Judge Breese, of the Supreme bench, one of the most distinguished of
American jurists, and a man of great personal dignity, was about to open
court at Springfield, when Lincoln called out in his hearty way: “Hold
on, Breese! Don’t open court yet! Here’s Bob Blackwell just going to
tell a story!” The judge passed on without replying, evidently regarding
it as beneath the dignity of the Supreme Court to delay proceedings for
the sake of a story.