Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1849-11-16


er alarm or surprise. According TO tue
terms stipulated, Murray might choose
Ills own time, after the elevation OF the
weapon, to fire; and the thought appear
ed to cross his sonl to torture his antago-
mist By cruel and unnecessary delay
lie raised his right hand gradually, and
fixed mortal aim at Mcnelee's head, in
which posture he continued for more
than two minutes. but Menelee7 still
betrayed no emotion. Not nerve shook
Ibis face paled not shade, A bitter
smile of scorn writhed on. his purple lip,
and his cleaning blue eye, gazing fierce
lv into that Of his deadly foe, seemed to
the Wondering seconds like ball of fire,
so intense and vengelul was It's glare.
At length he called out, in a voice piercing
and shriIl as the shrek of trumpet.
a MURRAY, yod id coward, why don't
you shoot! Are you afraid to shoot"
And whether it was that the position
Of Murray's arm, SO long extended, affect
ed the nerves. or that he became excited
by the hooking taunt, or was surprised
attire terrible tones Of his enemy's voice,
or quailed with preternatural dread be.
fore the Lightning OF his burning blue eye,
il is impossible to say; but at least what
ever might be the cause, a remarkable
change passed over his features. His
cheek grew pailid-his pale lip quiger-
etI----his hand shook. He fred! The
ball merely grazed Menefee's LEI. temple
without injury. ..--..f r..-- y..~..,,
Then the seconds reloaded the pistol
and placed it in the hands Of Menefoe,
and the parties again assumed their prop
er stations. The youthful avenger OF IA
sisters shame waited not an Instant
He was in too great a. hurry to finish his
work for suspense. Quick as the fast.
OF sunbeam, he elevated his weapon
and free. ql7Wit it'll the no ir1 of the expio-
sion, wiLhous a sim or a groan, Murray
dropped dead in his tracks. His right
eye had been shot out! '''
Menefee fled the country, and settled
in Conway county, Arkansas. sThencei
forth The whole currant.of his thoughts
and passions appeared to, be chaaged.---
The earthquake of moral wrath, which
had burst up from the profound abysses
of his soai, had ,ploagsied out a new pas
sage .lurthes lnarchfof am5itioli---as pas
sage stained with inellaceable blood
Before, his heart had burned with I'M
quenchahle enthusiasm, to excel in lknowl-
edge, variety, depth, and extent of lat
tainmenis, bat now he coveted superieri-
ty onlyin desperate deeds--the bloody
achievements OF brute bravery, Nor,
to say truth, could he have selected a
more appropriate field in the wide world
for belligerent purposes than Arkansas
then afforded. politicll Strife ra5ei with
incredible fury. No man conld be a
leader either in the parties Of the Stare,
or in thosc-of county, unless he stood
ready at all times to ieiead His principles
a. the bowie-knife and mtizzle, of, the pis-
toll. 70 ennmerate alt iuels fought by
opposing chiefs of the different factions
during that. sanguinary era would stag
ger belief. !. A faint idea of this barbar-,
Gus state; of things may be conceived
from the astonishing fact that Arkansas
has never to this day had senator or
representative in the councils Of the ma
lion, who has not once, if no more, per-
lied his life on the so-called .'ield Of hon-
or" Honorable duels, however, formed
scarcely a tithing Of the combats ,waged.
Riots, ARRAYS, and deadly rencontres by
chance, medley, were weekly and some
times daily occurrences. Doctor Meme
fee took hand in all, and yet escaped
| from each without a scar, ill his very
name grew TO be a thing of terror, at the
sound of which even brave men trem-
bled. And thus he had reached the sum-
nit OF his new, false, and at last fatal
ambition As a '.famous fighter" he
was universally acknowledged to be with
out an equal and without second, and
that. too, in a country Astounding with
bold spirits from every quarter of the
Union. The Rectors, the Deshas, Will
son, Conway--the most redoubtable he
roes dreaded him. Fent holland him.
self feared the gaze of his lerocioas blue
eye. niHanbs 81 al1u9i1l 8al 81 E
He devised extraordinary methods of
displaying his courage and contempt Of
death. He was known, on several occa-
sions, without uttering a word, to ap-
peoach and spit in the faces of notorious
DULLES, with whom he had no cause of
quarrel, and for the sole end of provoking
fight. One personal advantage, how
1 ever, resulted from this excessive des-
Peration. No other physician could be
found hardy enough to settle in Conway,
where such foe reigned, and as mat
ter of course Menelee got all the prac-
ticc. 4 He even attended on his own
wounded would cut'a MAJ, open with
his bowie-kpife in the morning, and, if
called on. sew him up with his needle
/ in the evening. He realized handsome
fortute by his professional exertions, and
deseryedly too, for he was a skillfnl and
attentive doctor In perilous cases he
was sublime, for his bravery urged him
always to take the responsibility of a
lofty daring in the promptitude and pow
er Of his remedies. s,
/ The old pfoaerb says, ''rhere must be
an end to everything" and an end came
at last to the reign of s.The Fighting