The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-06-25
ANECDOTES OF GEN. SHIELDS
A Brave and Successful Dash Into the
City of Mexico.
Romantic Rescue of Some Young Women
His affair of Honor With
Abraham Lincoln.

Before the capture of the City of Mexico
an English boy, arrested as a spy, asked
private audience of General Shields, and
told him that Mexican desperate had
sought his sisters hand, and being refused,
had threatened vengeance. To accomplish
his evil purposes he had obtained from
Santa Anna the control of that part of the
city in which the boys father, mother and
two sisters lived; had hired a gang of vii
lains who were to plumber the house, keep
the booty and deliver the girls to the tender
mercies of this Mexican scoundrel. Prop
erly disguised, the boy had entered the
General Shields. The emergency was a
rare one. 1t was certain that the
commander-in-chief of the army would
not authorize rescue. ITO abandon the
girls to their fate was foreign to the nature
of Shields. He took sudden resolve, called
for volunteers, selected 400 men and entered
the beleaguered city unperceived. The ladies
were rescued, the alarm was given by the
bewildered Mexicans, and the daring band
was obliged to cut their way through host
of enemies They reached the ramparts in
safety, and returned to the camp with the
rescued ones. By that time. however. both
armies were alarmed. and O scene of hustle
and confusion ensued. General Scott flew
into terrible rage when he heard the story,
and threatened all the penalties of court
martial on the culprit (Shields) for such
gross dlsobedience of orders. The young
ladies succeeded in pacifying the choierIc
old hero and Shields entered the city with
HIM after its capture completely reinstated
in his favor.
In 1889 James Shields was elected auditor
of the State of Illinois. While he occupied
this important Office he was involved in an
affair of honor" with Springfield lawyer
no less @ parsonage than Abraham Lincoln.
At this time James Shields, auditor" was
the pride of the young Democracy, and was
considered dashing fellow by all, the ladies
included. In the summer OF 1912 the
Springfield Journal contained some letters
from the Lost Townships" by contribu-
tor whose nom de plume was Aunt Becca,"
which held up the gallant young auditor as
a ballroom dandy, hoatin' about on the
earth without heft or substance, just like a
lot of cat fur where cats had been fighiin'"
These letters oeusea intense excitement in
the town. Nobody knew or guessed
their authorship. Shields swore
it would be coffee and pistols
for two if he should find out who had been
lampooning him so numerically.
letter, which made the furnace of his wrath
seven times hotter than before, In which she
made q very humble apology and offered TO
let him squeeze her hand for satisfaction,
adding: IF this should not answer, there is
one thing more [ would rather do than get
q lickin'. l have all along expected to die a
widow; but as Mr.. Shields is rather good
looking than otherwise ! must say / don't
care if we compromise the matter by
really, Mr.. Printer, can't help blushing-
but lit must come OUTPUT widowed
modesty-well, if l must, / must-wouldn't
he-maybe sorier let the old Crude drop
If I was to consent to be e
his wife? I know he is fightin' man, and
would rather fight than eat; but isn't mar
ryin' better than fightin', though it does
sometimes run into it? And / don't think
upon the whole, I'd be such a bad match
neither; I'm not over go, and am just four
feet three in my bare feet, and not much
more round the girth; and for color,
wouldn't turn my back for narya girl in the
Lost townships But after all, maybe I'm
countin' my chickens before they're Matched
an dreamin of matrimonial bliss when the
| only alternative reserved for me may be
! lickin'. JEFF tells me tine way these fire.
eaters do is to give the challenged party the
choice of weapons which being the case. I'll
tell you in confidence that l never fight
with anything but broomsticks or hot wa.
| ter, or a shovelful of Goals or some such
things; the former of which, being some
what like shille alb, may not be so very OBJ
jectionable to him. l will give him choice,
however, in one thing, and that is whether
when we fight, l shall wear breeches or he
petticoats, for presume this change is SUIT
ficient to place Us on equality"
OF course some one had to shoulder the
responsibility of these letters after such a
shot. The real author was none other than
Miss Mary Todd, afterwards the wife of
Abraham Lincoln, to whom she was en-
gagged. and who was in honor bound to as.
sumo, for belligerent purposes, the response.
bility Of her sharp pen thrusts Mr.. Liz
coin accepted the situation. Not long after
the two men with their seconds were on
their way to the field of honor But the af-
fair was fixed up without any fighting, and
thus nded in izzle the Lincoln-Shields
duel of the Lost Townships.