, his friend Benjamin S. Enloe, and a picnic with a rather unusually servicing staff.
Enloe was the warden of the state penitentiary at Alton. Linder was a gifted lawyer and public speaker, but he was also a notorious drunk. Put the two friends together with food, liquor, and prisoners to wait on them, and you have the ingredients for a memorable afternoon.
As the drinking continued, their judgement deteriorated. Eventually, they apparently forgot one small detail about their helpful servants. They were prisoners. Wehn more food and liquor were needed, Linder and Enloe sent prisoners into town to fetch them.
Giving incarcerated men an opportunity to walk away from the penitentiary was an ambitious approach to prison administration. Some took advantage of the opportunity. Enloe subsequently lost his position as warden. One suspects the picnic was more enjoyable for the prisoners than its aftermath was for Enloe.
There is an additional twist: Abraham Lincoln had voted against Enloe’s election as warden but afterward signed his performance bond as one of his sureties. that is quite a connection to discover while researching my Lincoln novel.
I find is strange with Linder that much ability and foolishness could occupy the same man. His eloquence made him formidable. His drinking and bad judgment could make him his own worst enemy. Those qualities give a novelist plenty to work with.
Sometimes the past hands you a dramatic confrontation. And sometimes they sent the prisoners into town to buy more liquor.
Current Projects
- My book: continuing revisions of Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy, where real historical characters frequently prove more colorful than anyone I could have invented.
- Edward Bryant: continuing preparations for future publication and preservation of stories by my friend Edward Bryant.
Thanks for walking alongside me.
