Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-16
The IIino,. of LtueoIn,s Time.

Ene IIuno1e or LiueoInss I1me.
 Writing on "The Illinois of Lincoln,s Time." Sophie Bledsoe Herrick says in the Century:
 "There was in those early days 6 curi- ous character who presided at the bar; his name have forgotten, but remember my fathers characterizing him, in Lord Chesterield's phrase, as 'dullness blunder- ing upon viyacities.' In a certain case in which this person acted as counsel for the plaintiff, 6 fve-dollsr note had been stolen. The fact was proved beyond ques- ton. The point st issue finally was one of grand or petit larceny. The counsel for the defendant made the ingenious plea that the bill was an Indiana bill, and worth four dollars and ninety-fve cents, and therefore was below the limit of petit larceny. five dollars being that limit. The jury seemed quite impressed by the srgu- ment, when the counsel for the plaintiff rose, and in the peculiar drawl and nasal intonation characteristic of his speech said: Gentlemen of the jury, if any one of you was to take that Indiany fve-dol- lar bill to market, there's not s butcher there that would not he glad to take 1t st
 
 stores on the square here they'd be willing and more'n willing to take it at pa s-sr; but this mean, confounded sneak couldn't afford to steal it st pa-s-ar.' The jury rendered verdict of guilty of grand lar ceny.'
 After General Shields had challenged Mir. Lincoln, and before the preliminsries had been arranged, Mir. Lincoln came into my fathers offics. He said: I don't like this duel business. It Is very foolish; but I can't show the white feather, and I don't know what ought to do.' Ny father said: Lincoln, you are the challenged party, and can choose the weapons. Choose broadswords. and I'll be qualified Shields will never fight you-' Mir. Lin cDln was very much amused with the mo- ton, and instructed his second to name br"adswords the weapons. When the seconds met and brosdswords were pro- posed General Shields second demurred He said, 'Barbsrous weapons for the nine teenth centuryf Yes said Mir. Lincoln's second; they are bsrbarous: so is duell- ing, for that matter. It is just ss we'll to have the whole thing of a piece or words to that effect. When the time for the duel came, my grandfather, father, Dr. Merry man and some others went to the scene of | action. In those days stage-cosches were the only public conveysnces overland and the party had to spend at least one night on the way. The men, as was not un- | common in those days, found very limited ! accommodations, so four, think, had to | sleep in bed. My father said that dur | ing the night he found himself In very narrow quarters as to the shoulders, while | below there seemed ample room to expati- ate. In the morning he discovered that his right t-hsnd bedfellow, 8 perfect strsn- ger, had lost his left leg. Dr. Merrymsn called out in the night to my grandfather, Wake up, Bledsoe; wake up Grandpa said, 'Dr. Merrymsn, you are & doctor and | don't know that when 8 man snores 1t is 8 sign that he is asleep. not that he is dy- ingf Yes; I know said the doctor. When most men snore I know it is & sign that they are asleep; but when you snore | it is a sign that nobody else in the house but yourself is asleep.'
 | "The news of the proposed duel was noised abroad, and 8 crowd had collected on the Illinois side of the river awaiting | the return; it seemed to this merry party | that the termination of this threatening affair would be unbearably fat if they | just came home and announced an apology as the upshot in the end.' So they put 6 log of wood prostrste in the bottom of the canoe, covered itover with General Shields cloak. or something equally effective, and then clustered around the supposed victim of the fight, one flaming, another sup porting, etc, till the crowd gathered on the opposite bank was worked up to 6 great pitch of excitement and sympathy. When the log was lifted out the duellipe party had effectually turned the laugh from themselves"