. >> narrator: but erastus wright, a pension agent, claimed that he was entitled to half of her monthly pension. when mrs. thomas engaged lincoln to bring a suit against wright for the return of her money, he was outraged by her treatment. lincoln told judge davis, "i'm going to skin wright." >> this woman's husband was at valley forge. he walked barefoot in the snow. >> he talked about valley forge and about the ice and the snow and the soldiers' bleeding feet and them leaving home and leaving their loved ones behind and all the sacrifices they made, and that stirred the jury's patriotism and anger at wright. >> narrator: rebecca thomas won the case. >> lincoln was aware of everything that was going on in court. he had--just had that sense: the sense of movement, the sense of listening, the right time to object, the right argument to make, the right time for humor, the right time to be serious. >> he had a tremendous ability to think through both sides of the case, and he would in fact surprise judges and juries by starting some of his arguments by giving a pretty strong case for what