Lincoln’s Authority Challenged, The President Insists That A Young Man Serving Time In Prison For Defending His Sister’s Honor Be Set Free

During Lincoln’s presidency, under his clemency powers, he pardoned 324 persons for crimes for which they had been convicted by civil courts. The standards of kindness and mercy that he used were no different than those for convictions in military courts. Attorney General Edward Bates’ pardon clerk later wrote of Bates that he discovered “his most important duty was to keep all but the most deserving cases from coming before the kind Mr. Lincoln at all; since there was nothing harder for him to do than to put aside a prisoner’s application and he could not resist it when it was urged by a pleading wife and a weeping child.” Youth was often a consideration for the President.  Lincoln always displayed this compassion in his treatment of children, perhaps due to his having lost three of his own when they were still young.  It is uncommon for any autograph or document of Lincoln's relating to children, including that of boys in the army, to reach the marketplace, this being one of that small number.

In January 1864, 16-year-old Collins Dixon was arrested and convicted of assault and battery against a man who had published what Dixon considered a libel against his sister.  The original charge had been attempted murder. In his defense, Dixon said only "The act was committed in defense of an innocent and outraged sister."  He was sentenced to six months in jail, and further time until he was able to pay the $500.  The judge noted that the case revolved around a perceived slight to the honor of one of Dixon's sisters, of whom he had two, both slightly older.

In May, as his 6-month term approached, Dixon's case made news again. Newspapers on May 6 reported on the frantic activities of the 5th under the headline, "Conflict of Authority."  Evidently unable to pay the $500 that separated him from freedom, he appealed to Lincoln and "was pardoned by the President…. On Wednesday the 5th the President's pardon for Collins Dixon came into the hands of the Marshal [Lamon, Lincoln's friend], who immediately gave an order to the Warden of the Jail… to release said Dixon."  The jailor "refused to release said Dixon, and he not recognizing the authority of the Marshal, the prisoner was kept in custody until the next day. Meanwhile, Lamon had written Secretary of State William Seward, who took the case directly to Attorney General Edward Bates on the 5th, wasting no time.  Bates evidently took the case directly to Lincoln, who supplemented his pardon with an order to release the prisoner.

Autograph document signed, Washington, May 5, 1864. "Let the prisoner above named be discharged. A Lincoln."  This was likely written on the bottom of a note or endorsement from Seward or Bates apprising him of the situation, but the top has since been separated.  We know this to relate to Dixon, as there are no other records of Lincoln pardons or court martials on this day, nor do contemporary newspapers accounts list any other such cases.

Amazingly, the warden went the next day and was shown the pardon and other documentation ordering Dixon's pardon and release, presumably this included, and still refused.  Dixon then appeared before a judge, who, seeing the evidence, ordered Dixon released, which he was.  Just 2 months later, Lincoln appointed Dixon Assistant US Assessor.