File:General James Shields.jpg

Identifier: abrahamlincol1479coff (find matches)
Title: Abraham Lincoln
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Coffin, Charles Carleton, 1823-1896 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Sovereign Grand Lodge
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Presidents
Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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enough to makeone swear, to have to pay taxes in silver for nothing only that Fordmay get his $2000, Shields his $2400, and Carpenter his $1600 a year,and all without danger of loss from State paper.() The ridicule of Rebecca was merciless. A week passed and asecond letter appeared, not written by Abraham Lincoln, but by MaryTodd and Julia Jayne, in which Rebecca satirized the Auditor uponhis attention to the ladies. Besides the letter there were rhymes: Ye Jews-harp, awake ! the Auditors won ;Rebecca the widow has gained Erins son ;The pride of the North from Emerald IsleHas been wooed and won by a womans smile. (^) The Auditor, instead of laughing at the satire, became very angry,and demanded the name of the writer. Give him my name, but say nothing about the young ladies, saidLincoln. (^) Shields demanded satisfaction. In the Southern States a refusal tofight a duel was looked upon as evidence of cowardice. Many pubhcmen had fought duels—Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, Colonel
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GENERAT- .TAMES SHIELDS. (From a plintograiih taken in ISfil.) Benton and General Jackson, Commodore Decatnr and CommodoreBarron, Henry Clay and John Randolph. Four years before the writ-mg of the Rebecca letter Mr. Graves, of Kentucky, and Mr. Cilley,of Maine, members of Congress, fought a duel, in Avhich Cilley waskilled. Lincoln was quite willing to come to satisfactory terms withShields for anything that he had written himself, but he could not inhonor say to him that the second letter and poetry had been written bytwo estimable young ladies. What will you dof asked a friend. I am wholly opposed to duelling, and will do anything to avoid itthat will not degrade me in the estimation of myself and friends; but ifdegradation or a fight are the alternatives, I shall fight. (^) He knew the party challenged could name the weapons. He knew,too, that small swords were generally used, but with grotesque humorhe selected heavy broadswords. He stipulated that there should be abarrier between

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