Then my father was despatched to tell Mr. Lincoln that the wedding
would be deferred until the next evening. Clergyman, attendants and
intimate friends were notified, and on Friday evening, in the midst of
a small circle of friends, with the elements doing their worst in the
way of rain, this singular courtship culminated in marriage. This I
know to be literally true, as I was one of her bridesmaids, Miss Jayne
(afterwards Mrs. Lyman Trumbull) and Miss Rodney being the others."
* * * * *
[Footnote 1: Mr. Charles Lamb, now passing his declining years
quietly on his farm, a dozen miles from Springfield, Illinois, was a
compositor on the "Sangamo Journal" from 1836 to 1843, and it was
he who put into type the poem by "Cathleen," which, with the "Lost
Townships" letters, led General Shields to challenge Lincoln. "This
poem," says Mr. Lamb, "was written by Mary Todd and Julia Jayne,
afterward the wife of Senator Lyman Trumbull. After I had set up the
poem, I took the copy from the hook and put it into my pocket. When
Lincoln was informed by Simeon Francis, the editor of the 'Journal,'
that Shields had demanded the name of the author of the verses, he
came around to the office and asked for the copy. I produced it, and
he picked up a pen and wrote his name across the top of the page.
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