The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-02-15
LINCoLN's COURTsHIP.


 
 A Duel Helped to Bring the Two Low
 CTS Together After an Estrange- ment.
 Miss Todd soon singled out and held the admiration of such of the Spring field beaux as pleased her somewhat at the Edwards house, found Himself almost before he knew 1t, entanged ill a new love affair. In the course of a tWelvemonth he was engaged to marry her, but something, nobody knows what or how happened to break the engage ment, and to plunge him again into very sea of wretchedness. Nor is it necessary that we should know about it further than that great trouble came upon him, which he bore nobly, after his kind. Few men have had his stern sense of duty, his tenderness of i heart, his conscience, so easy towards others, so mercless towards himself. The trouble preyed upon his mind un til he could think of nothing elese. He became unable to attend to business, or to take any part in the life around him. Fearing for his reason as well as for his health if this continued, his good friend Joshua F. Speed carried him off, whether he wished of no, for a visit to his own home in Kentucky. Here they stayed for some time, and Lincoln grew much better returning to | Springfield about midsummer, almost his old self, though far from happy. | An affair that helped 10 bring the | lovers together again is so out of keep ing with the rest of his life that it would deserve mention for that rec son, If for no other Th!s is nothing less than Lincoln's first and only duel. It happened that James Shields after 1 ward 0 general in two wars and sen- ator from two states, was at that time auditor of the state of Illinois, with his office at Springfield. He was | democrat and an lrishman by birth, | with an 1rishman's quick temper and readiness to take offense. He had giv- en orders about collecting certain tax es which displeased the whigs, and l shortly after Lincoln came back from Kentucky series of humorous letters ridiouling the auditor and his order ap- peared in the Springfield paper, to the l great amusement of the townspeople, and the fury of Shields. These letters were dated from the Lost Townships" and were supposed to be written by 1 farmers widow signing herself Aunt 1 Rebecca." The real writers were Miss l Todd and clever friend, who under took them more for the purpose of polk ing fun at Shields than for party ef- | feet. In framing the political part of their attack, they had found 1t neces- sary to consult Lincoln, and he oblig- l ingly set a pattern by writing the first | letter himself.
 Shields sent 10 the editor of the pa per to find out the name of the real "Rebecca," The editor as in duty bound, consulted Lincoln, and was told to give Lincolns name, but not to men | tion the ladies. Shields then cent Ltn- coin an angry challenge; and Lincoln, l who considered the whole affair ridic- ulous, and would willingly have ex- l plained his part in It if Shields had made q gentlemanly Inquiry, chose as weapons "broadswords Of the largest size" and named as conditions of the duel that a plank ten feet long be firm l ly fixed on edge in the ground, as line over which neither combatant was to pass his foot upon forfeit of his life. l Next, lines were to be drawn upon the ground on each side of the plank, par ailel with it, at the distance of the | ufl1OIn Iat,prth nF tha rd a thraO feet additional The passing of his own line by either man was to be deemed a surrender of the fight,
 It is easy to see from these conditions that Lincoln refused to consider the matter seriously, and determined to treat it as absurdly as 1t deserved, He and Shields and their respective sec onds, with the broadswo.ds, hurried away to an island in the Mississippi river, opposite Alton; but long hetore ] the plank was set up, or swords were drawn, mutual friends took the matter out Of the hands of the seeoais, and declared a settlement of the difficulty.
 The affair created much talk and merriment in Springfield, but Lincoln found it more than comedy. By means of it he and Miss Todd were again brought together in friendly interviews, and on November 1, 1s42, they were married at the house of Mir. Edwards. Four children were born of this mar riage: Robert Todd Lincoln, August 1, 1S43; Edward Baker Lincoln, March 10, 1846; William Wallace Lincoln, Decern- Der 21, 1850, and Thomas Lincoln April 4, 1858. Edward died while baby; William in the White House, Febru- ary 20. 1882; Thomas In Chicago July 16, I 1871, and the mother, Mary Lincoln in Springfield, July IS, 1882. Robert Lin coin was graduated from Hsrverd dur ' ing the Civil war, serving afterward :, on the staff of General Grant. He has since been secretary of war and min ister to England, has held many other ! important positions of trust and is now pres dent of the Pullman Palace Car company,-Helen Nicolay in St. Nieho- las
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