Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1907-03-29
IT, incoln's Love
l15l95lI'1 Affairs
c. And His Early
Ward Hill Lamon, Experiences as
1.s.;.:: 5.:..a and 1.s511.,s Y a Lawmaker
\ Law m aker

sumo racrs- aflG menace consequences and I
that you cannot submit to answer 1T fur |
tner. AS now. sir. you desire 1t, L VIII |
be a little more particular. The editor of |
the Sangamon Journal gave me TO uDdsr- |
stand that you are the author Of an
article which appeared, think. in that
paper of the I'd September inst, headed
'..The Lost Townships and signed Re-
becca or 'Becca. / would therefore take
the liberty of asking whether you are the
euIhor of said article or any other cvfr
the same signature which has appeared
in any of the late numbers Of that paper.
II So repeat my request Of an absolute
re.raction of all offensive allusion con-
tained therein in relation to my private
character and standing. If you are not
the author CT any of the articles. your
denial will be sufficient. I will say fur
ther it is not my intention to menace, but
to do myself justice. Your ob't serv't,
JAS. SHIELDS"
This Mr. Lincoln perused and returned
to General Whiteside. telling, him verbally
that he did not think it consistent with
his honor to negotiate for peace with Mr..
Shields unless Mr.. Shields would with
draw his former offensive letter. 4|
In a very short time General Whiteside
called with a note from Mr.. Shields desig-
Mating General Whiteside his friend. tc
which Mr.. Lincoln instantly replied desig-
mating me as his. On meeting General
Whiteside he proposed that we shouio
pledge our honor to each other that we
would endeavor to settle the matter
amicably, to which I agreed and stated
to him the only conditions on which II
| could be so settled-viz, the withdrawal
| of Mr. Shields first note. which he ap-
| peared to think reasonable and regretted
| that the note had been written. saying.
however, that he had endeavored to pre-
! vail on Mr.. Shields to write a milder one.
| but had not succeeded. He added, too.
| that I must promise not to mention 1t, as
| he would not dare let Mr.. Shields know
| that he was negotiating for peace for.
| said he "He would challenge me next
| and as soon cut my throat as not. Not
| willing that he should suppose my prin-
| cipal less dangerous than his own,
| promised not to mention our pacific IN
tentions to Mr.. Lincoln or any other per.
son. and we started for Springfield forth
| with.
| We all, except Mr.. Shields, arrived in
| Springfield late at night on Monday. We
| discovered that the affair had somehow
| got great publicity in Springfield and that
an arrest was probable. To prevent this,
it was agreed by Mr.. Lincoln and myself
| that he 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 attempt would
| be made by the opposite party to have
| the matter accommodated:
''In case Whitesde shall signify a wish
! to adjust this affair without further diff
| ficulty, let him know that If the present
| papers be Withdrawn and a note from
| Mr.. Shields asking to know If 1 am the
author of the articles Of which he COM
| plains and asking that 1 shall make him
| gentlemanly satisfaction If I am the
author and this without menace or dc
| tation as to what that satisfaction shall
| be, a pledge is made that the following
answer shall be given:
g 4; n To t1a Ncf TOy
ter which appeared in the Journal of the
| I'd inst, but had no participation in any
other article alludng to you. I wrote
that wholly for political effect. I had
no intention of injuring your personal or
private character or standing as a man
or a 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 1 anticipated such
an effect, would have forborne to write
It. And I will add that your conduct
toward me, so far as I knew, had always
been gentlemanly and that I had no pei
sonal pique against you and no cause fol-
any
''If this should be done. leave it with
you to manage what shall and shall moi
be published.
"1f nothing like this is done, the pre-
liminaries of the fight are to be:
"First, Weapons.-Cavalry broadswords
of the largest size. precisely equal in al
respects and such as now used by the
cavalry company at Jacksonville.
! Second. Position. A plank ten fee
| long and from nines to twelve inches
broad to be firmly fixed on edge on ths
ground as the line between us. whics
neither is to pass his foot over upon for
felt of his life. Next, line drawn OF
| the ground on either side of said pianl
| and parallel with it, each at the distance
of the whole length of the sword ant
three feet additional from the plank. ani
the passing of his own such line by eithe
party during the fight shall be deemed !
surrender of the contest.
Third, Time.-On Thursday evening
s o'clock if you can get it SO. but in NJ
case to be at q greater distance of tim
than Friday evening at o'clock.
Fourth, Place.-Within three miles o
Alton. on the opposite side of the river
the particular spot to be agreed on b.
you.
ANY preliminary details coming With,
the above rules you are at liberty t
make at your discretion, but you are Ii
no case to swerve from these rules or t
pass beyond their limits"
In the course of the forenoon 1 me
| General Whiteside. and he again init
| mated a wish to adjust the matter amica
bly,. / then read to him Mr.. Lincolns In
structions to an adjustment and tn
terms of the hostile meeting, If ther
must be one, both at the same time.
1
of an adjustment If it could only be et
fected by the withdrawal OF Mr.. Shield:
| paper, for such withdrawal Mr.. Shield
would never consent to. adding that b
| would as soon think of asking Mr.. Shield
to ''butt his brains out against a brio
wall as to withdraw that paper" Il
"a then proceeded: II see but one cours'
10 That is desperate remedy. 'Tis to te
= them If they will not make the matter u
r they must fight u.s." I replied that II
" chose to fight Mr.. Shields to compel hill
it to do right he might do SO. but as fe
a MI Lincoln, he was on the defensive an
10 I believed in the right. and I should d
al nothing to compel him to do wrong. Sue
E. withdrawal having been made indispen:
ID able by Mr.. Lincoln. I cut the matte
al short as to an adjustment and propose
le to General Whiteside to accept the tern
ur Of the fight which he refused to do unit
lie Mr.. Shields arrival in town, but agree
u verbally that Mr.. Lincoln's friends shou
" procure the broadswords and take the
til to the ground. In the afternoon he can