The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-12-27

matter?'' "Wby," said lie, "that FOOL
letter which wrote for the Sangamon
journal has made Shields mad, and he
has challenged me. [ have accepted
the challenge, and, without thinking,
! have chosen DR.. Merryman for 10Y
second. believe he would rather see
fight than not. If have to fight, I
will fight; but don't care about fight.
ing just to crafty DR.. Merryman. If
you will come in and make DR.. Merry
man do right flor know you will have
more influence with him than any 9th.
er MANI the whole difficulty may be
settled Again said, 'sMost happy
to do so: if can. What is the diff
guilty.
''Why it is this,'' said Mr.. Lincoln:
"the friends of Shields say that il l
will explain or apologize he will
withdraw the challenge and the quar-
rel can be settled honorably to both
parties. But DR.. Merryman says if he
will first withdraw the challenge then
l will explain or apologize, and the
quarrel be settled honorably to both
parties. And there they have come to
dead lock. Now don't see il both
things have to be done, that it makes
so much difference which is done first.
1t seems to me that DR.. Merryman is
| disposed to stand upon nicities, and
don't think he ought to stand upon
nicities in a case OF life aud death.''
The situation was plain. sympa-
thiZed with Mr.. Lincoln ; but, while
fully appreciated his practical good
l h ~
sense of honor. 81 know very little
about the code of HONOR said I; lit
is branch of moral science for which I
have never had much respect, and
have therefore never studied it. But
if you go by the code at all, land sup
pose you must if you fight duels,) it
seems to me that DR.. Merryman is
right. don't see how you can explain
or apologize or say one word to miti-
gate the wrath of Shields while the
challenge is pending over you.
Mr.. Lincoln thereupon fell into one
of his musing, melancholy moods; and
there was spread over his face that
sad expression which made him an
object of interest to every man whe
had live heart in his bosom. AS he
sat there, looking at the fire, he SEEM
ed to be saying to himself: II have
come to the wrong person to help me
out of my difficulty. Perhaps Mer.
ryman is right and there is no help
out of this dead lock- except a fight
with Shields His compressed lips
and firmness evidently Indicated fight.
''There is not the least necessity for
a fight whatever, said l ;; sit may be
very easily avoided"
How so 2" said Mr.. Lincoln, looking
up with relieved expression o. face,
and turning his eyes upon me. 81
know Shields well,'' replied, land
his courage is not of the truest stamp;
there is altogether too much of buster
and bravo do about the man for that.
He is trying to make you back out,
and you can make him back out very
easily.
GLOW so - said Mr.Lincoln. "Why,
as he has sent his challenge to you, SO
you have the right to choose the weap-
Ons, said [, land if you choose broad
swords, my word for it he will never
fight you in the world. You are at
least seven inches taller than Shields
and your arms are three or four inch.
es longer than his, so that you could
cut HIM down before he could get near
enough to touch you. know you will
never do this because he will never
fight you with broadsWords. He will
show the white feather first"
Mr.. Lincoln adopted this idea: He
chose broadswords and the terms of
the duel were arranged as stated in Mr..
Lannon's book, Up. 1861 lst, weapons
| ~
size, precisely equal in all respects,
and such as are now used by the Cav
airy company at Jacksonville. I'd.
Position-A plank ten 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, npOn forfeit of
his life, &c.
These and other preliminaries ar
ranged, we set out for Alton in order to
pass over to Missouri, on the opposite
side of the Mississippi river-the place
appointed for the fatal encounter. My
father and myself both accompanied
Lincoln and Merryman to the scene of
action-he to see the fun, and to see
that there was no fight. My predic-
ton was fulfilled. Shields would not,
or at least did not fight with broad
swords.
Lincoln had put down his foot for
broadswords, and nothing could shake
his purpose. Gen. Ewing, the friend
of Gen. Shields, cursed and swore, and
carried on at a great rate about .'the
- barbarous practice of fighting
with broadswords in the nineteenth
century, Mr.. Lincoln very coolly and
| IL ,..,a,liod thot fn,. hic Null H.