The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1902-05-01

dueling habit and II was considered
quite the proper thing then to deter
mine disputes by the shedding Of blood
Consecrated Ground.
That was In the old days. however.
A more enlightened spirit has since
prevailed In reference to such customs
Gnd In consequence Il has been many
years since a duel has taken place on
the st. Charles ground. Its fame has
made II consecrated ground In the men,
ory Of many Illinoisans and Missouri
ans. and a few years after the war
steps were taken to preserve the spot
In its original shape. The dueling
ground was In little ravine through
which a creek at one time wound Its
Its way. This disappeared one sum
mer and left nothing to show Its for
mer presence but It's des0late bed and
number OF huge boulders that the wa
ter had left sticking up from the
ground. Enough money was raised by
subscription to remove these boulders
and to erect an iron fence around the
grounds. and In that condition they
have remained ever since.
Ridiculed the Auditor.
Mr.. Lincoln's meeting there with
Shields has furnished one OF the few
ludicrous episodes with which the deul-
ing field has ever been credited. Shields
was then auditor OF the state OF I'LL
nois, This finances OF the state were In
n deplorable condition.: the treasury
was empty: auditors warrants were
selling at half their nominal value; no
more money was to be borrowed. and
taxation was dreaded by both political
rarties more than disgrace. The cur
rency OF the state banks was virtually
the only circulating medium In iii.
nois.
In the middle OF August. 1si2, the
governor. auditor and treasurer issued
a circular forbidding the payment OF
state taxes In this deprecated paper.
This order was taken by the whies as
indicating on the part OF these ofYicers
a keener interest In the integrity OF
their salaries than In the pubic well
fare, and Il was therefore severely Mt
tackled In all the opposition papers OF
the state. The sharpest assault II had
TO endure. however. was In the COM
munication printed In the Sangamon
Journal, which not only dissected the
administration circular with the most
tor with merciless personal ridicule. II
purported to come from farmers wid-
dow, who expressed In this fashion her
disecutent with an evil course OF af-
fairs.
Shields Was Furious.
Shields was man of inordinate van
iiy ard a corresponding irascibility. He
was for that reason an Irresistible mark
for satire. His fury against the un-
known author OF the satire was the
subject OF much merriment In Spring
field. The next week another letter APP
peared from different hand. In which
the widow offered TO make up the quar-
rel by marrying the auditor. and this
In turn was followed by an epithslami-
um. In which this happy compromise
was celebrated In very bad varse. In
the change OF hands all the humor OF
the thing had vanished, and nothing
was left but feminine mischief on one
aide and the evaporation Of wounded
ansty ON the other.
Shields had talked 60 much about the
matter that he felt imperativsly called
upon TO oct. He therefore sent mes
ssngsr 10 the editor Of the paper and
dsma udsd hon him the name OF the
author Of ths articles. The editor was
u quandsry. The arst article had
ho0a written By NJ. Lincoln, but the
tVo fDlIoviag u ha6 beeu written BY
'Vvo yokng Vomen who took ~ oeeivo
ln1ofoo6 q p0e(1co, an6 could nok ~
~ ohnnno oI1D - hnvo 3 1lttao tnu vj1h