The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-12-18


Pratt with having obtained his election
by pledging the foreigners in his dis
trict that he would support their cause
in the convention. Mr.. Pratt denied
the charge Indignantly, and attributed
his colleagues mistake "to the pres
ence of barrel of beer and keg of
whisky"
Campbell instantly denounced the
insinuation as false and cowardly, and
concluded by declaring that he held
himself personally accountable for his
language.
THE CHALLENGE PASSES.
Two hours after he received note
from Mr.. Pratt, simply requesting his
! presence at the Planters House, St.
| Louis, at his earliest convenience.
{ am obell replied that he would be on
! han promptly, and departed at once.
The seconds were arranging the terms
of the meeting when st. Louis Alder
man, named Blennerhasset, caused the
arrest OF both parties, and they were
placed under SO, 600 bonds to keep the
! peace.
The affair was thus ended, and the
/ pdI lltb IcbuIlltl anu ItSullleu UDclG
seats in the convention. The fact that
! two members of so important and hon
Orable a body as the Constitutional
Convention could violate the spirit of
the State law against duehng, and es-
cape all the penalty by the simple de-
vice of crossing the State line, caused
unfavorable comment, and drew atten-
ton to the weakness of the law upon
the subject. A few of the leading men,
bers met in private consultation, and
! decided upon stringent statute which
should cover all such cases in the fu.
ture. Hence they devised and framed
an oath of Office, and incorporated it
into the Constitution, so broad in the
terms of its Acknowledgement, and so
comprehensive in the structure of its
! language, as TO cover not only Illinois,
but all the world beside. 1t was aimed
at the murderous practice, without re-
spect to place, circumstance, or time,
save only that the offense should date
from the adoption Z, f the new Constitu-
ton. The measure was introduced by
r. Il. Servant, of Randolph county,
and passed by "a yeas to IA nays. No
law ever SO completely fulfilled the de-
sign of its trainers, and it was adopted
entire by the Constitutional Convention
of 1870
In this connection, it may be inter-
esting to give brief history of the var
ious duels in which citizens of the State
have prominently figured. OF ten af-
fairs of this nature which have taken
place since the organization of the
State, it is noteworthy that in only one
were shots exchanged; that was the
first one ever attempted, proved fatal
to one of the combatants, and the sur
vivor was afterward tried, convicted,
and hung. This was known as the
Bennett and Stewart duel, a full ac-
count of which was published in the
Inter- ocean few months ago.
LINCOLN AND SHIELDS.
The most noteworthy affair of this
kind was that between the late Abraham
Lincoln and Gen. James Shields, now
of Missouri, which took place in 1S42.
In that year there was great public ex-
citement caused by the refusal of the
State officers, among whom was Gen.
Shields, then State Auditor, to receive
the bills of the State Bank in payment
of taxes, said bills being worth in specie
only about fifty cents on dollar. The
measure provoked universal denuncia-
ton, and Mr.. Lincoln, then young and
comparatively unknown lawyer, wrote a
communication on the subject, which
was published in the SdngdmOn Jour
nal, the Whig organ at Springfield, over
the signature of "Rebecca, dated
.oet Tou,e1,i, Gant . 1910 -
The article was in the form of n dia-
logue between "Aunt Rebecca" and her
Democratic neighbor, in which she
handled the officers of the State savage
ly for their order refusing the State
Bank money, and was particularly Sc
we're on Shields, calling him liar and a
fool, "dull as cake of tallow." Shields
was a bachelor, and very vain, and his
appearance at fair in the city was car
featured, his demeanor criticised, and
he denounced as conceited Ounce"
The article soon became the talk of
the town, and the excitable Irishman
fairly fOamed with rage. He proceeded
at once to the editor of the Journal,
Simeon Francis, demanded the name of
the author of the offensive communica-
tion, and that of Mr. Lincoln was gwen
him. Lincoln was at the time attend
ing court at fremont, Tazewell county,
but thither Shields hastened, accom-
panied by his "iriend," Gen. White
sides, and Immediately On his arrival
sent note to Lincoln stating that his
name had been given him as the author
of an insulting article signed "Rebec-
Ca, and requiring "a full, positive and
absolute retraction of all offensive allu-
sions to him personally, and an ample
apology for the insults conveyed"
1t so happened that two friends of
Mr.. Lincoln, DR.. Merriman and William
Butler, learned of Shields departure for
fremont and the object of it, and.
mounting their horses, rode all night, |
and communicated with Mr.. Lincoln be. |
fore Mr.. Shields did; so he was in a
measure prepared for the hostile note.
THE PRELnISARIEs.
The same evening he replied, refusing
TO offer any explanation, on the ground |
that Shields assumed the fact of his |
of the article in question.
and while not pointing out any particu-
lar part to which he objected, demanded
q general retraction, accompanying the
a