Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-02-12

4st He was melancholic. constitutionally 20: IL
clined in such q matter. we know, to the most
morbid view. The upshot was. at all events,
that on New Years day, 1s41. the very day,fas
one account has It, which had been set for the
i wedding. he broke the engagement According
to Herndon, one OF his biographers. who was also
his law partner, he broke 1t as publicly as pos
sibly by falling to make his appearance on the
appointed wedding day. The engagement was
broken no doubt of that: but Herndons account
y of Its breaking Is not well authenticated.
Lincoln took this trouble deeply to heart. He
abandoned his business and went away to forget
1T the following summer, making visit with that
purpose to his old friend Speed In Louisville. KY.
From this trip he returned In a better frame Of
mind This. perhaps, because he had been called
upon there to counsel with and resolve some
doubts OF Speed regarding his own approaching
marriage Lincoln and Miss Todd remained nm
reconciled for year and half. In the summer
Of 1912 they were brought together unexpectedly
by mutual friends, and met secretly several
times later at the house Of sMr Simeon Francis
At length the engagement was renewed This
came about through a circumstance of serio-
4 comic features in which they both had part.
This circumstance is story in ITSELF 1t in
volyes besides the two principles, James Shields
the same afore referred to as of Miss
Todd's admirers. He was an Irishman of ability,
and courage. as he afterward proved on the bat
tle1eld in the Mexican war. when. to cleanse .
wound through the lungs, silk handkerchief
was drawn through his body
At the time of the Lincoln affair Shields was
leading Democrat Of Illinois and held the once
1 of auditor Of state. He was quick. impulsive
man. whose disposition put him often on the
defensive with the Wing leaders, for the Repub-y
lican party was then unborn OF these Wing
leaders in that state Lincoln then was one Now.
It was the custom at that time to carry on much
political controversy through the press by means
OF personal communications. such as we know
now as Letters from the People" Great space
and attention were given these in the newspapers
in that day. 4 q 10y X,
Just about that date Lincoln furnished such .
letter to a Springfield paper; it was signed Aunt
Rebecca, and in 1t Shields. whose vanity and gal
lantry often made him mark. was most unmer
cfully ridiculed. It made hit, this letter, and
Miss Todd and q friend its real authors by the
way. followed It up with another and with some
doggerel rhyme. which reached the paper In the
same manner the first.
Springfield laughed loudly at these communi.
cations-not so much at the matter OF them al
at the anger displayed by Shields. He acted
promptly, sent friend at once to the editor OF
the paper to demand the name Of the writer of
the articles. Dueling then was still common
incident Of public life, and the editor called upon
Lincoln, who, unwilling to bring the ladies into
the affair, gave his own name as the author.
(. While he was at fremont, the law circuit,
fifteen days later, two friends of his overlook him
and advised him that Shields. was on the way
following him up to challenge. Shields and a
friend arrived shortly, and Lincoln was soon in
receipt Of written demand for the Satisfaction
due gentleman" In FULL pofitive and absolute
retraction This may prevent" the missive said
further Consequences which no one will regret
more than myself"
Lincoln refused to apologize. Seconds were I'm
mediatey named-Whitesides editor Of the paper
in which the matter had appeared. for Shields;
E. H. Merryman for Lincoln. The seconds talked
of peace. but Whitesides refused to discuss such
settlement with his principal. Why" he said.
"he'd challenge me next and as soon cut my
throat as not!"
That night they all went back to Springfield,
with Lincolns preliminaries to follow. since he
was the challenged party, namely these:
Weapons. cavalry broadswords.
Time Thursday evening at 5 o'clock. Z
Place, within three miles Of Alton on the op-
poste side Of the river Mississippi
On the End Of September 1872 they were all
upon the ground The arrangements for the az
fair were about completed when the party was
joined by friends. Among them was Colonel
John H. Hardin. who knew Lincoln we'll He
had been warned Of the fight by Eliza Lott, who
had heard of 1t when the duelists stopped to
breakfast going out. Colonel Hardin and the rest
managed to satisfy Shields that Lincoln was not
the author Of the articles, but was shielding an
other and to aid the seconds in settling the trou
BILE with honor" the phrase Is. Ito all con-
cerned."
Less than two months later marriage license
Miss Tarbell describes the event as "almost i'm
,promptu." The ceremony interrupted meeting
Of the Episcopal Sewing society at the house of
Miss Todd's sister. the Mrs. Edwards already
mentioned