The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-07-18
WHOLE NO.. 294.

more serious when | told him that
Shields was coming and that | had
passed him the evening before In
short time DIR. Merryman and William
Butler arrived with further reports from
Springfield, and then, not far behind and
white with dust, but erect and defiant
as any knight who ever set out for bat
tie, came the gallant Shields himself.
He was accompanied by his friend, Gen
eral Whiteside. Lincoln and the rest of
Us were sitting on the hotel porch when
they drove by, and / noticed that al
though pretending to be indifferent, he
was more or less disturbed. He was
restless and uneasy in his chair, and his
face turned pale. Within half an hour
negotiations begau, and before they
closed Lincoln, as the challenged party,
made these singular prcliminaries'' of
the fight:
First. Weapons. Cavalry broad
swords of the largest size precisely equal
i'll all respects and such AS now used by
the cavalry company at Jacksonville
Second Position. A plank 10 feet
long and from . to - inches broad to be
fixed firmly on edge on the ground as
the lines between us. Next line drawn
on the ground on either side of said
plank and parallel with it, each at the
distance of the whole length of the
sword and three feet additional from
the plank, and the passing of his own
such line by either party during the fight
shall he deemed a surrender of the con-
test.
But the duel never took place, al
though all the parties, principals and
seconds went gravely forward to the
place agreed upon, Opposite Alton, i'll
Missouri y Arriving there they were
met by John j. Hardin and r. w. Eng
lish, mutual friends Of the two princi-
pals, who proposed that the whole diff
Guilty should be submitted to four or
more gentlemen to be selected by them
This was agreed to, and the four gentle
men named We're William Lee d. Ewing
and L. NJ. Hope, designated by Shields
friends, and \. L. Bletlsoe and William
Butler, by the friends of Lincoln The
following document, although cmanat-
ing from Lincoln's representatives, is
fair and impartial statement of the
basis on which an agreement was
reached:
MISSOURI, Sept. %, 1912.
GENTLEMEN-All papers in relation to the
matter in controversy between Mr.. Lincoln
and Mr.. Shields having been withdrawn by the
friends % the parties concerned We the un-
dersigned, friends Of Mr.. Lincoln, in accord
ance with your request that explanation of
Mr.. Lincoln's publication in relation to Mr..
Shields in The Sangamon Journal of the ID,
9th and 18th Of September Ire made, take pleas
nre in saying that, although Mr.. Lincoln was
the writer OF the article signed ''Rchecca" in
The journal Of the 3D. and that only, yet he
had no intention Of injuring the personal
private character or standing Of Dir. Shields
aS gentleman or man, and that Mr.. Lincoln
did not think, nor does he now think, that said
article could produce such an effect, and had
Mr.. Lincoln anticipated such an effect he
would have forborne to write it. We will state
further that said article was written solely
for political effect and not to crafty any per-
sOna piquc against Mr.. Shields, for he had
none and knew no cause for any. 1t is due to
General Hardin and Mr.. English to say that
their Interference 81 the most courteous
and gentlemanly character.
f. H. MERRYMAN.
a. T. BLEDsoE.
WILLIAM Butler.
The chief difficulty, and that which
pltNcHttu al tdTlltE ScIt1fUleHI, Was
Shields refusal to withdraw his first
note, which, Mr.. Lincoln said contained
so much Of assumption as to facts and
so much Of menace as to consequences"
he could not submit to answer it, In
this connection | cannot refrain from
quoting from the statement of Dr. Mcr-
ryman, who acted as Lincoln's second:
After Mr.. Lincoln declared he did not
think it consistent with his honor to ne
gotiate for peace with Mr. Shields until
Mr.. Shields would Withdraw his former
offensive letter, General Whiteside call
ed with note from Mr.. Shields desig-
mating General Whiteside as his friend,
to which Mr.. Lincoln instantly replied,
designating me as his. On meeting Gen
eral Whitcsidc he proposed that we
should pledge our honor TO each other
that we would cndeavor to settle the
matter amicably, to which l agreed and
stated to him the only conditions on
which il could be scttled-viz, the with
drawal Of Mr.. Shields first note-which
he appeared to think reasonable and re-
GREETED that the note had been written
saying, however, that he had endeavored
to prevail ON Mr.. Shields to write a
milder one but had not succeeded. He
added, too, that l must promise not to
mention it, as he would not dare to let
Mr. Shields know that he was negotiat-
ing peace, for said he, He would chal-
lenge me next and as soon cut my throat
as not. Not willing that he should sup
pose my principal less dangerous than
his own, promised not to mention our
specific intentions TO Mr.. Lincoln or any
other person. y General Whiteside
brought to light much of Mr.. Shields
manifestation of bravery behind the
scenes | can do nothing Of the kind for
Mr. Lincoln. He took his stand when /
irst met him at fremont and maintain
ed it calmly TO the last without diff
Guilty or difference between himself and
his friends. -
On the way from Jacksonville to the
ducling ground Lincoln and his party
overlook the Rev. Mr.. Barret, a preach
~ who had known Lincolu in Menard
unty, and who in after years related
ic following incident of the meeting:
At the time they came along l was
trying TO help a man whose team had
stalled at a bad place in the road. One
of the horses seemed to balk, while the