There is a set of data regarding the Lost Township letters and Lincoln's duel with James Shields. People reading that information can have different conclusions based on the same data set. As far as I know, I am the only one who concluded that Mary Todd plotted Abraham Lincoln's killing. If I can explain my thinking, I believe many will agree.
When Abraham Lincoln learned that the state would no longer accept paper money to pay the school tax, he wrote a lighthearted, sarcastic letter to the paper's editor criticizing the state's auditor. Lincoln signed the letter using the name Rebecca.
When the state auditor, James Shields, read the article in the newspaper, he was furious. He went to the editor demanding the name of the author. The editor told Shields that Abraham Lincoln wrote the letter. Shields had business out of town and put the matter on hold until he returned.
Six months earlier,
Abraham Lincoln failed to show up at his wedding. The Edwards were hosting the wedding at their mansion. After Lincoln jilted Mary, the Edwards refused to allow Lincoln in their home. All the major social events in town were at the Edwards mansion. When Lincoln couldn't attend, he must have felt like an outcast.
The Edward were getting their revenge on Abraham. Mary must have wanted revenge, also. When Mary read Rebecca's letter in the newspaper, she recognized Lincoln's writing style. A short time later, Mary was talking to Eliza Francis, the wife of the paper's editor. Eliza told Mary that James Shields was irate over the letter Lincoln wrote.
Mary had dated James Shields and knew he was a fighting man who wouldn't take anything derogatory from anyone. Mary wrote several letters to the editor criticizing James Shields and signed them Rebecca. My question is, why would she do this? The answer is revenge. She wanted to instigate a fight between James Shields and Abraham Lincoln.
James Shields challenged Lincoln to a duel. The purpose of a duel is to end the life of your opponent. If Mary didn't want Lincoln killed, all she would have to do was say she wrote the additional letters that infuriated Shields. Shields couldn't take his anger out on a woman. It would be a disgrace to fight a duel with a woman who had never held a gun in her life. There would be no one to fight. The duel would be over. Why didn't Mary admit to writing the letters?
It is obvious that Mary wanted Abraham killed.
It appears that CivilWarTalk is not posting all my responses. Did you have anything to with it? Sometimes it seems like discussing Meth Gators and vampires are more appropriate for your audience. It would be nice to have an open, intelligent conversation.
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