Story | The Case of the “Flying Pigs”
Quando a lógica encontra o humor, a justiça prevalece: em um caso curioso, Abraham Lincoln, ainda advogado, desarmou uma acusação contra seu cliente com uma única pergunta brilhante que fez a corte rir – e refletir. Seriam os porcos, acusados de destruir a plantação do vizinho, capazes de voar sobre uma cerca robusta? Com perspicácia e genialidade, Lincoln expôs o absurdo da história, provando que nem tudo que dizem sobre “porcos voadores” pode, de fato, ser levado a sério.
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The Case of the "Flying Pigs" | O Caso dos "Porcos Voadores" |
Long before becoming president, Abraham Lincoln was a practicing lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, known not only for his sharp mind but also for his unwavering rectitude. A story that well illustrates this facet is that of a case in which he defended a farmer against an accusation of damaging a neighbor's property with his pigs. | Muito antes de se tornar presidente, Abraham Lincoln era um advogado praticante em Springfield, Illinois, conhecido não apenas por sua mente afiada, mas também por sua retidão inabalável. Uma história que ilustra bem essa faceta é a de um caso em que ele defendia um fazendeiro contra uma acusação de danificar a propriedade de um vizinho com seus porcos. |
The neighbor claimed that the farmer's pigs had invaded his land, uprooted his crops, and caused significant damage. The farmer, Lincoln's client, insisted this was impossible, as his pigs were not in the habit of escaping and, furthermore, the fence between the properties was sturdy and in perfect condition. Lincoln, with his keen curiosity and desire to get to the truth, decided to investigate personally. | O vizinho alegava que os porcos do fazendeiro haviam invadido suas terras, revirado sua plantação e causado prejuízos significativos. O fazendeiro, cliente de Lincoln, insistia que isso era impossível, pois seus porcos não tinham o hábito de fugir e, além disso, a cerca entre as propriedades era robusta e estava em perfeitas condições. Lincoln, com sua curiosidade aguçada e seu desejo de chegar à verdade, decidiu investigar pessoalmente. |
He traveled to the rural properties to inspect the scene of the alleged incident. He walked along the fence, examined the terrain, and spoke with witnesses, searching for any detail that could corroborate his client's version or expose the accuser's. During his investigation, he noticed something peculiar: the fence was indeed tall and well-built, with no signs of breach. The farmer's pigs were, in fact, robust, but did not seem capable of extraordinary jumps. | Ele viajou até as propriedades rurais para inspecionar o local do suposto incidente. Caminhou ao longo da cerca, examinou o terreno e conversou com testemunhas, buscando qualquer detalhe que pudesse corroborar a versão de seu cliente ou desmascarar a do acusador. Durante sua investigação, ele notou algo peculiar: a cerca era realmente alta e bem construída, sem sinais de violação. Os porcos do fazendeiro eram, de fato, robustos, mas não pareciam ser capazes de saltos extraordinários. |
On the day of the trial, the neighbor's lawyer presented an apparently solid case, with witnesses who swore they had seen Lincoln's client's pigs on the neighboring property. Lincoln listened attentively, with his usual expression of thoughtful gravity. When it was his turn to cross-examine the witnesses, he began to ask questions about the height of the fence, the pigs' ability to jump, and the exact location of the damage. | No dia do julgamento, o advogado do vizinho apresentou um caso aparentemente sólido, com testemunhas que juravam ter visto os porcos do cliente de Lincoln na propriedade vizinha. Lincoln ouvia atentamente, com sua expressão habitual de gravidade pensativa. Quando chegou a sua vez de interrogar as testemunhas, ele começou a fazer perguntas sobre a altura da cerca, a capacidade dos porcos de saltar e a exata localização dos danos. |
One of the highlights of the cross-examination came when Lincoln, with his calm and measured voice, asked one of the accuser's key witnesses, a man who seemed very confident in his testimony: "Sir, you claim to have seen my client's pigs on the neighbor's property. Could you describe how they got there, considering the fence is over five feet tall?" | Um dos pontos altos do interrogatório veio quando Lincoln, com sua voz calma e pausada, perguntou a uma das testemunhas-chave do acusador, um homem que parecia muito confiante em seu testemunho: "Senhor, o senhor afirma ter visto os porcos do meu cliente na propriedade do vizinho. Poderia descrever como eles chegaram lá, considerando a cerca de mais de um metro e meio de altura?" |
The witness, caught by surprise and without a plausible answer, hesitated. Lincoln then posed the question that would completely disarm the case: "As I understand it, for my client's pigs to have gotten where you say, they would have had to fly. Did you, by any chance, see the pigs flying?" | A testemunha, pego de surpresa e sem uma resposta plausível, hesitou. Lincoln então lançou a pergunta que desarmaria completamente o caso: "Pelo que entendi, para os porcos do meu cliente terem chegado onde o senhor diz, eles teriam tido que voar. O senhor, por acaso, viu os porcos voando?" |
The court erupted in laughter. The idea of "flying pigs" was absurd, and the embarrassed witness could not give a convincing answer. Lincoln, with that single insightful question, managed to expose the inconsistency and implausibility of the accuser's testimony. He did not attack the witness directly, but used common sense and logic to demonstrate that the story simply did not "hold water." | A corte irrompeu em risadas. A ideia de "porcos voadores" era absurda, e a testemunha, envergonhada, não conseguiu dar uma resposta convincente. Lincoln, com essa única pergunta perspicaz, conseguiu expor a inconsistência e a inverossimilhança do testemunho do acusador. Ele não atacou a testemunha diretamente, mas usou o bom senso e a lógica para demonstrar que a história simplesmente não "se sustentava". |
The jury, convinced by Lincoln's astuteness and unwavering logic, and by the evident physical impossibility of such an event, quickly acquitted him of all charges. Lincoln not only won the case for his client but did so by exposing the truth in a way that respected the intelligence of everyone in the room, without trickery or manipulation. He always sought justice, not just victory, and his honesty and straightforward way of dealing with facts were as impressive as his oratorical skill. This story reinforces his reputation as "Honest Abe," a lawyer who trusted in truth and reason, and who would not hesitate to debunk absurdity with a simple, yet powerful, dose of common sense. | O júri, convencido pela astúcia e pela lógica inabalável de Lincoln, e pela evidente impossibilidade física de tal evento, rapidamente o absolveu de todas as acusações. Lincoln não apenas venceu o caso para seu cliente, mas o fez expondo a verdade de uma forma que respeitava a inteligência de todos na sala, sem artifícios ou manipulações. Ele sempre procurava a justiça, não apenas a vitória, e sua honestidade e sua forma direta de lidar com os fatos eram tão impressionantes quanto sua habilidade oratória. Essa história reforça sua reputação de "Honest Abe", um advogado que confiava na verdade e na razão, e que não hesitaria em desmascarar o absurdo com uma simples, mas poderosa, dose de bom senso. |
Contagem de palavras
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Freq. | Palavra | Freq. | Palavra | Freq. | Palavra |
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49 | the | 21 | of | 18 | and |
17 | his | 14 | to | 11 | pigs |
11 | a | 10 | with | 10 | lincoln |
10 | in | 9 | not | 8 | that |
7 | he | 6 | was | 6 | client |
5 | for | 5 | fence | 5 | did |
5 | case | 5 | by | 5 | as |
4 | you | 4 | witnesses | 4 | who |
4 | neighbor | 4 | farmer | 4 | but |
3 | would | 3 | witness | 3 | were |
3 | truth | 3 | this | 3 | they |
3 | story | 3 | property | 3 | on |
3 | lawyer | 3 | have | 3 | had |
3 | flying | 3 | could | 3 | an |
3 | accuser | 2 | without | 2 | when |
2 | well | 2 | way | 2 | unwavering |
2 | testimony | 2 | tall | 2 | sense |
2 | seen | 2 | question | 2 | properties |
2 | or | 2 | only | 2 | one |
2 | my | 2 | logic | 2 | it |
2 | is | 2 | expose | 2 | damage |
2 | cross | 2 | common | 2 | any |
2 | answer | 1 | yet | 1 | won |
1 | which | 1 | where | 1 | water |
1 | walked | 1 | voice | 1 | victory |
1 | very | 1 | version | 1 | usual |
1 | used | 1 | uprooted | 1 | understand |
1 | turn | 1 | trusted | 1 | trickery |
1 | trial | 1 | traveled | 1 | thoughtful |
1 | there | 1 | then | 1 | terrain |
1 | swore | 1 | surprise | 1 | such |
1 | sturdy | 1 | straightforward | 1 | springfield |
1 | spoke | 1 | sought | 1 | something |
1 | solid | 1 | so | 1 | skill |
1 | sir | 1 | single | 1 | simply |
1 | simple | 1 | signs | 1 | significant |
1 | sharp | 1 | seemed | 1 | seem |
1 | see | 1 | searching | 1 | scene |
1 | say | 1 | rural | 1 | room |
1 | robust | 1 | respected | 1 | reputation |
1 | reinforces | 1 | rectitude | 1 | reason |
1 | quickly | 1 | questions | 1 | president |
1 | presented | 1 | practicing | 1 | powerful |
1 | posed | 1 | plausible | 1 | physical |
1 | personally | 1 | perfect | 1 | peculiar |
1 | over | 1 | oratorical | 1 | noticed |
1 | no | 1 | neighboring | 1 | mind |
1 | measured | 1 | manipulation | 1 | managed |
1 | man | 1 | long | 1 | location |
1 | listened | 1 | laughter | 1 | land |
1 | known | 1 | key | 1 | keen |
1 | justice | 1 | just | 1 | jury |
1 | jumps | 1 | jump | 1 | investigation |
1 | investigate | 1 | invaded | 1 | intelligence |
1 | inspect | 1 | insisted | 1 | insightful |
1 | indeed | 1 | inconsistency | 1 | incident |
1 | impressive | 1 | impossible | 1 | impossibility |
1 | implausibility | 1 | illustrates | 1 | illinois |
1 | idea | 1 | i | 1 | how |
1 | honesty | 1 | honest | 1 | hold |
1 | him | 1 | highlights | 1 | hesitated |
1 | hesitate | 1 | height | 1 | habit |
1 | gravity | 1 | gotten | 1 | got |
1 | give | 1 | get | 1 | furthermore |
1 | fly | 1 | five | 1 | feet |
1 | facts | 1 | fact | 1 | facet |
1 | extraordinary | 1 | expression | 1 | exposing |
1 | examined | 1 | examine | 1 | examination |
1 | exact | 1 | evident | 1 | everyone |
1 | event | 1 | escaping | 1 | erupted |
1 | embarrassed | 1 | during | 1 | dose |
1 | disarm | 1 | directly | 1 | detail |
1 | desire | 1 | describe | 1 | demonstrate |
1 | defended | 1 | decided | 1 | debunk |
1 | dealing | 1 | day | 1 | damaging |
1 | curiosity | 1 | crops | 1 | court |
1 | corroborate | 1 | convincing | 1 | convinced |
1 | considering | 1 | confident | 1 | condition |
1 | completely | 1 | claimed | 1 | claim |
1 | charges | 1 | chance | 1 | caused |
1 | caught | 1 | capable | 1 | came |
1 | calm | 1 | built | 1 | breach |
1 | between | 1 | began | 1 | before |
1 | becoming | 1 | attentively | 1 | attack |
1 | astuteness | 1 | asked | 1 | ask |
1 | apparently | 1 | always | 1 | also |
1 | along | 1 | alleged | 1 | all |
1 | against | 1 | acquitted | 1 | accusation |
1 | absurdity | 1 | absurd | 1 | abraham |
1 | about | 1 | ability | 1 | abe |