The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-23 00:00:00

THE LATE FATAL DUEL.

At the earnest request of her friends, Mrs. Fawcett, the.
widow of the unfortunate officer who fell in the recent.
duel with Lieut. Munro, has published a statement of
the circumstances which preceded and produced that un-
natural encounter. She gives the following account of
the conversation, on the evening of the 29th of June, be-
tween
her husband and Lieut. Munro, which led to the
duel :—" Affairs were then entered upon, Lieut. Munro
commencing the subject. As I was writing a note, I did
not pay much attention to what was passing, but it struck
me that my husband was rather annoyed. I then made
tea, during which Colonel Fawcett, folding up the papert
which were on the table, said, ' Well, it can't be helped
now ; but I must say Mrs. Smith has barnbcozled us
both most thoroughly; though, had I been acting for your
I should most probably have acted as you have done.' 1'
which Lieut. Munro replied, I tell you what, you have
several times insinuated that I mismanaged your affairs,
and I have attended to your interests as I never did to
my own, and I say I will not stand it.' My husband 013-
served, No, Munro, I never said or thought that You
mismanaged my affairs.' 1 say you did.' I did not,
Sir.' You did,' again rejoined Lieut. Munro. Colonel
Fawcett then rose for the first time, and, ringing the bell'
said, `A flat contradiction I will take from no man, and;
Sir, I must request you will leavetny house." Your house,
said Mr. Munro, in a most taunting and sneering manner.
Yes, Sir, my house.' Col. Fawcett then opened the drew,:
ing-room door, and called out to the maid -servant, wn°
was coining up, Open the door for Mr. Munro.' Lieut.
Munro then said. ' I say, you had better tell your servant
to shut the door.' No. Sir, it shall remain open till Y"
leave,' replied my husband. Lieut. Munro then shut thrl
drawing-room door, and, returning, sat down and finished
his tea, speaking at the same time in strong terms of
en
lonel Fawcett's want of gratitude, and its being a Colonel
return from what he expected. All this time
alk
Fawcett stood with his back to the fire, and did not walk
hurriedly
n an
agitatedabout, as htnaasnbn :'ern,
andstatedlnel. Munro then.
There is an ending to our friendship, but lam sorry e
should think you ungrateful for what he has done for as.
u bear
with gross an
was his
ihisnsrueletl., I
reply, bnut
it
aboutwa fi
sivmepmasisniubltees to
Lie
e.
r
Munro again knceked, and, on entering, said, he bad
turned, having omitted to wish me good night ; 131'pa
turning to my husband, he said, he wished him perfectly
to understand that be did not leave the house because he
had been ordered to do so, for, if he pleased, he would
remain all night. He then asked if Colonel Fawcett
perfectly understood him : to which the latter replied,
Perfectly.' Lieut. Munro then said a good deal more
about ingratitude, end added, that, if it were not for the
family cc fluxion, he would fling him neck and heels down
his own staircase ; to which Colonel Fawcett replied, with
the utmost coolness and self-possession, ' Pray don't let
that prevent you ; but this is not the way in which gentle-.
men usually settle their differences.' I do not think
a
t said to my
Lieutenant Munro made any reply, but soon after left,
slamming the doors violently after him ; and all the time
he was in the room he kept his hat on, and swaggered his
stick while speaking." From the rest of the statement,
it appears that throughout the subsequent proceedings,
Cot. Fawcett was most anxious to come to an accomoda-
tion without fighting, and that he went out at last fully
determined not to fire at his brother-in-law. Mrs. Faw-
cett afterwards says, " Of Lieutenant Munro's feelings
and intentions on going out I will say nothing, as the/,
can only be known to himself and the great God who Will
one day judge us all ; nor will I dwell upon my own suf-
ferings, which were rendered still more acute by being
made a theme of conversation to the world ; but, disre-
garding the fresh anguish these details occasion me,
consider it my duty to refute the odium thrown upon la
beloved husband's memory by the man that slew him, es
well as the odious reflections cast upon myself ; for Lieut.
Munro is well aware that no person (excepting Mr. Caddy,
to whom he could not mean to allude) but myself had an/
knowledge of what was going forward ; and 1 now here
most solemnly state, that from first to last I never once
heard my husband mention Lieutenant Munro's name
with the slightest degree of acrimony, nor did one word
ever fall from my lips calculated to produce that feeling,
or prevent a reconciliation ; on the contrary, as I have
before said, I many times implored him in the strongest
terms, to avoid a meeting, which he most earnestly wished
to do. I also consider it right to state, that Colonel FOP
acnetay f
ttatudwrreivae,
es ebvuetr
tbo emfoyr eithereow n
personalprincipal,
knowledgese on d, or r
hadp, r euspeol
several occasions, acted a peace-maker, when called upon
b
ds.
that Aswe
were
eo
statedtlie 'to suspicionshav ebeeonf
la)
nmost a
at by
c
unhappyo:
Fawcett, I cannot possibly imagine to what Lieutenant
Munro pretends to allude, nor can any of my husbnd's
family or friends, to whom I have applied, throws foy light on the subject."