Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17
LINcoLN's ONLY DUEL.
How It Brought About His Marriage
With Miss Todd


Miss Todd soon singled out and held the
admiration of such of the Springfield beaux
as pleased her somewhat willful fancy. and
Lincoln. being much at the Edwards house,
found himself, almost before he knew it,
entangled in a new love affair. In the
course of a twelvemonth he was engaged to
marry her. but something nobody knows
what how, happened to break the en-
gagement and to plunge him again In
very sea of wretchedness.
The trouble prayed upon his mind until he
could think of nothing else. He became I'M
able to attend to business to take any
part in the life around him. Fearing for his
reason well as for his health IL this con-
tinued, his good friend Joshua F. Speed
carried him off. whether he wished to or no,
for visit to his own home in Kentucky.
Here they stayed for some time and Lin
coin grew much better, returning to
Springfield about midsummer, almost his
old self, though far from happy.
An affair that helped to bring the lovers
together again is go out of keeping with the
rest of his life that 1t would deserve men
ton for that reason II for no other. This Is
nothing less than Iincoln's first and only
duel 1t happened that James Shields after
ward general in two wars and a senator
from two states was at that time auditor
of the state Of Illinois. with his office at
Springfield. He was a democrat and an
Irishman by birth, with an Irishman's quick
temper and readiness to take offense.
He had given orders about collecting GER
tain taxes which displeased the wings, and
shortly after Lincoln came back from Ken
lucky a series of humorous letters ridiculng
the auditor and his order appeared In the
Springfield paper, to the great amusement
of the townspeople and the fury of Shields.
These letters were dated from the Lost
Townships, and were supposed to be writ
ten by a farmers widow signing herself
rf%
Miss Todd and clever friend, who un-
dertook them more for the purpose of polk
ing fun at Shields than for party effect In
framing the political part of their attack,
they FOUND 1t necessary to consult Lincoln,
and he obliRfng]y set them a pattern by
writing the first letter himself.
Shields sent to the e6Rtof of the paper to
find out the name of the real "Rebecca."
The editor, as In duty bound, consulted Lin
coin and was told to give Lincolns name
but not to mention the ladies. Shields then
sent Lincoln an angry challenge, and Lin
coin, who considered the whole affair ,idc-
ulous. and would willingly have explained
his part in ii If Shields had made gentle
manly inquiry, chose as weapons broad
swords or the largest SIZE and named as
conditions of the duel that plank ten feet
long be firmly fixed on edge in the ground
as line over which neither combatant was
to pass his foot upon forfeit of his life.
Next lines were drawn upon the ground on
each side OF the plank. parallel with Il, It
the distance of the whole length of the
sword and three feet additional. The PASS
ing of his own line by either man was to be
deemed surrender Of the fight
IT Is easy to see from these conditions that
Lincoln refused to consider the matter se-i-
ously and determined to treat 1t as absurd
ly as 1t deserved He and Shields and their
respective seconds, with the broadswords.
hurried away to an island in the Mississ lppi
river, opposite Alton; but long before The
plank was set up or swords were drawn.
mutual friends took the matter out of the
hands Of the seconds and declared a settle
ment of the difficulty
The affair created much talk and merrt-
ment In Springfield, but Lincoln found II
more man COMEDY. BY means Of It he and
Miss Todd were again brought together In
friendly interviews, and on November a
ls42, they were married at the house OF Mr..
Edwards. "