Western Rock Island Railroad Police Brass Badge

NOVELTY BRASS BADGE, for the "Rock Island" railroad police. The badge is made of solid brass and has an antique finish. It measures 2 3/4 inches tall and 2 inches wide in the shape of a shield with a pin on the back. In 1857, Abraham Lincoln represented Rock Island in an important lawsuit regarding bridges over navigable rivers. The suit had been brought by the owner of a steamboat which was destroyed by fire after running into the Mississippi river bridge. Lincoln argued that not only was the steamboat at fault in striking the bridge but that bridges across navigable rivers were to the advantage of the country.