The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-02-10


the seconds returned to Alton. The
Delligerents then, in separate skiffs,
proceeded across the river.
Mr.. Lincoln sat in the stern of the
boat, beside his second. AS the stall
Wart carsman breasted the waves OF
the Mississippi, Mr.. Lincoln said that
his situation reminded him of a story.
lie suggested that he thought he felt
like a kentuckian he knew who vol
unteereu in the wal of 1912. In ac-
cordance with the time-honored Gus
tom Of those days, his sweetheart en-
broldered him a bullet pouch and belt,
and proposed to the incipient hero
that she would work on the belt the
motto, "Victory or Death" "Oh, no."
replied the volunteer, isn't that ray
Their too strong? S'pose you put Vic
tory or Be Crippled?'"
Arriving at the place selected for
the combat, the forms and ceremonies
in such cases being punctiliously in
sisted on by the doctor, Mr.. Lincoln
and his antagonist took their assigned
places, with the earthwork between
them; but before the word was given
for the duel absolutely to commence,
what was apparent to the least OBJ
serving from the first, viz, that, ac-
cordlng to the arrangements, Mr.. Lin
coin had the advantage, now that the
cOmbatants stood face to face, became
doubly apparent. Mr.. Lincoln's an
taSOnist had neither the stature nor
length of limb fairly to meet his foe;
while Mr.. Lincoln, with his long body
and wonderfully long arm, had moth
ing to do but reach across the barrier
and cut up his helpless antagonist at
as little risk of personal hanger to
himself as he did when he slaughtered
the unoffending tree limbs that lined
his way to the field Of honor. The
farce of Lincoln's plan of duel now
became evident to all present.
AS might have been expected, the
friends Of the challenger promptly
self-evident inequality Of terms, and
demanded a parley. The doctor, the
oracle of the field, replied that the
terms were mos solemnly agreed
upon" by all the parties necessarily
interested, and that, according to the
"thirty-siX articles of Galway" they
could not be amended or altered with
out commencing the duel over again
from the very beginning, and, to reach
this point of beginning, the challenge
must first be withdrawn.
After much discussion, this prac-
tice was adopted, and the way was
made, according to the thirty-six ar
ticles, for mutual explanations. There
upon, as might have been expected, all
differences were soon amicably set
tied. Out of latter discussions" some
of the parties connected with the duel
as friends or spectators edited the
community, through partisan Journals,
with sharp explanatory cards" One
or two other similar affairs were
talked of, but they never came to a
head; and as a consequence the whole
matter soon faded out of the public
mind; and thus ended Mr.. Lincoln's
first and only affair of honor. 1t was
MI. Lincoln's pleasure, long years
after, to confer a brigadier generals
commission upon his antagonist (al-
ready distinguished for his courage
and honorable wounds in the Mexican
war;, who, in the bloody struggle in
Virginia, made a gallant stand against
Stonewall Jackson in the valley Of the
Shenandoah.-New York Ledger.