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


fesGaS ny reuuea S.. ausoi,i1a
lretractfon of all offensive allusion COM
i tanned therein IN relation to my private
i cnaracter and standing. If you are not
| tne. author Of amy of the articles. your
| denlal VIII be sufficient will say fur
4 liner HIS not my Intention to menace but.
to DO '.l myself Justice. our ob't servt
s.s..t 4 AS. SHIELDS..
/ - = ms Adr Lincoln perused and returned
% General Whiteside, telling him verbally
i tnal ne did not think it consistent with
/ ms honor to negotiate for peace with Mr..
Shlelds unless Mr.. Shields would with
draw 90s his former offensive letter.
In a very short time General Whiteside
/ cailed With note from Mr.. Shields desig-
mating General Whiteside as his friend, to
1 when m M Lincoln instantly replied desig-
snatlng me as his. On meeting General
i " n1teslde3 he proposed that we should
I pledge or honor to each other that we
] would u endeaVor5 e to settle the matter
1 an AMIGA Oily. to which 7 agreed and stated
4 to MIN the only conditions on which it
could be SO settled viz, tie withdrawal
OF MI Shields first note which he APP
peared to think reasonable and regretted
i that the note had been written, saying,
however, that he had endeavored to pre-.
i vail on Mr.. Shields to write a milder one,
out mad not succeeded. He added, too
that must promise not to mention it, as
! he would not dare let Mr.. Shields know
that ne was negotiating for peace, for,
said he, s He would challenge me next
and as soon cut my throat as not Not
/ Wiling that he should suppose my prin-
c1paIa less dangerous than his own, Il
promised not to mention our pacific in
tentlons to Mr.. Lincoln or any other per-
son. and we started for Springfield forth
i with # All 773
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,
1t was agreed by Mr.. Lincoln and myself
1 that ne should leave early on Tuesday
morning. Accordingly he prepared the
following instructions for my guide on
suggestion from Mr. Butler that he had
reason to believe that an attempt would
! be made by the opposite party to have
the matter accommodates: IA
| In case Whiteside shall signify wish
to adjust this affair without further diff
hculty, let him know that II the present
papers be Withdrawn and note from
Mr.. Shields, asking to know If i am the
author of the articles Of which he COM
plains and asking that shall make him
| gentlemanly satisfaction II 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:
! ~ 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. wrote
that wholly for political effect I had
no intention of injuring your personal or
private character or standing as man
or gentleman, and 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 ! will add that your conduct
toward me, so far as I knew, had always
been gentlemanly and that had no per-
sonal pique against you and no cause for
any
IF this should be done, leave it with
you to manage what shall and shall not
be published. IFS
IF nothing like this is done, the pre-
| liminaries of the fight are to be:
First, Weapons.-Cava 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
Il nj 1ooly ~,
| case to be at a greater distance of time
than Friday evening at o'clock.
Fourth lace.-Within three miles OF
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
i 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 I met
1 General Whiteside, and he again init
mated a wish to adjust the matter AMIGA
j bly,. / then read to him Mr.. Lincolns in
/ structions to an adjustment and the
terms of the hostile meeting IL there
must be one, both at the same time.
He replied that it was useless to talk
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 brick
4 wall as to withdraw that paper He
/ then proceeded: II see but one course.
That is desperate remedy. Tis 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
/ 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
4 to me, saying that some persons were
swearing out affidavits to have us ar
rested and that he intended to meet Mr..
4 Shields Immediately and proceed to the
i place designated, lamenting, however.
4 that l would not delay the time that he
/ might procure the interference of Gov
4 ernor Ford and General Ewing to mollify
M L. 49, ~ a y