Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-01-18
EARLY ILLINOIS.

EARLY ILLINOIS.
Some Incidents of the Country In the Time
of Lincoln.
'"There was in those early DAYS a
curious character who presided at the
bar; his name l have forgotten, but l
remember my fathers characterizing
him, in Lord Chesterfeld's phrase, as
dizziness laundering upon vivacities.'
In certain case in which this person
acted as counsel for the plaintiff, five
dollar note had been stolen. The act
was proved beyond question. The point
at issue was finally one of grand or
petit larceny. The counsel for the de-
PENDANT made the ingenious plea that
the bill was an Indiana bill, and
worth four dollars and ninety
five cents, and therefore was be-
low the limit of petit larceny,
five dollars being that limit. The
jury seemed quite impressed by the
argument when the counsel for the
plaintiff rose. and in the peculiar drawl
and nasal information characteristic of
his speech said: Gentlemen of the
jury, if any one of you was to take
that Indiany fve-dollar bill to market.
there's not butcher there that would
not be glad to take it at pa-a-ar If
you was to go to any of the stores on
the square here, they'd be willing and
more'n willing to take it at pa-a-ar; but
this mean, COMPOUNDED sneak couldn't
afford to steal it at pa-a-ar.' The jury
rendered verdict of guilty of grand
larceny
after Gen. Shields had challenged
Mr.. Lincoln, and before the prelimina-
ries had been arranged Mr.. Lincoln
came into my fathers office. He said:
I don't like this duel business. 1t is
very foolish; but I can't show
the white feather, and don't
know what l ought to do
My 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 Mr.. Lincoln was very much
amused with the notion, and instructed
his second to name broadswOrds as the
weapons When the seconds met and
broadswords were proposed, Gen.
Shields's second demurred He said:
'Barbarous weapons for the nineteenth
century, Yes said Mr.. Lincolns sec
ond they are barbarous; SO is dueling,
for that matter. 1t is just as well to
have the whole thing of piece or
words to that effect. When the time
for the duel came, my grandfather,
father DR.. Merryman, and some others
went to the scene of action. In those
days stage-coaches We're the only public
conveniences overland, and the party had
to spend at least one night on the way.
The men, as was not uncommon in those
days, found very limited accommoda-
tiOns, SO four, / think, had to sleep in
bed My father said that during the
night he found himself in very narrow
quarters as to the shoulders, while be-
low there seemed ample room to ex-
patiate. In the morning he discovered
that his right-hand bed-fellow, a perfect
stranger, had lost his left leg. DR..
Merryman called out in the night tor my
grandfather: Wake up, Bledsoe wake
up Grandpa said: DR.. Merryman.
are you doctor and don't you know
that when man snores it is sign that
he is asleep, not that he is dying?' Yes:
] know, said the DOCTOR When most
men snore, know it is sign that they
are asleep; but when you snore it is
sign that nobody else in the house but
yourself is asleep.
''The news Of the proposed duel was
noised abroad, and crowd had collected
on the Illinois side of the river. await
ing the return; it seemed to this merry
party that the termination of this
threading affair would be unbearably
fiat if they just came home and an
nounced an apology as the 'upshot in
the end So they put a log of wood
PROSTATE in the bottom of the canoe.
covered it over with General Shields
cloak, or something equally effective,
and then clustered around the supposed
victim of the fight, one tanning, the
other supporting, etc., till the crowd
gathered on the opposite bank was
worked up to a great pitch of excite
ment and sympathy. When the log
was lifted out the dueling party had
effectually turned the laugh from them
selves. Sophie Bledsoe Herrick, in
Century