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Introduction
This letter from Dorr to George Turner shows his considerable obsession with the Luther case. He once again urges Turner to work towards a continuance if a full slate of nine justices on Court cannot be achieved. Dorr had a tremendous amount of time on his hands in the late 1840s after his release from prison and he spent his days master-minding legal arguments to be presented in front of the nation’s highest court. His months in prison ruined his already fragile health, forcing him to move in with his parents on Benefit Street in Providence. A once prominent lawyer with a lucrative practice in Providence, the stigma of his 1844 conviction prevented him from reopening his legal practice. His conviction also prevented him from voting or holding public office. Unlike Dorr, who likely received a monthly allowance from his wealthy father, George Turner had a law practice to maintain and was probably getting a little bit annoyed at his friend’s constant badering over the Luther case and repeated trips to Washington.