Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-01-29
L1ncOln's Duel-His Difficulty
with Gen. Shields and the ChaI-

with Gen. Shields and the ChaI-
lenge.
In 1912 there was great public excite
ment caused by the refusal of the State
officers, among whom was Gen. James
Shields, then State Auditor, now residing
Ill Missouri, 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 denunciation, and Mr.. Lincoln,
then a comparatively unknown lawyer,
wrote a communication on the subject,
which WAS published in the Sangamon
journal, z the Wing organ at Springfield,
ILL.,, over theiisgnature of sRebecca," dated
Lost Township Sept. 2, 1912. II was III
the form Of Il dialogue between 'Aunt Re-
becca" and her DesSocratic neighbor, in
which she handled the oaicers of the State
savagely for their order REFUSING. the State
bank money, and was particularly severe
on Shields, calling him a liar aid fool.
'Fssdasf as a cake of talloW. z Shields was a
/ bachelor, and very vain, and his appear
ance at fair in the city was caricatured,
his demeanor criticised, and he denounced
as Connected Ounce"
1 The article soon became the talk of the
4 town, and the excitable Irishman fairly
| foamed with rage. He proceeded at once
| to the editor of Che journal and de-
manded the name OF the author of the Of
) fensive communication, and that OF Mr..
4 Lincoln was given him. Lincoln was at
/ that time attending cougt at fremont,
I Tazewell county, but thithse Shields has
tened, accompanied by his friend Gen.
| Whitesides, and Immediately Oh his ar
\ rival sent note to Lincoln stating that
4 his name had been given to him as the au-
1 thor of an insulting article signed f'Re-
becca.' and requiring ''a full, positive and
absolute retraction of all offensive allusion
\ to him personally, and an ample apology
for the insults conveyed"
It so happened that two friends of MI.
Lincoln, DR.. Merriman and William But
lei, learned of Shields departure for Ire
mont and his object, and mounting their
/ horses rode all night, and communicated
| with Mr. Lincoln before Nh. Shields did;
SO he was in a measure prepared for the
hostile note. The same evening he replied
refusing to offer any explanation, on the
ground that Shields assumed the fact of
the Authorship of the article in question,
| and while not pointing out any particular
part to which lie objected, demanded
general reAraction, accompanying the same
] with threats and menace in case of refu-
| sal. One or two other notes were eX-
| changed. Then Shields sent a final rejoin-
der, designating Gen. Whitesides as the
friend selected to arrange for the meeting, at
which the satisfaction he demanded should
be rendered. Mr.. Lincoln promptly respond
ed and named DR.. Mefrfman as his friend
Further proceedings Were, however, ad-
journed to Springfield; but the fact that
hostile meeting been the two parties was
iminent soon became known, and, in order
to avoid arrest, Mr.. Lincoln suddenly re-
tired to fJacksonyille, leaving with Mr.
Butler a paper expressing his willingness
to say to General Shields:
I did write the 'sLost Township letter,
but had no participation in any form in
any other article abiding to you. I had
no intention of injuring your personal OF
private character OF standing as man
Sor a gentleman, and [ did not then think,
and do not now think, that the article
could produce OF has produced that effect
against you, and had l anticipated such
an effect should have forborne to write it.
II this was not satisfactory, he laid down
the following preliminaries for the fight: |
!. Weapons-Cayalry broadswords of the
largest size, precisely equal in all respects, |
and such as are now used by the cavalry
company at Jacksonville.
2. Position-A plank twelve feet long
and from nine to twelve inches broad. to |
be firmly fixed on edge on the ground as |
the line between us, which neither is to |
pass his foot over ON forfeit of his life.
Next, line drawn ON the ground on either
side Of said plank and parallel with it, each
at the distance of the length of the sword
and three feet additional from the plank,
and the retreating Of his own accord over
such line by either party during the fight
shall be deemed surrender of the contest.
g. Time-On Thursday evening, at
O'Clock, if agreeable, but in no case to be
deferred longer than Friday evening at 5
o'clock.
f. Place-Within three miles of Alton.
on the opposite side of the river, the par
ticular spot to be agreed on by you. ANY
details coming within the foregoing rules
you are at liberty to make at your discre
ton; but you are in no case to swerye
from these rules OF pass beyond the limits.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Shields friends declined to discuss the
terms Of settlement, until they should
meet in Missouri. All parties now left for
Alton. Lincoln's friends met him at Jack
sonville, where the weapons were procured,
and a surgeon-Dr. A. I. Bledsoe-joined
the party When Shields and his party
arrived, all crossed into Missouri, and. the
work of laying off the ground was com
menced.
Fortunately, at this juncture, Col, J, ],
Hardin and DR.. r. w. English, warm per-
sonal friends OF both parties, arrived ON
the scene, having come all the way from
Springfield with the sole purpose of bring
ing about an accommodation. and imme-
diately presented the following proposition:
To Messrs. Whitesides and Merriman. |,
Let the whole difficulty be submitted to
four OF more gentlemen of your own choos-
ing, who shall consider the affair and re-
port thereApon fol- your consideration
This was laid before the principals and
accepted, Mr.. Shields promptly named
Gen. Whitesides, W. L. D. Ewing, and the
surgeon who had accompanied him, L. M.
Hope, to conduct the negotiations on his
behalf. The demand for an apology and
all other belligerent papers were With