At 05:47 AM 4/20/00 -0700, you wrote: >Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 16:52:14 EDT >From: Watkins254@aol.com >To: ILWOODFO-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <45.2824b7f.262f767e@aol.com> >Subject: [ILWOODFO-L] Cemetary Records >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >I am looking for Mary Goings Watkins died 1846 in Woodford Co. also Roswell >Goings died in the 1850's. would like any i nfo you have on either Goings or >Watkins. Thank you. Carol Watkins at Watkins254@AOL. Com. A man named Roswell Goings (don't know if he's yours or not) figures into one of the better-known pieces of Lincoln lore. The following is from http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/LinkOn/trials.html : The Disappearing Defendant (Metamora/Woodford) Melissa Goings was a 70- year- old woman whose husband, Roswell Goings, age 77, was frequently drunk. They fought often. On April 14, 1857, Mr. Goings tried to strangle his wife. She picked up a piece of wood from the stove and struck him twice. One of the blows fractured his skull. He died 4 days later. Melissa Goings was charged with murder, and her bail was set at $1,000. Two local property owners paid the bail. However, the judge revoked the bail and said she must go to trial right away. He said she must be in the custody of the sheriff until the trial time. Abraham Lincoln was the defense attorney for Melissa Goings. He believed that the judge had already decided that his client was guilty and that she wouldn't get a fair trial. Mr. Lincoln asked to talk to his client on the lower level of the court house. When the judge called the case to trial, he couldn't find Mrs. Goings. He asked Mr. Lincoln where his client was. Mr. Lincoln said, "I don't know. I left her on the lower level. The sheriff should be watching her." They searched the lower level of the court house, but they couldn't find Melissa Goings, and she was never seen in Illinois again. The authorities made no effort to find her and bring her back. The prosecutor tried to collect on her bail bond, but after talking to Mr. Lincoln, he dropped the case. There were many guesses about what had happened to Mrs. Goings. The court bailiff said that he asked Mr. Lincoln about his client. Mr. Lincoln told him he didn't know where she was. The bailiff then remarked, " Confound you, Abe. You've run her off." "Oh no, Bob. I didn't run her off," Mr. Lincoln said. " She wanted to know where she could get a good drink of water, and I told her there was mighty good water in Tennessee."