Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-07-15

hamshire, Chief Secretary for Ireland, because
| he would not dismiss, ut his dictatior, a pub
lie officer.
The Right Honorable G. Ogle, q privy
councillor, and member for Dublin, the great
Orange champion, encountered Barny Coyle,
a distiller Of whiskey, becatiBc he was d pa
pist--and Coyle challenged him, becauee he
said she would az coon break an oath al swal-
low a poaelled egg" The combatants were 30
invoterate, that they actually discharged rour
brace Of pistols without effect. The seconds
did not come off 30 well % the principals
one of them broke hia arm, by stumbling
into d potato trench. Ogle was as distin-
guislod a poet as d daelist, and biz song Of
"Bannow's Banks'' has been for half a cent?
ry O prime ~favofite.
Sir Iiardinge Clifford. Chief Justice Of Cey-
lon. had an encounter with the unfortunate
barrjster, Bagnal Harry, aitorward the rebel
leader in the county Of Wexford. lie wound
cd Clifford, but subsequently, suffered himself
by an ignominous execution.
The Right Honorable Henry Grattan, leader
of the House Of Commons, was ever ready TO
sustain with his pistols the force Of his argu-
ments. His cool ~feroeity, on shch occasions,
was d fearful display. He began by fighting
Lord Earlsford, and ended by shooting tho
Honorable Isaac Cory. Chancellor Of the Elk
cheauer. He called him in the debate on the
union. n "dancing. MASTER" and went from The
house to fight him, while the debate was go.
ing on, and shot him through the arm. a
SO general was the practice, and so all.per.
vading was the duel mania, that the peaceful
shades of our university could not escape it.
Not only students adopted the practice, but
| principal and fellows set the example. The
Honorable J. 1ieley Hutchinson, the provost,
introduced, among other Innovations on tho
quiet retreats Of study, dancing, and the fash
lonable arts. Among them was the noble sci
ence Of defence, for which he wished 10 endow
a professorship. Ito ID represented in pFan-
cariana al a fencing master, trhmpllng on
Nawton's principal, while he makes o lunge.
He set the example the Of duelling to his pu-
pills, by challenging and fighting Doyle, a
Master in Cl,ancery--while his son the Hon.
orable Francis Hutchinson, collector OF the
customs in Dublin, not to degenerate from his
father. fought a duel with Lord Monuments.
As If this was moi sufficient incentive to the
students, the Honorable Patrick Duigenar, a
fellow and tutor in Trinity College, challeng-
ed a barrister, and fought him-and not salts
fed with setting one example to bis young
class of pupils, he called out a second oppo-
nent to the field.
The public mind was in such state OF irri-
tation from the period Of 1880 TO the time OF
the union, that il was supposed three hundred
remarkable duels were fought in Ireland du.
ring that interval. Counties or districts be-
came distinguished for their dcxterlty at the
weapons used-Galway, for the sword Tip
perary, R~oscommon, and Sligo, for the pistol /;
Mayo for equal skill in both.
So universal and ir4epressible was the pro-
pensity, that d~ueiling Gibbs were actually es-
tablished. the conditions of which were, that
before a man was balloted for, he must sign a
solemn declaration, that "he had exchanged a
shot or a thrust with some antagonist :" and
a code Of laws and regulations were drawn up
as a standard, to refer to on all points Of hon
or. This was called "'rhe practice Of duelllng
and points of honor settled at CIonmel, sum
mer ~assizes. ITS, by gentlemen, delegates
from Tipperary, Galway, SC, and presented
for general adoption throughout Ireland"
This singular national document is still ex-
tant, though happily now seldom appealed to.
Weapons of offence were generally kept
at the inns for the accommodation Of those
who might come on an emergency unproVided
In such cases, "pistols were ordered for two,
HIu UIeAkldSt tOI uiG, az IL NiIgHt ha'h eOHiS
times did happen, that the other did not re-
turn to partake of il, being left dead on the
field. No place was free from these encoun-
ters feuds were cherished and offences Of
ten kept in memory, till the parties met, when
swords were drawn, and the combat COM
menced in the public street a ring was
formed round the parties, and they fought
within it like pugiIists at Moulsey Hurst
yF. A Lu.~ L-sxl 49, Ill rn,y1a
man tell Of such an encounter which he wit.
messed in st. Stephens Green. One of the
combatants was, we believe u. H.. F.sFltzge-
raid. The parties were walking round the
enclosure in different directions, and as soor
as they met they sprang at each other like two
game cocks ; a crowd collected and a ring
was formed, when some humane person cried
out, "for Gods sake part them.' NO." snic
a grave gentleman in the crowd, " let then
fight it out. One will probably be killed and
the other hanged for the murder, and society
will get rid of two pests" One of them die
thrustthe other through the tail of his coat, ant
he long exhibited in company, by his uneas!
position, the painful and disgraceful seat o
the wound.
Among the duelists Of the south OF lrelant
at the close of the last century, were severa
whose deeds are etill talked Of. One Was
gentleman named HAYES. and called "Nosey'
from a remarkable heshy excrescence grow.
ing from the top of the nose, which increased
to an enormous size. 1t was aaid to be tht
point at which The antagonist always aimed
az the most striking and conspicuous part 0
his person. On one occasion he tried in vail
to bring an offender to the field, go he char
ged his son never to appear again in his pres
ence till he brought with him the ear of hi!
antagonist. In obedience to the fathers com
mands, the son sought out the unfortunate
man, seized him, and as was currently repor
ted, cut off his ear, and actually brought
back to his father, az a peace-ofterlng, III
handkerchief.
Another was Pat Power of Daragle. II
was a fat, robust man, much distinguish
for his intemperance, and generally seen wit
a glowing red face.-He on one occasion
fought with a fire eating companion, caiie
Bob Briscoe, when taking aim, he said ne ia
still a friendship for him, and would show u
so he only shot off his whisker and the top {
his ear. His pistol was always at the servlc
af another who had less inclination to use /
and when a friend of his declined a challeng'
) Power Immediately took it up for him. Whe
the Duke of Richmond was in the south
+ Ireland, he knighted many persons wlthot
much regard to their merits or claims. !
Waterford he was particularly Profuse Of b
: honours in this way. Among his knight
! were the Recorder, the paymaster of a reg
ment and a lieutenant. Power was in a co
/ fee house conversing with a gentleman
accidentally met, and'the topic Of converts
ton was the new knights. He abused the
all, bc. particularly "a fellow called B.
I beggarly, half pay lieutenant."-The genti
; man turned pale, and in confusion, imined