In the U. S. Circuit Court, Lincoln & Herndon represent the plaintiff Mark Hamilton, who is suing Jesse Cooper for $3,000 in damages, in the case of Hamilton v. Cooper. Lincoln files a praecipe with the Clerk of the court. The praecipe instructs the court to notify Cooper, who lives in Carrollton, Illinois, of the case against him. Lincoln also names himself as a surety in the suit by signing a bond for costs. Praecipe, filed 17 May 1858, Hamilton v. Cooper, Record Group 21, case file 379, U.S. Circuit Court, Southern District of Illinois, National Archives and Records Administration, Great Lakes Region, Chicago, IL; Bond for Costs, 17 May 1858, Hamilton v. Cooper, Private Collection.