Shields became furious and demanded to fight the man responsible for it. The significance of this is rather in the peculiar popularity and yet unpopularity of such a man as Shields. His reckless adventures, his incessant boasting, and his whirlwind career of turmoil all loaded him with praise and ridicule for many a year. Shields went into the Mexican War and came out with his own brand of glory. But it won popularity enough to make him Senator of the United States. As an indication of his amazing character, he wrote a preposterous letter to the man he defeated, declaring, that if Judge Breese had not been defeated, Shields would have killed him. It can be imagined what the fury of such a man must have been against the "Rebecca" letters. The next week another "Rebecca" letter appeared which was this time unmistakably written by some mischief-loving woman. She offered to settle the quarrel by marrying the aggrieved gentleman. This was too much for Shields and he stormed the newspaper office to know whom he should hold responsible for the "Rebecca letters." V. THE FRONTIER "FIRE-EATER" The public taste and the public requirements of its individuals change, as all know, from generation to generation. The development of Lincoln's life can be appreciated only as the community in which he lived is understood. The public custom is necessary to explain Lincoln's part in this peculiar episode. The truth in this clownish affair was that Lincoln had written the first letter, and two young ladies, one of them Mary Todd, were the authors of the second letter. Mary Todd was at that time estranged from Lincoln, and probably did not know that he was the writer of the first "Rebecca Letter." Shields sent his friend, General Whiteside, with a fiery demand to the editor of the paper to know the authors of the "Rebecca letters." The editor at once consulted Lincoln, who told the editor to tell General Whitesides that Lincoln held himself responsible for the "Rebecca letters." Nothing suited Shields better. He began at once to make public the most insulting letters to Lincoln and to issue the most fiery challenges to a duel. Though duelling was at that time forbidden by law, yet so strong was public opinion that the one who refused to fight a duel was branded as a coward and would not only lose his usefulness with the public, but his opponent would thus gain corresponding prestige. Lincoln so far conceded to this demand as to accept the challenge, but on such terms as to make the battle ridiculous rather than heroic. He had the right to choose the weapons and the conditions, so he chose "cavalry broadswords of the largest size," and the fight was to be "across a board platform six feet wide."