Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1907-04-25

= So !. repeat riy redues: -. =. aJsorufe
re!ractlon of all offensive allusion con-
I famed tnerein In relation to my private
character and standing If you are not
ene autnor Of any of the articles. your
| uehlal Wlll be sufficient. I will say fur
! tner II IS not my intention to menace, but
10 90 myself justice. Your ob't serv't,
JAS. SHIELDS"
ms MI Lincoln perused and returned
70 General Whiteside. telling him verbally
tnat ne did not think it consistent with
ms honor to negotiate for peace with Mr..
Shleids unless Mr.. Shields would with
draW MS former offensive letter.
IN very short time General Whiteside
called with note from Mr. Shields desig-
hatins General Whiteside as his friend, to
"nlch Mr.. Lincoln instantly replied desig-
natlng me as his. On meeting General
Wnlteslde he proposed that we should
| p!eose o''r honor to each other that we
! "ou4o ehueaVor to settle the matter
! a-alcaoiy, to which I agreed and stated
TO MN the only conditions on which it
| could be SO settled-viz the withdrawal
Oh MT: Shlelds first note. which he ap-
| peareu TO think reasonable and regretted
| tndt the note had been written saying,
| however, that he had endeavored to pre-
vail On MT. Shields to write milder one
out mad not succeeded. He added, too,
that must promise not to mention it, as
! ne would not dare let Mr.. Shields know
that ne was negotiating for peace, for,
SAID ne. He would challenge me next
ana as soon cut my throat as not" Not
willing that he should suppose my prin-
clpal less dangerous than his own,
promised not to mention our pacific in
| tent1ons to Mr.. Lincoln or any other per-
| son, and we started for Springfield forth
with.
We all, except Mr. Shields, arrived in
| lot
discovered that the affair had somehow
got great publicity in Springfield and that
an arrest was probable. To prevent this,
| II was agreed by Mr.. Lincoln and myself
| tnat ne should leave early on Tuesday
! morning. Accordingly he prepared the
following instructions for my guide on a
suggestion from Mr.. Butler that he had
reason to believe that an attempt would
be made by the opposite party to have
the matter accommodated:
In case Whiteside shall signify a wish
to adjust this affair without further diff
hculty, let him know that If the present
papers be withdrawn and a note from
Mr. Shields, asking to know if am the
! author of the articles of which he COM
plains and asking that I shall make him
gentlemanly satisfaction if I am the
author and this without menace or die
tation as to what that satisfaction shall
be. pledge Is made that the following
answer shall be given:
1 did write the "Lost Township let
ter which appeared in the Journal of the
"a inst, but had no participation in any
other article abiding to you. 1 wrote
that wholly for political effect I had
no intention Of injuring your personal or
private character or standing as a man
or gentleman, and I did not then think
and do not now think that that article
could produce or has produced that effect
against you and, had I anticipated such
an effect, would have forborne to write
It, And l will add that your conduct
toward me, so far as 1 knew, had always
been gentlemanly and that 1 had no per-
sonal pique against you and no cause for
any.
III this should be done, 1 leave 1t with
you to manage what shall and shall not
be published.
IF nothing like this is done, the pre-
liminaries of the fight are to be:
First, ENTHUSIASTICALLY broadswords
of the largest size. precisely equal in all
respects and such as now used by the
cavalry company at Jacksonville.
Second, Position. A plank ten feet
long and from nine to twelve inches
broad to be firmly fixed on edge on the
ground as the line between US, which
neither is to pass his foot over upon for
felt of his life. 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 be deemed a
surrender of the contest.
Third, Time.-On Thursday evening at
o'clock if you can get it so, but in no
case to be a greater distance of time
than Friday evening at o'clock.
MYTH Dt0, l.;
Alton, on the opposite side Of the river,
the particular spot to be agreed on by
you.
ANY preliminary details coming within
the above rules you are at liberty to
make at your discretion, but you are in
no case to swerve from these rules or to
pass beyond their limits
In the course of the forenoon l met
General Whiteside, and he again init
mated a wish to adjust the matter AMIGA
bly,. I then read to him Mr.. Lincoln's in
structions to an adjustment and the
terms of the hostile meeting, If there
must be one, both at the same time.
He replied that it was useless to talk
Of an adjustment If it could only be eff
fected by the withdrawal of Mr.. Shields
paper, for such withdrawal Mr.. Shields
would never consent to, adding that he
would as soon think of asking Mr.. Shields
to "butt his brains out against a brick
wall as to withdraw that paper" He
then proceeded: II see but one course
That is a desperate remedy. IT'S to tell
them if they will not make the matter up
they must fight u.s." replied that if he
chose to fight Mr.. Shields to compel him
to do right he might do so, but as for
Mr.. Lincoln, he was on the defensive and
I believed in the right, and should do
nothing to compel him to do wrong. Such
withdrawal having been made indispens-
able by Mr., Lincoln, I cut the matter
short as to an adjustment and proposed
to General Whiteside to accept the terms
Of the fight, which he refused to do until
Mr.. Shields arrival in town, but agreed
verbally that Mr.. Lincoln's friends should
procure the broadswords and take them
to the ground. In the afternoon he came
to me, saying that some persons were
swearing out affidavits to have us ar
rested and that he intended to meet Mr..
Shields Immediately and proceed to the
place designated, lamenting, however,
that 1 would not delay the time that he
might procure the interference of Gov
ernor Ford and General Ewing to mollfy
Mr.. Shields. I told him that an accommo-
dation, except upon the terms 1 mention
ed, was out of the question:; that to
delay the meeting was to facilitate our
T 1ofo fo