The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-16 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 16, 1856.

RAILWAYS AND REVOLVERS IN
GEORGIA.

The following narrative of a scene in the railway
cars in the State of Georgia, in the United States
of America, is from an eye-witness :
" We left Macon, Georgia, at 5 p.m. of the 28th of
August last, in the train for Augusta, Georgia. The train
was composed cf two cars, the first for the mail and lug-
gage, with a few seats for smokers, the last for passengers ;
in this car there were about 25 persons (the narrator being
one), of whom three were women. Of these three one was
an elderly person, travelling alone: sbe went through to
Augusta, and never 'stirred or spoke all the way; of the
other two, who were well-dressed and respectable-looking,
one appeared to be near 30 and the other about 20 years of
age. These two came in together, accompanied by a well-
dressed man, apparently between 25 and 30 ; he seated
them immediately behind me, and took his seat alongside
of me. From this proximity I could not avoid hearing their
conversation, and before the train left I was made aware of
some anticipated disturbance. There shortly entered
another man of about the same age as the one beside me,
who, after noticing and saying a few words to the two
female companions, passed on and took his seat on the op-
posite side of the car, two benches in advance of the one
I was seated on. He turned the back of the bench, so
that he faced the two women and their companion. In
so doing he found himself seated face to face with a
tall, muscular, and hard-visaged man of about 50, of a
mien by no means repulsive or disagreeable. It soon became
known to me, by the conversation of the two women, that
the man who had thus passed on and seated himself was the
person from whom, or with whom, they feared some dis-
turbance. Nothing occurred, however, until some time
after our departure, when the conductor came into the car
to call for the tickets; in so doing he came first to thisman
(or B as I will call him), who, being addressed by the con-
ductor, said to him twice in a loud voice, so that all the
persons in the car might hear him —" Tell those two ladies
opposite that I have their tickets in my pocket," which
message was delivered aloud by the conductor. Tho diffi-
culty that existed, and the danger of some disturbance,

now became publicly known, and attracted the attention

of B's vis-a-vis (or C), who questioning B learnt from him,
as did every one in the cars who chose to listen, that he
had a quarrel with the man who had introduced the two
women (or A). Then he related that he was a Frenchman,
a barber and hairdresser, keeping a shop in Macon, &c.
From his conversation, and the conversation of the two
women behind me, I gathered that both A and B had been
meeting the younger woman at balls and parties, and had
been paying attentions to her. The rest is the common
story of flirtation, the consequences of which are tshown
in this narrative to have been terrible. A had been
received and encouraged by the young woman, but had
been supplanted by B, owing, as she confessed to her
companion, to the superior attractions of a bag of gold
B bad shown her and promised to spend for their

gratification; so that this pleasure trip, which had
been first proposed by A, was accepted from B, and A
getting to know of it determined to mar it. How he suc-
ceeded will be shown in the sequel. B having explained to
C and to every one in the car the cause of his quarrel with
A, C asked him if he intended to fight A, for, if so, he
ought to send A a challenge. B said this had already been
done, and that A had B's challenge in his pocket, but had not
answered it. A, being then questioned by C, answered that
he refused the challenge because B had chosen swords, a
weapon with which he was wholly unacquainted. He was
ready to fight B, and consented that C should settle the
terms with any other weapon ; thou followed a discussion
about weapons, and finally C arranged the affair, so that
they both: agreed to fight with guns loaded with ball, and,
having ascertained that there were two guns in the cars, C
proposed that they should fight it out at once, for that he
would get the conductor to stop for them at a con-
venient place. To this proposition neither of them
would listen, and would only agree to fight after their
arrival next morning. Here this matter rested. All
this was carried on in a loud voice. The arrangement of
this duel caused an animated conversation among three or
four groups about duelling and celebrated duels, and no
other conversation was carried on in the car. At length,
attracted by the high tone of voice, I heard ono of the dis-
putants, a white headed man past GO at least, but hale
looking, accuse his opponent of ignorance of duelling and
duels, and declare his belief that the other never saw a
duel and would be afraid to face a man. Upon this the
other, a respectable looking man, of about 45, rose up and
challenged the old man to follow him out of the car. Then
the old man, telling his son, a fine little boy about 6 years
old, to wait till he came back, followed the other into the
smoking car, when, after arranging the preliminaries and •
making some written dispositions that occupied a quarter
of an hour or so, the cars were stopped, and, after they
had descended with their witnesses, the ears moved on
again leaving them behind. We learnt on the way —by
telegraph—that the old man was killed. After this inter-
lude C returned to his proposition for the immediate set.
tlement of the affair between A and B, and sot before
them the proceeding of the two who had gone out as the
proper way to act ; but, being refused, he treated B con-
temptuously and bore so hard upon him that B quarrelled
with him,
,and
,finally challenged him, and his challenge
was immediately taken up by C.
The conversation did not flag for these incidents, but
was continued as loud and animated as ever on the same ,
subject ; at last another challenge was given iu the cars,
but here the challenged refused unless the challenger
could give satisfaction as to his respectability; whereupon
the challenger declared that if the other did not fight he
would whip him whenever he got off the car, and told
him to prepare himself ; and ho die se out a pistol, which
he ,'paraded about and handed to all who wished to exa-
mine it, as the one with which he would shoot the other.
Some time afterwards the man challenged got out of the
car; the challenger, who had watched Limo, and who in
the meantime had got some one to accompany him as
witness of the fight or fray, got out after him. We soon
heard high words, oaths, and imprecations, but no report
of firearms ;reached us, nor did we receive any intelli-
gence of this encounter. Being again under way C be-
came impatient to have his own duel with B settled, and
insisted on B's finding a second, on pain of being treated
as a coward if he did not; before this time, and after
his acceptance of B's Challenge, C had been joined by
another man, much younger than himself, and taller and
stouter; it \vas soon clear that they were intimately con-
nected, for on joining company C asked him if he had the
pistols, and was answered "Yes." B then consented, and
found a second ; then the oars wore stopped, and B and his
second and C and his companion got out. This time the
conductor waited the result of the duel. B was killed ; his
second and the two companions came back and got into the
cars, but whether the body of B was left behind or was put
in the luggage car Ido not know. It most likely wee put
in there, for B's father was with him. It appeared after-
wards that on coming back to the cars C had offered B's
father a chance of avenging his son's death if he chose, but
the old man accepted his affliction. Immediately on his
arrival in the cars C stood on the platform, and holding
the door of the passenger car open, addressed the passengers
collectively in a set speech, pleading his own justification,
and praising what he called the noble and honourable in-
stitution of duelling, and challenging any one or every one
who said aught against him. He then ended by saying, as
for that young woman, the blood that had been shed lay
on her head; that he had never seen her before, did not
know her or care to know her, that her conduct showed
her to be no better than a common strumpet, and that as
such he should denounce her whenever and wherever he
might afterwards meet her, and offered to fight any one
who lied some pretensions to respectability who would
take her part and defend her character; he then retired
into the smoking car, but not before the young woman had
replied in most violent language, telling him she would not
s e
except n
rest until she found some one to kill him ; she then turned
to B's father (and now for the first time I perceived that
A
eu longer
athe e
nee% r,
ofthe
but l couldthree
m
notix
mixed
account
w
forth
his
the second encounter), and, by all manner of entreaties,
persuasions, representations, and even threats of public
sneers, prevailed upon him to take her part, though
he loudly declared to her that it was going to certain
death. He then stepped forward towards the platform
of the car, where C's companion, at his request, had been
constantly hurling out a defiance to this young woman,
and offered himself ; but C, on receiving
•
this offer, sent
his companion back to refuse him, saying that he, the
father, was a coward, for that he had refused satisfaction
when it was offered to him in a better
might live and die a coward. The cause
°l4
hg
to hurl at C's defiance, se-"11)-;--„e- ; -
4 then con-
to take a little water to el- -opping only for breath or
defiance was in th.l., „•''ar hie throat of hoarseness ; the
another man and ' "semeing words —" Let her bring
change
ef.
c• ne will kill him ;" this was varied by
will r and now and then he added, " He
4. -et murder him ; he'll give him a fair chance." After
one refusal of C to accept B's father, the young woman ad
dressed her companion, and tried to persuade her to join in
an appeal to the passengers. This address was made so
audibly that it was plainly intended as a direct appeal to
us. Her companion refused, and prayed of her to desist ;
but, as she would not, her companion got; out at the next
stopping place to return to havannob, w.bere she resided,
and left the young woman without &eying " Good bye."
After this the young woman begged of B's father to appeal
to us, always so that we might hear her and anticipate a
direct appeal- He persuaded her, howcvel that the appeal
would come best from bereelf t Ilu, ms' declared that she
did not feel able to express her self,be-mote out an address
and handed it to her. He te brought' her forward into
the Middle 0 the car and ek
---- lifted up

#404 lux

the paper to read it, but, after two or three ineffectual at-
tempts to articulate, overcome by rage, pride, or shame,
she gave it up and sat down. The defiance was still cried
out, but at longer intervals. Shortly after this we arrived
at a station where there were refreshments, end nearly all
the passengers got out. Here, before the train started
again, a young man of 25 or uudea-, who all the way from
Macon had been seated in the smoking car, came into the
passenger car, and as he entered he recognised and accosted
the young woman ; and, after being made acquainted by
her with the insult and defiance to her, he at once offered
to take her part, and was joyfully accepted. This young
man's father was also in the cars. No sooner, then, were
the cars fairly under way then she sent the young man
into the smoking car, and the duel between him and C was
speedily arranged ; but as the train was much behind time
the conductor refused to stop, and it was therefore agreed
to fight in the smoking car. They fought with Monte
Christ() pistols, or pistols that.make no report, for, after a
few moments of breathless silence, nothing was heard but
the young man's death cry. About this time the little boy,
son of the old man who was first killed, awoke, and the
young woman took hint with her into the private room
that is in the corner of all passenger cars in that country
upon a line, and there she divulged to him the secret of
his father's death, and pointed out C as havinghilled him.
Being on the seat next the room, with my head against the
wooden partition, I heard enough of her story to know
what she told him. The cries and lamentations of the child
were most distressing, and in the midst of them he kept
callingCthe murderer of his father, and also of his mother,
who, he said, would the, and declaring that he would de-
nounce him when he got to Augusta, and would tell his
parents, who, he was sure, would
atl avenge
qvuhoii
res
tfeatathhteeor 'bsodye
;a
explaint
hhe.
This continued so long that it roused the anger of 0, who
sent his companion to undeceive and
went, therefore, tp the boy,
to him that C had nothing to do with his father's death,
but that the woman herself was the cause of it. He told
his story fairly, but it did not pacify the shild, who either
did not understand him or did not believe him, for he re-
doubled his cries and repeated his threats, whereupon the
man took the boy from the woman, and carried him upon
the platform of the car, and there he threatened to kill him
if he did not hush and keep quiet. It was thought he did
this to frighten the boy, but the woman, who could see
them from her position, cried out in a tone of alarm that
the man was in earnest, for the boy would not cease. At
length came a cry from the child of " Save me, save me,'
when a tall middle-aged man, who till
utphs
,iamtii,mthe had
remained
ehdisstcillelaakn, and had
notg," spoken,livillsavle°t'leie child," stepped
forward to the platform, where, in an impressive tone and
speech, ho expostulated with the man and prevailed upon
him to deliver up the boy. He then took the boy and car-
ried him back, and gave him to the woman in the small
room. For a short time there was silence, but soon the
cries and threats of the boy were recommenced, then C's
companion, who had retired into the smoking car, came
out, went into the small room, snatched the boy from the
woman, carried him on to the platform, deliberately mur-
dered him, and threw the body off from the car ; the sud-
den silence of the child, the sound of his body falling
down, had such an effect upon use that, so soon as my mind
could realise the murder as a fact, I became unconscious;
in which state I remained, perhaps, 10 minutes; for when
I returned to a clear perception of things I found the cars
were stopped, and, on inquiry, I learnt that B's father
and the stranger who had saved the child at first had chal-
lenged and gone out to fight with C and his companion, and
that the conductor had stopped the train for that purpose,
and was waiting the result. C and his companion alone
came back; the other two were killed; but here an inci-
dent occurred, that, no doubt, saved further bloodshed.
As soon as C stepped into the car the conductor started the
train, and it went off so rapidly that his companion, who
was a little way behind, could not catch it, though he was
so near that I could hear his footsteps ; when he found he
was being left ho ceased running, and called out as loud as
ho could to stop ; C also joined in the cry, but, seeing the
conductor paid no attention to these cries, he rushed for
ward with the intention of stopping the engine himself,
but now the conductor and his men interfered, and as he
was climbing over the tender they seized and secured him,
and shut him up in a room. It was now near 3 a.m., of
the 29th, and about half-an-hour afterwards we arrived in
Augusta.

I have thus given as plain a narrative, and as short, as I
possibly can. I know none of the parties by name, nor any
of my fellow•passengers, and this is not surprising, for
family names are seldom used when travelling in that
country. Neither have I seen any account of this affair
in the Georgia papers, so that I urn ignorant of what be-
came of C, who was secured, or of his companion who was
left behind ; but, if I ma; judge from the silence of the
papers, I should say they wara not hrouAtt to justice.
In Augusta I heard a pm-sr:n ear that these were not
uncommon incidents, and that scarcely a week passed with-
out some fatal encounter on that road.

THE EASTERN STEAM NAVIGATION
COMPANY.

The half-yearly general meeting of this company was
held yesterday, at the works, Miltwall, under the presi-
dency of the hon. Henry F. Berkeley, M.P.
The SECRETARY having read the advertisement con-
vening the meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said he was sorry to acquaint those
assembled that there were not sufficient shareholders pre-
sent to constitute a legal meeting, and that, consequently,
none could take p!ace. He and his brother directors had
been waiting an hour and a half in the expectation of
()piety arriving, hot all to no purpose. On such an occa-
pion, he felt that any further observations would be super:.
finoes.

A SHAREHOLDER asked if they could rot hear the re.
port read, even though no Incetit.g took place ?
The CHAIRMAN replied that it was not legal, but stir
he had no objection to their hearing the report of the di•
rectors :

The SECRETARY accordingly read the following re-
port :

" At the fifth annual general meeting of proprietors
held on the 19th of February last, it will be remembered
that your directors entered into a lengthened detail of
their proceedings, and also of the difficult position in
which they found themselves placed by the inability of
their contractor to complete his engagements for build-
ing, the ship and paddle.engines. Between that period
and the 23d May the works were completely at a stand,
an occurrence which caused your directors great anxiety.
But having in the interval, under the provisions of the
respective contracts, and acting under legal advice, taken
such measures as in their judgment were calculated to
maintain the rights and secure the property of the coin-
Pany, upon the last named day the works were resumed
under the directions and control of the engineer and
officers of the company, under certain arrangements,
which include the use of the entire premises and plant of
your late contractor. The following is the report of the
engineer :

" 18, Duke4treet, Westminster, Oct. 13.
"‘ Gentlemen,—At the time of the last half-yearly
meeting, the works wore entirely suspended, o a ing to
the difficulties of our contractor, but. expectations were
entertained that arrangements might shortly be entered
into with other parties for completing the ship and pad-
dle engines ; circumstances, however, appeared to ren-
der it unavoidable that we should for a time undertake
ourselves their execution, and towards the latter end of
May the works were resumed ; since that time a con-
siderable quantity of work has been executed. The plat-
ing of the hull of the ship has proceeded rapidly, indeed
at a c easiderably greater rate than during the existence
of the c mtract, and the quality of the work being under
our own control is also equelly good. The whole of the
centre body of the ship is, as may be easily perceived,
in a very forward state, the extremities of the stem and
stern alone remain to be completed. Everything is de-
termined upon and in progress with respect to these
parts, but they will necessarily occupy more time in
proportion to the quantity of iron to be fixed than the
centre body. The paddle engines, paddle wheels, pad-
dle boxes, and screw propeller are being proceeded with;
the boilers of these engines are now being moved, pre-
paratory to being lifted into the ship, and the travelling
crane erected for the purpose has been tested. Messrs.
Watt and Co. have given notice of the cemmencement
of the delivery in the course of this week also of their
boilers, and we shall POOll bo ready to receive their en-
gine works. I have matured my plans for the launch-
ing, and am now preparing the drawings and models
and the numerous other details, the settlement of which
the present advanced stage of the work requires and
admits of now occupy my attention. After the many
disappointments we have met with I shall not venture
to speak of the future beyond expressing the hope and
belief that at our next annual meeting the works will be
so near completion that we may then safely form an
opinion of the time when we may rely upon seeing this
great ship afloat.—l am, gentlemen, your obedient
servant, (Signed) " K. BRUNEL.'
This being a half-yearly meeting held in compliance with
the terms of the charter and deed of settlement mainly to
report progress, it is unnecessary for the directors to
enter into any details of their future poliCy or of their
contemplated arrangements, but at the next annual
general meeting, which it is intended shall be held as
early in January next as circumstances will admit of, a
full exposition of the arrangements and affairs of the
company will be submitted to you. Your directors have
thought it advisable to take the present opportunity of
holding the meeting at this place, with the view of afford-
ing any shareholder who might desire to be present an
opportunity of witnessing the 'progress making in the
construction of the work which they have undertaken,
and which is of world- aide fame, reflecting credit alike
upon the proprietors, the engineer by whom it was de-
signed, and the executive who have so ably sec-nded his
efforts. In conclusion, your directors now merely re-
peat their undiminished confidence in the undertaking,
and they look forward to the period, not many months
distant, when they hope to have the satisfaction of con-
gratulating their fellow-shareholders upon their ship
being afloat and ready fora trial trip."
Their being no business to transact, the proceedings
then terminated.

ROYAL SURREY GARDENS COMPANY.

The following is the first report of the directors of the
Royal Surrey Gardens Company :
" The directors of the Royal Surrey Gardens Company
(Limited) hare called the shareholders together at a pe-
riod earlier than required by the deed of settlement of
the company, being anxious to show the result of their
past management, and to take the opinion of the share-
holders for their gui.!ance in future operations.
" The original prospectus of this company detailed the
grounds upon which the intentions of the promoters were
based, and to that prospectus the directors refer, in full
confidence that every statement of fact and intention has
been strictly adhered to. . .

" The concert hall which has been erected is faultless
in its general purpose, unrivalled for its acoustic proper.
ties, and for the full development of musical art. The
gardens and grounds are not unworthy of the building,
and when it is considered that on the Ist March last not
a brick marked the spot where the hall now stands, whilst
the gardens wore comparatively a wilderness, the share-
holders will allow that some energy must have been dis-
played to open them to the public in the month of July,
as they now appear. Although the summer was fa: ad-
vanced, and the inhabitants of London were quitting
town, the result of the season, short as it has been, ena-
bles the directors to announce the complete success of
the Royal Surrey Gardens Company.
"From the opening to the last day of September con-
tinued prosperity has attended the Royal Surrey Gar-
dens. The inauguration festival will not be forgotten.
The "Messiah" and "Elijah" were produced on a scale
till then unattempted, and the directors refer to these
performances, universally admitted to have been the
finest on record. From the 15th of July to the close of
aUnndd
oe
trhtehrecao bullep
ogsueirdsa
on
fceesotafbMlis. hJeudllfiaemn,et,hheasvuebbliemene prernoi
the season music of the highest character has been given.
ductions of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart,
dered by Me sdames Alboni, Clara Novello, Gassier,
Dolby, Rudersdorff, Fiorentini, Mr. Sims Reeves, and
Herr Formes, whilst Bottesini, Piatti, and Sivori, in
addition to an efficient chorus, directed by Mr. Land,
have given effect to the music. The orchestra which
now claims the Royal Surrey Gardens as its home,
directed by M. Jullien, has become faultless in exe-
cution, and numbers daily in its ranks Keanig, Duheme,
Hughes, Lavigne, Collinet, Sonnenberg, Hardy, De-
munck, Schreurs, Willy, and others, whose superiors
were never heard at any place of amusement. Crowded
audiences have listened with eager attention to refined
and delicate, or sublime and grand music, and by enthu-
siastio applamse have testified their appreciation of its
beauties and their own gratification.
"The grand tableaux of Constantinople and the Alps,
painted by M:r. Danson, are unrivalled as artistic dis-
plays ; they are worthy of the artist and of the Royal
Surrey Gardens, whilst the magnificent fireworks by
Mr. Southby have surprised and delighted the public.
" The directors refer the shareholders to the first pub-
lished calculations of receipts and expenditure upon
which this company was launched to the public, and they
refer to them with pleasure, as they are now enabled to
show that every promise of profit has been realised.
"After defraying every cost connected with the com•
pany from the 15th of July to the 10th of October, there
remain a clear profit upon the earnings sufficient to pay
a dividend upon the paid-up capital of the company of 5
per cent. for the half-year ending Jan. 1 next ; and the
directors recommend such dividend to be declared. The
ability to declare and pay such a dividend solely from the
earnings of 10 weeks proves the solidity of the calcula-
tions and the genuineness of the ex:pectations which the
promoters held out, and is an earne st of the much larger
1, refits which next year may fairly 15a reckoned to yield.
" The directors wish to state that the strictest eco-
heha)-- has been used in every praoticable way, and no
expens.' has been incurred that could be avoided. They
have ena,:avoured to place the Royal Surrey Gardens
Company in its proper position as ( me of the legitimate
tha
companies
• .-t the Jaw of limited -iliability has brought
forth, combining the profitable em ployment of capital
with the improvement of the people in musical taste, and
giving rational entertainment and amusement at prices
within the reach of all.
"The directors believe that from the use of the music
hall during the winter season a consi deralsle revenue may
be derived. Arrangements are in pr oparation for musical
performance, and for choral and madrigal gatherings.
For public dinners and meetings re quiring a large area
it is peculiarly suited, as there is n. ) building in London
capable of holding so large an audience.
" The directors, anxious to carry out to the fullest ex-
tent the project which has been sc, satisfactorily com-
menced, are using every effort to rein ler the
textnex summer
season, from May to September, eql ual to ements of the public and the expect ations of the share-
holders. They seek to organise a musementa for the
thousands who, before the cowmen' cement and during
'the intervals of the performance in Vat) music ball, would
enjoy the diversified entertainm slits which may be
brought forward.
"The past season has partially p roved the capabilities
of the culinary and refreshment departments. With
goods judicious improvements and alterations a very