The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-03-01

day, Thursday the I'D, about the time OF the adj
| tournament of the House.
After | had seen you in the morning of the 22d
| you had advised with other friends, whom | know
not and had sent by your colleague, Mr.. Menefee
about | or 2 O'Clock, p. M to Mr.. Ciey, as you and
he both afterwards informed me- the following letter
| to wit
| Mr.. Graues to Mr.. CiHey.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
February %, 1888.
| SIR: Your note of yesterday in reply to mine OF
that date is nexplct unsatisfactory and Insufficient
among other things, in this that in your declining to
receive Col Webbs communication, it does not dis
claim any exception to him personally gentleman.
have, therefore, to inquire whether you declined
to receive his communication on the ground of any
personal exception to him gentleman or man OF
honor. A categorical answer is expected.
Very respectfully,
Hon. J. CnLEY.
/ knew nothing of the delivery of this note, and
| nothing of the answer to it, until you came to me
with both, and with a challenge already drawn for
me to deliver to MIR. Cilley in the evening The an
swer was in these words
Mr.. Cilley to Mr.. Grapes.
HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES,
February %, 1888.
SIR Your note Of this date has been placed in my
hands. regret that mine Of yesterday not sat
isfacory to you, but cannot admit the right your
part to PROFOUND the question to which you ask a
categorical answer, and therefore decline any fur
Their response to it.
Very respectfully,
JONA CILLEY
Hon. w. J. GRAVES.
When you came to me with this last note, you
came asking no advice, but with your mind decided
to send challenge, and with challenge already
drawn before you me- As you afterwards testi-
fed you said there was alternative left you had
consulted with no one and requested me to bear the
challenge Immediately This was during the sitting
of the House, about half past o'clock P. M.
begged you to wait until the House adjourned.
After the adjournment, we walked down the ave-
nue. together, and demonstrated against bearing the
challenge and prevailed you at last to deliberate
for one night, to afford time to see whether some
thing might not occur, might not be done, to re-
eve you from the necessity of challenging Mr. Gil
lev at ALL You consented to this, took the challenge
with you: we parted for the night, and had fur
Their communication with each other until the next
| morning.
About ten O'Clock, the next morning, of Friday,
the 23d, you called at my boarding house. miss
Queen's) Pennsylvania avenue, and again brought
with you challenge already drawn and requested
me to bear it. You said that nothing had occurred
to change your determination, and you could see no
alternative You submitted to the form of the
challenge which you had drawn. You remarked
that there aUo points of controversy with Mr..
Cilley, to wit:
lst The point of veracity: Whether he did not say
you what you alleged he said in your verbal inter-
view with him. This he had denied in his first note,
after requesting you to ask for it in writing
I'd. The point of honor: In refusing to give you in
writing satisfactory reasons for declining to receive
at your hands note from Col. Webb.
The first was the point which seemed to weigh
most in your mind and concurred with you that it
was the ground on which you could be justiiable in
calling Mr.. Cey to the field. Your challenge, at
that time, was drawn conformably to this view. 1t
was, you know, afterwards destroyed, and have no
copy of it now; but, speaking from recollection its
substance call upon Mr. Cilley for denying your
statement Of ,Dhat he had said after admitting to yo
and requesting you to call ON him for 1t in acriting
| admitted that this was your true of quarrel
but demurred to bearing the challenge and still urged
that something might still be done to avoid it.
| thought that Webb ought not to allow you to fight
Mr. Cilley, or to be involved in challenge on his
count and that he might demand to take your place
You seemed to think that it was no longer Webbs
but your affair; that your word disputed
| and denied as well as his character doubted. We
discussed this question some time, and you at last in
| sisted that should accompany you to MIR. Clay's
room and be guided by his counsel in the matter
You boarded at the same house with hm--at Mrs
| HIPS, few doors from Miss Queens | went with
YOU to his room about III o'clock, A. M. on Friday
the 3d. and we found him alone. You submitted to
him in my presence whether there was any altena-
tive then for you but to challenge Mr.. Cilley He
promptly responded that you had no other left
You then submitted to him the form of the challenge
you had drawn. He read it, and did not approve it.
and said that your true point of challenge thai
Mr. Ciey had refused to receive the note of Colonel
Webb, which you had borne, and had refused also to
assign such would eXonerate you from re-
sponsibty Immediately debated this point with him
as to the true of dispute but he persisted in
his opinion took the challenge you had drawn, threw
it aside, and with his own hand and pen wrote the
| following
| "WAsHINoToN CITY, February 49, 1888.
| "As you have declined accepting a communication
which | bore to you from Col. Webb, and as by your
grounds which would exonerate from all response
bility growing of the affair, am left other al
tentative but ask that satisfaction which is recog
nized among gentlemen. My friend, Hon. Henry A
Wise, is authorized by me to make the arrangements
suitable to the occasion
| "Your obedient servant,
owl GRAVES"
/ " Hon. J. CILLEY."
You accepted this form and adopted it in lieu Of
your own; copied it in your handwriting destroyed
the manuscript of Mr. Clay, and then insisted that
should Immediately bear it to Mr. Ciey. Mr. Clay
added his persuaslons to yours and | prevailed
on to bear it to Mr. Ciley, which did little before
i IL o'clock M. on that day.
After the adjournment of the House on Friday, the
23d, at about half past p M. you walked with me
again TO my room Expecting TO nave to hight with
pistols you examining my BRACE about o'clock
in the evening, when General George w. Jones, the
second Of Mr.. Cey, entered and presented to you
the acceptance of your challenge. You Immediately
retired. Gen. Jones then sat down at my table and
drew up the following terms, to wit
WASHINGTON, February %, 1893.
! "Mr Ciley proposes to meet Mr.. Graves at such
place may be agreed upon between u.s. tomorrow
l2 o'clock M. The weapons to be used on the occa-
sion shall be rifles the parties placed side to side,
eighty yards distance from each other; to hold the
rifles horizontally at length downwards; the IL