The daily gazette., 1877-01-31

Ills HltSllg, melancDOly moods; and there
was spread over his face that sad express
sion which made him an object of interest
to every manwho had live heart in his
breast. As he sat there, looking at the
fire, he seemed to be saying to himself
have come to the wrong person to help
me out ofmy difficulty. Perhaps Merry
man is right; and there is no help out OF
"this dead lock" without a fight with
Shields" His compressed lips and firm
look evidently indicated fight.
"There is not the least necessity for a
fight whatever" said l; sit may be very
easily avoided" "How so?" said Mr..
Lincoln, looking up with a relieved ex-
preston of face, and turning his eyes
upon me. 81 know Shields WE'LL" 1 re-
Piled, sand his courage is not of the tru-
est stamp. there is, altogether too much
OF Dluster and bravado about the man for
that. He is trying to make you back out
and you can make him back out very
| easily" h.ft i .-,l- :
''How SOP" said MIR. Lincoln. .'Why,,'
said l, "as he has sent the challenge, so
you have the right to choose the weapons
and if you chose broad-swords, my word
for it he will never fight you in the world.
ou are at least seven inches taller than
Shields, and your arms are three or four
inches longer than his, so that you could
cut him down before he could get near
enough to touch you. l know you will
never do this. because he will never fight
you with broad swords. He will show the
white feather first" ..lgt.f .y
Mr.. Lincoln adopted the idea; he chose
broad-swOrds; and the terms of the duel
were arranged as stated in Lannon's book
(p. 265.) First, weapons-cavalry broad
swords ofthe largest size, precisely equal
in all respects, and such as are now used
by the cavalry company at Jacksonville.
Second, 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, upon forfeit of his
life&c. ..sI I..-
These and other preliminaries arrang-
ed, we set out for Alton in order to pass
over the Missouri, on the opposite side Of
the Mississippi river-the place appoint
ed for the fatal encounter. My father
and myself, both accompanied Lincoln
and MerTyman to the scene of the action
he to see the fun, andI to see that there
was no fight. My prediction was fulfilled.
Shields would not, or at least he did not;
fight with broad-swords.
Lincoln had put down his foot for
broad-swords, and nothing could shake
his purpose. Gen. Ewing, the friend of
Gen. Shields, cursed and swore. and car
ried on at great rate about ''the--.
tarbarous practice of fighting with broad
swords in the nineteenth century," Mr.,
Lincoln very coolly and calmly replied
that for his part he thought fighting duels
in any way rather barbarous practice
for the nineteenth century, and if he had
to fight he would choose his own weap-
ons. The more Gen. Ewing insisted on
rifles and pistols the more Mr.. Lincoln
held on to the broad-sword. and there
was another 'Edead lock-" But it did not
last over an hour or two. Gen. Shields
was finally induced by his friend to with
draw his challenge. Mr.. Lincoln explained
the offensive matter in the only letter
written by himself, and the great trouble
about the pin was ''settled honorably to
both parties" The second of Mr.. Shields
had declared, before the choice of broatl-
swords, ''that he would as soon think of
asking Mr.. Shields 10 butt his brains out
against brick wall as to withdraw that
paper the challenge; but yet, after all,
this son of blood and thunder did with
draw that very paper rather than expose
his brains to the long sword and the long
arms of Abraham Lincoln.